If Vega Ioane gets a chance to see Stacy Collins at the Fiesta Bowl, he wants to thank him again.
Ioane might never have found his way to Penn State without Collins, who’s back at Boise State as assistant head coach, linebackers coach and special teams coordinator after spending the last two seasons with the Nittany Lions’ special teams.
When Ioane, a native of the Seattle area, de-committed from the University of Washington, Collins suggested he speak to Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.
Ioane wound up committing to the Lions in February 2022.
“I look forward to seeing him and talking to him,” Ioane said Thursday. “He definitely was the biggest part of me coming here. He’s a West Coast guy. He was the first one to talk to me. He got me out here. He got the coaches involved.
“I’m grateful for him and everything he’s done for me. I wouldn’t be at Penn State without him.”
Penn State (12-2) meets Boise State (12-1) in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night at 7:30 (TV-ESPN) in Glendale, Ariz.
Collins is an Oregon native who spent his entire football coaching career in the Northwest before leaving Boise State to join the Penn State staff in January 2022.
In his first season with the Lions, Chris Stoll won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s top long snapper and Nick Singleton returned a kickoff for a 100-yard TD at Rutgers.
Last season, kicker Alex Felkins and Singleton received All-Big Ten recognition. Singleton averaged 25.5 yards per kickoff return during Collins’ two seasons at Penn State.
“Coach Collins is really good,” Singleton said. “He set a tone every time he stepped on the field. He’s always that energy guy. Everybody loves him. Everybody thinks he’s funny. I just can’t wait to see him again and to go up against him.”
Lions add receiver: Former Troy wide receiver Devonte Ross announced earlier this week that he’s transferring to Penn State.
The 6-0, 170-pound Ross caught 76 passes for 1,043 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Trojans (4-8) this season and was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team.
In a 38-21 loss at Iowa, Ross made five receptions for 142 yards and two TDs and returned a punt 77 yards.
In three seasons at Troy, he had 129 catches for 1,618 yards and 14 TDs. He’s from Cartersville, Ga., and originally signed with Kentucky but he never enrolled there. He enrolled at Troy in 2022.
Ross becomes the second wide receiver that the Nittany Lions have landed from the transfer portal, joining Kyron Hudson of USC.
Pribula picks Missouri: Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula announced earlier this week that he has accepted an offer to enroll at Missouri in January.
Pribula, a former high school star at Central York, was the Nittany Lions’ No. 2 quarterback behind Drew Allar the last two seasons.
He completed 26-of-35 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns with one interception this season. He also rushed 38 times for 242 yards and four TDs.
Pribula replaced the injured Allar to start the second half at Wisconsin and helped Penn State rally for a 28-13 victory. Last season, he was 11-for-21 passing for 149 yards and four touchdowns and carried 56 times for 329 yards and six scores.
Pribula will compete with former Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers and others at Missouri. Zollers signed with the Tigers in December as part of their 2025 recruiting class.
Source: Berkshire mont
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