The Penn State Nittany Lions are 4-0 and host UCLA for the final in a four-game home stand to start the 2024 season. On today’s BWI Live Show, we discuss the win over Illinois in primetime from this past weekend and discuss Penn State head coach James Franklin’s comments from his press conference on Monday.

Join the show live at 10 a.m. on YouTube or catch the replay anywhere you get podcasts, here on the site or on our YouTube Channel.

Fitz’s recruiting update

While the game takes center stage, the recruiting efforts around Penn State’s first primetime game of the year were also in action this weekend. Recruiting expert Sean Fitz dives into the important names that attended the win over Illinois in our weekly recruiting update. He also discusses the newest offer for 2026, PA native Reston Lehman. The defensive end prospect spoke with Blue White Illustrated recently, and Fitz gives his thoughts on the recruitment.

Of course, the biggest names for the upcoming class were at the top of everyone’s mind on Saturday. He’ll let you know what he’s learned about La Salle College High School star Joey O’Brien’s visit to Happy Valley and how California native Madden Williams felt about his trip to the East Coast.

James Franklin press conference and game recap

Since our last time on air, Penn State has played Illinois, and head coach James Franklin met with the media on Monday to recap the game and preview UCLA. We take time to recap the most interesting and illuminating comments in our weekly segment, Between the Lines. Veteran reporter Nate Bauer dissects the meaning behind Franklin’s meaning. We’ll discuss his call for the team to take a significant step each week, the injury situation, Kaytron Allen, and more.

Next, we’ll get into our thoughts about Penn State’s win over Illinois this weekend. Our experts rewatched the game and gave their impressions from being at the game and what they’ve learned since.

For a game that felt like Penn State dominated from start to finish, what took the team so long to put Illinois away? We discuss the perception and the reality of a win that featured dominating the trenches but few points to show until the five minutes of the fourth quarter.

BWI Mailbag

Finally, we’ll end the show by answering your questions and comments from the live chat and from the Blue-White Illustrated message board. Be there live to join in the conversation!

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