“That’s a coward move,” senior cornerback Stephon Morris said.
Nine former Penn State players have transferred to other schools in wake of the NCAA’s harsh sanctions against the university. Backup offensive tackle Ryan Nowicki is the only one to depart for a Big Ten team — Illinois.
Morris has been outspoken about Nowicki’s departure, tweeting August 2: “One thing u don’t do is Jump from big ten school to another big ten school.”
Ex-Penn State wide receiver Justin Brown transferred to Oklahoma on Saturday. Morris was good friends with Brown and he “wished Justin and [the other transfers] nothing but the best.”
“But I’m going to say what I’m going to say,” Morris added. “Come on, [transferring to Illinois] is like me saying I’m going to transfer to Michigan. How would you feel? How would they feel?”
Neither Morris nor linebacker Gerald Hodges could deny they felt an iota of animosity when players left the university. And for that reason, they now have even more respect for the players who stayed.
“I was ticked, but eventually you got to get over it and move forward,” Hodges said. “One, two, three guys isn’t going to change team of 110 guys.
“Guys that left, we respect those guys. But it shows your character, when you’re knocked down, who’s going to get up and who’s going to walk away. The guys who are here right now, it show their true character and the person they really are.”
The Nittany Lions are embracing the current personnel and their updated slots on the depth chart. The remaining players have radiated confidence in their teammates.
“When we go against [the wide receivers] one-on-one, we’re making them better but they’re making us better as well,” Morris said.
Quarterback Matt McGloin said he expects his job to be easier with different faces on the offense, but he’s being realistic at the same time.
“We definitely have a chance to make some history here, but at the same time, I’m not going to sit here and say we’re going 12-0,” he said. “I can promise that we’re going to have an opportunity to win each and every game.”