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Penn State update: 2 NIL mailbag questions; ex-WR finds new home

Thursday brought both a new month and a historic change to the college football world.

Penn State players can now profit from their name, image, and likeness for the first time thanks to a Pa., law passed as part of the state's budget process earlier this week. The NCAA has a policy in place now, as well, for athletes in states without any such legislation. Both are now in effect.

Multiple Penn State players signed name, image and likeness deals on July 1.
Penn State head coach James Franklin and the team ahead of their game against Illinois last December.
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Lions defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo, end Amin Vanover, linebacker Brandon Smith, and quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson have all announced deals with YOKE, a platform that allows fans to play video games with their favorite athletes. More Nittany Lions are sure to join them, either at that company or with other ones, in the days ahead.

The news does bring about plenty of questions, however, and @EKahler17 on Twitter asked a pair that are likely on the mind of many:

1. Will this be a potential distraction during the season?

2. With athletes making NIL money, will players stay an extra year to develop since they can help support themselves and family vs leaving early when maybe they are not ready to.

It's easy to see why fans would worry that student-athletes adding to their already crowded plates could be a problem come game day in the fall, but let's be honest: Almost everyone has hobbies, no matter how busy they are, and so if one is playing Madden anyway in their free time, it won't do any extra harm or cause any more distraction to do so against a fan who paid the player for the chance to do so.

Now, players who run clothing lines or get involved in more laborious side businesses could find themselves pressed for time, but the reality is that the ones who are most likely to be in a position to go that route also are going to be older, in most cases, and thus experienced with time management and perhaps carrying a lighter class load.

James Franklin has always put the members of his roster in the best position to succeed on and off the field by helping with planning, and that won't change in this new area.

As for the second question, the ability for players to profit off of their popularity is a plus long in the making, but for most, it won't bring with it the kind of life-changing money that becoming an NFL Draft pick can. So, it might sway a few players to stay for another season every year, but I wouldn't expect it to greatly impact those decisions moving forward.

Dunmore finds a new home

Former Penn State wide receiver committed to Oregon State.
Former Penn State wide receiver John Dunmore is heading west. (BWI file photo.)

John Dunmore is taking his talents to the PAC-12.

The former Nittany Lions receiver who entered the transfer portal prior to the start of the 2020 season will play next at Oregon State, he announced on social media.

A former four-star recruit in the Class of 2019 from Florida, Dunmore was originally to end up at FAU, but he never enrolled there and later took an official visit to Corvallis. That trip made him decide that Oregon State was the right fit for him, and he'll have multiple years of eligibility there.

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