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Penn State Football: A Key Staff Member Departs for the NFL, and Recruiting Heats Up

Check out the latest from the Nittany Lions in the Penn State football news update.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State coach James Franklin on the sideline during the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame.
Penn State coach James Franklin on the sideline during the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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A key Penn State football staff member is departing for the NFL, the Nittany Lions' second official visit weekend is underway and State College's casino finally has a (familiar) name. That and more in the latest Penn State update.

Penn State loses a staff member to the NFL

Destiny Rodriguez, Penn State football's director of external operations, announced Friday that she has accepted a job with the New York Jets. Penn State coach James Franklin has spoken quite highly of Rodriguez over the years while promoting her through various roles.

Rodriguez began her career at Penn State as an intern, worked in the recruiting department and with the men's soccer team and became the director of external operations. She explained the job to Statecollege.com in 2023, saying she served as a "voice for the program and for Coach Franklin" in meetings with other departments.

Rodriguez was integral to Penn State's recruiting initiatives and also served a behind-the-scenes role for Franklin. Interested in her former job with the athletic department? Penn State posted it here.

What's on tap for Penn State's second official visit weekend?

June is a hectic month on the college football calendar, as coaching staffs mix camps and clinics with four weekends of official visits. Penn State is hosting a big contingent of players this weekend, including many who have committed to the 2026 recruiting class.

Among the uncommitted attendees is Rodney Colton Jr., a 4-star linebacker from Georgia who also has visits planned to Colorado, Florida State and Ole Miss. Another notable prospect is Marlen Bright, a 3-star offensive tackle from New Jersey. Bright already has visited Illinois and West Virginia and also has offers from Florida State, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland and more.

This weekend largely is about the 2026 class, though, and should be an extended bonding time for the group. Penn State has 17 players committed to the class, which ranks fourth nationally according to the 247Sports Composite.

The State College casino finally has a name

The vacant Macy's at the Nittany Mall has been a proposed casino site since 2020. Now, it finally has a name and opening time frame. Happy Valley Casino is scheduled to open in spring 2026, six years after developer Ira Lubert initially won the auction to apply for the gaming license in State College.

“We feel that the name and logo pays homage to the rich history, picturesque landscapes and enduring spirit of the Happy Valley community that we are proud to be a part of,” Eric Pearson, CEO of SC Gaming, said in a statement.

The $120 million casino has gone through quite a development process. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved Lubert's license in 2023, but the project went through several legal challenges. Then in March, Bally's withdrew from the project, leaving Lubert to find a new gaming partner. Saratoga Casino Holdings, which operates the Saratoga Casino Hotel in New York, signed an agreement with Lubert's SC Gaming to manage the State College casino.

Did EA Sports do right by James Franklin?

EA Sports has scheduled a July release for College Football 26, which features Penn State's James Franklin and Nicholas Singleton on the cover. The game-maker also released the game's trailer which includes in-game rendering of Franklin seems to have, uh, aged him. Franklin might have been the oldest coach in the College Football Playoff's final four, but EA Sports didn't have to treat him that way.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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