If Vega Ioane gets the 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 returned to 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 Seattle-area native, decommitted from the University of Washington, Collins suggested he talk to Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.
Ioane ended up committing to the Lions in February 2022.
“I can’t wait to see him and talk to him,” Ioane said Thursday. “He was definitely the biggest part of me coming here. He’s a west coast guy. He was the first to talk to me. He got me out of here. He involved the coaches.
“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 the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. (TV-ESPN) in Glendale, Arizona.
Collins is an Oregon native who spent his entire football coaching career in the Northwest before leaving Boise State to join the staff at Penn State in January 2022.
In his first season with the Lions, Chris Stoll won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s best long-player and Nick Singleton returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown 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 the tone every time he took the field. He’s still that energetic guy. Everyone loves him. Everyone finds him funny. I just can’t wait to see him again and face him.
Lions add receiver: Former Troy receiver Devonte Ross announced earlier this week that he is transferring to Penn State.
Ross, 6-0 and 170 pounds, 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 to Iowa, Ross made five receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns and returned a punt 77 yards.
In three seasons at Troy, he had 129 catches for 1,618 yards and 14 touchdowns. He is from Cartersville, Georgia, and originally signed with Kentucky, but never enrolled there. He has enrolled at Troy in 2022.
Ross becomes the second wide receiver the Nittany Lions have landed from the transfer portal, joining USC’s Kyron Hudson.
Pribula picks Missouri: Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula announced earlier this week that he accepted an offer to enroll at Missouri in January.
Pribula, a former Central York high school star, was the Nittany Lions’ No. 2 quarterback behind Drew Allar the past 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 touchdowns.
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 completed 11 of 21 passes for 149 yards and four touchdowns and carried 56 times for 329 yards and six scores.
Pribula will face former Spring-Ford quarterback Matt Zollers and others at Missouri. Zollers signed with the Tigers in December as part of their 2025 recruiting class.
