Coaches stunned by Penn State penalty

Speaking at ACC Media Days, London and other coaches tried to digest the sanctions and their impact on the Nittany Lions' program.

"Now that we know what it is exactly [the punishment] looks like, it may be more devastating what it is right now than receiving the death penalty because of the implications of years from now," London said.

Among the sanctions: a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl ban and a limit of 65 scholarships for four years starting in 2014. The limit for the FBS level is 85.

"At the end of the day, if you don't do what's right, there's consequences," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. "It's just a shame because a lot of times when consequences are rendered, a lot of people who have done nothing wrong suffer. That's kind of the way it is in our society."

It was a sobering day for coaches and administrators. At a Bulldog Club meeting at the Cobb Galleria, Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity said he wants to read all available documents to fully digest the scope of the matter. He said that he and his senior staff studied the Freeh report when it was released.

"Like the president of Oregon State said, this is like a gut check for everybody to make sure their house is in order," McGarity said.

Said London, "It's a wake-up call for everybody in college athletics and college sports, not just football, of creating a culture of accountability and responsibility."

Swinney said he hoped that the punishment will give Penn State a chance to start over. He foresaw a process that will last far longer than four years.

"It's really going to be five or 10 years playing with a lot of walk-ons and so forth," he said. "It's just going to be a long process."

Said Boston College coach Frank Spaziani, "It's going to take a while before anybody understands what the implications are of what just happened. It's not going to be good."

Coaches acknowledged to varying degrees their interest in seeing if Penn State players would be interested in transferring, as the NCAA has granted them immediate eligibility if they change schools. While acknowledging that he wouldn't take a player just for the sake of it, N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien said "you'd be crazy not to" look into the possibility.

At the Bulldog Club meeting in Atlanta, Georgia coach Mark Richt said, "Some colleges are going to be interested in some of their players and we're one of those schools. It's pretty well-documented that we're under our 85 [scholarship] limit. We'll try to get in touch with some of these young men and see if they're interested."

Georgia Tech has 81 players on scholarship, four below the limit. Coach Paul Johnson said he didn't know Penn State's roster. Tech does little, if any, recruiting in Pennsylvania and has only a handful of players from the mid-Atlantic.

However, Johnson said, "If a kid contacts us and has an interest, I'm sure we'll follow it up."

Coaches that already have relationships with players from previous recruiting stand a far better chance of landing a potential transfer. It stands doubly so in this instance, as teams begin preseason practice in a matter of weeks, which would preclude Penn State players from a prolonged recruitment.

Said Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, who recruited players who chose Penn State, "I think things are going to happen quick."

London also recruited players on Penn State's roster, as did Spaziani, noting he even had a few prospects who had committed to the Eagles before ultimately selecting Penn State.

"It's a fluid situation that's happening and we'd be foolish not to be interested," Spaziani said. "But there are a lot of other factors that have to go into it."

London finds himself in the rather unusual situation of possibly welcoming players that he has spent the offseason preparing to play.

Said London, "It makes you wonder what the team will look like when we play them the second week of September."

He's not the only one.

Columnist Jeff Schultz contributed to this article.