Former Coach, Now Podcaster Adam Breneman Details What A Scholarship Offer Really Means

Adam Breneman

Getty Image / Jeremy Drey


Adam Breneman has been on all sides of the college football experience. At just 28 years old, he’s already been a player, coach, and media member.

He first came to prominence as the first five-star recruit to choose Penn State following the sexual abuse scandal involving the actions of now-convicted sex offender Jerry Sandusky and the alleged cover-up of legendary coach Joe Paterno and university brass.

And, as a true freshman in Happy Valley, Adam Breneman was named a Freshman All-American, before suffering a catastrophic knee injury that sapped him of his athleticism. After missing the 2014 season due to the injury, he only played in two games in 2015, and temporarily retired from football, before transferring to UMass. There, he starred, becoming one of the best tight ends in all of college football in Mark Whipple’s pass-happy offense. Injuries cut short any chance at a pro career, but he ended up working for Herm Edwards at Arizona State as the tight ends coach from 2020-2022 before being dismissed in connection with alleged recruiting violations.

Now, he works in media, producing his own podcast, “Next Up With Adam Breneman”, and has called games for ESPN in the past.

Of course, with all of this, he has quite a bit of experience in the recruiting game. And, he broke down one of the least understood parts of recruiting, the scholarship offer. Turns it, it doesn’t really mean much.

@adambreneman81

What does an “offer” mean in college football recruiting now” may not be what you think. Just because a recruit has an offer, does not always mean he actually has a scholarship saved for him at that program. Most programs offer hundreds of recruits, and only sign 20-some. The reality is, in today’s college football, an “offer” just means a program is highly interested in you. #cfb #collegefootball #coaching

♬ original sound – Adam Breneman

That’s pretty fascinating, especially if you’re someone who doesn’t follow recruiting closely. And, it’s reasonated on TikTok, with over 270k views.

Garrett Carr BroBible avatar
Garrett Carr is a recent graduate of Penn State University and a BroBible writer who focuses on NFL, College Football, MLB, and he currently resides in Pennsylvania.