David Blackman, a native of Plano, Texas, was thrilled to be starting law school at Penn State in the fall of 2025. A former 911 call operator and a veteran of the Texas State Guard, Blackman, 26, loved the university's football team and its location in the Appalachian Mountains. "I’ve been a fan of Penn State since I was a teenager," Blackman told the Washington Free Beacon . He arrived on campus in August 2025, a 50 percent merit scholarship in hand, excited for game nights in Beaver Stadium