Blue White Illustrated

ayson Oweh made an adjustment. The plan up until the latter part of his high school career had always been to pursue basketball in college. And, look- ing at Oweh's 6-foot-5, 247-pound frame, that aspiration seems like a sound one. But a7er transferring from Rutgers Prep to New Jersey's Blair Academy, the school's he7y tuition led Oweh to try his hand at football in an attempt to make the most of the experience. Oweh didn't think much of the choice at the time, but he soon realized his own po- tential. His hand was forced. "I decided to play football," he said. "And then, obviously, I was having suc- cess with it. Then I decided that I was going to get more looks for football, so I just went all out." Basketball remains one of Oweh's pas- sions, but the results on the football 5eld were just too good for him to ignore. Mid- way through his junior year – his 5rst season of organized football – the light bulb switched on for the young defensive end. He had a future. "It was probably the fourth or 57h game of the season, and I was just playing so well, had crazy hits and a lot of sacks as well," Oweh said. "So I was like, 'I'm doing pretty good and this is my 5rst year. It's all coming instinctually, so I'm just going to do it.' " Oweh's natural gi7s gave rise to one of the most intriguing recruitments of last year's cycle. He 5rst made his way into the Rivals250 last June following his jun- ior season, receiving o6ers from 27 schools along the way. Upside was likely the draw for most. It's only natural to wonder about the ceiling for an athletically gifted, sizable player like Oweh who experienced suc- cess so quickly upon picking up the game. Making predictions for any recruit upon 5rst enrolling at a Power Five school is a dangerous game, but Oweh wasn't afraid to venture his own guess. "I think I can be the best defensive end in this whole class because I feel like I'm still the most raw player in the class, but I'm still doing well and holding my own," he said. "The amount of ground I was able to cover in 16 games... I'm just athletically gi7ed." It wasn't always clear where Oweh would take the next step. Twenty-one of his o6ers came from Power Five schools, a list that included Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State, Michigan and Georgia. Eventually, Oweh's decision came down to the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes. Relationships and early interest on the part of Penn State won out. "[PSU] was my 5rst major o6er. I was really comfortable with the sta6, the players and everything. I feel like Penn State is on the come-up, and I wanted to be a part of that," Oweh said. Another unusual element was added to Oweh's recruitment when he gave the Nittany Lions a silent commitment dur- ing the early signing period in December, but waited to announce it until the Under Armour All-America Game a few weeks later in another demonstration of the trust between the Penn State sta6 and Oweh. Several members of the coaching sta6 at Blair Academy played football with James Franklin at East Stroudsburg Uni- versity. As a result, Franklin had more than a little help laying the foundation with Oweh. "We were just able to develop a really good relationship with Jayson and his family, as there was trust there. … Me coming back home and the relationships that I have, not only from high school, but also going to East Stroudsburg, a teacher's college, where all my buddies are high school coaches all over the state, and in the region" was an important fac- tor, Franklin said. "I would make the argument that we had a pretty good inside chance because there were people there who could really vouch for me, not only as a coach, but as a man, and I think that gave Jayson and his family comfort." Now, the Nittany Lions can set about providing Oweh with the nuance he needs to become a defensive standout at the college level. Oweh said he still needs to perfect his run-stopping techniques, using his hands and shutting o6 the of- fensive tackles. So in Oweh, Penn State likely has a proj- ect. But his ceiling ought to make the wait worth it. ■ CLICK HERE to see video of Oweh in action. THE OWEH FILE STATS Finished with 60 tackles, including 13 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a senior... Had 42 tackles, with seven sacks and five TFL in 2016... Was a two-year letterman at Blair Academy... Also played basketball HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 3 prospect in New Jersey and No. 140 prospect na- tionally... Chosen to play in Under Armour All-America Game... Named first-team All-Mid-Atlantic Prep League as a senior after winning second-team honors in 2016 Oweh looks to reach his full potential with Lions | J

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