Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1157192
lived in our weight room the past couple of months. The transition he's made is incredible, and I can't wait to see him keep improving. BWI What's he like with his team- mates? I wouldn't call him shy, but from my interactions, he's more quiet than not. What's he like in the locker room? HEADEN In the beginning, it was like pulling teeth. It was di0cult to get him to open up. Fortunately, he found a good group of friends on our team, and that really helped bring the kid out of him. That helped him realize that he's not an outsider with our group. Don't get me wrong, he's still adjusting to life over here. He still has a very strong accent. He's only been here .ve years, so that part is still an adjustment, but he's really coming into his own. The one thing that really gets him talk- ing is basketball and the NBA. He loves the 76ers and he loves Joel Embiid, for obvious reasons. You can be sitting there talking to him and he'll be so stone- faced, but when you mention the Sixers, he just lights up. He thinks he's a bas- ketball player at heart [laughs]. But yeah, he's grown a lot with us and he's still growing. BWI Where does he stand today? What are some of his strengths and weak- nesses, and what will you be focusing on with him during two-a-days? HEADEN Well, to start, he's still very raw. There's still so much for him to learn, and that's what all the college coaches liked. They like the fact that he's big, has some ability and is raw. I know that's one thing that Sean [Spencer] and Coach [Brent] Pry and Coach [James] Franklin really liked about him. They saw a guy that they can really develop and mold into the player they want. He has some very impressive measur- ables, too. He tested great at Penn State and has always put up impressive num- bers for us, too. But I'd say his biggest strength right now is his strength, which shouldn't be a surprise. He's put on so much muscle and has really al- ways been able to push guys around. He's only getting stronger nowadays. As the season progressed last year, I thought he made some real improve- ment with his hands. Obviously, Coach Spencer can teach him so much more still, but he understands the importance of hand placement now and is learning more and more every day. One big thing he improved with this year is leverage. Wrestling helped him so much with that. I think that's going to really pay o/ for him. Other than that, the one thing he still has to improve on is just football IQ. When he can match his strength and also read formations and understand concepts, that's when it will all come to- gether. That's when he's going to really show everyone the player he can be. ■ NEW RECRUIT Mulbah began playing football after he and his family moved from their native Liberia to Penn- sylvania about five years ago. He committed to the Nittany Lions in June. Photo by Bill An- derson