Blue White Illustrated

P L A Y E R B I O S WHAT HE DID Mostella was a three-year letterman and a team captain as a senior at East Kentwood. During his junior sea- son, he helped lead the Falcons to a 9-2 =nish. He wasn't a =xture on the camp circuit, but Rivals.com analyst Josh Helmholdt had several opportunities to see him play at East Kentwood and said that his size and athletic ability make him an intriguing prospect. "The part about Mostella's game that folks get excited about, rightfully, is his length for the de- fensive end position," Helmholdt said. "Physically, he looks like he should be playing small forward on the basketball court. Another strength of Mostella's game is his motor. In all the times cover- ing him, I cannot recall Mostella taking a play o>, and I can recall several times see- ing him chasing plays across the =eld and playing to the whistle." WHAT HE WON Mostella re- ceived a three-star rating from Rivals.com and was the 34th-ranked player in Michi- gan. In addition, he twice earned All-Conference recognition. WHERE HE VISITED Mostella attended the 2018 Blue-White Game and earned an o>er from the Nittany Lions the following month. He also attended the Ohio State game in the fall, but then he went quiet for about eight months. Last May, it became clear that the Lions were still very interested. As it turned out, that interest was mutual. Mostella took two o?cial visits in June – the =rst to Penn State at the beginning of the month, and another to Iowa two weeks later. He then took two weeks to think it over be- fore announcing his commitment to Penn State on July 5. Ken- tucky, Michigan, Min- nesota, Northwestern and Ohio State were a few other schools that extended o>ers to Mostella, whose father, Marcellus, played for Auburn from 1993 to '96. QUOTABLE East Kentwood head coach Tony Kimbrough: "Bryce's ability as a player starts with his high energy. He goes all out, not only in games, but in practice as well. His length is his gi@. He played a major role in the overall success of our program. His leadership came by way of his work ethic in the o>-season, spending countless hours in the weight room and doing extra conditioning while everyone else was gone. He's got the tools to be re- ally special." PHIL'S TAKE Mostella is one of the most interesting members of Penn State's class. At 6-foot-6, he has the frame to add 30 to 35 pounds, which would make him a candidate for the strongside defen- sive end position. Mostella uses his hands well to shed blocks, but he will de=nitely be redshirted his freshman season a@er arriving at PSU in January. He needs to improve his upper-body strength to be- come an every-down player at the college level. By enrolling early, Mostella will have an opportunity to get o> to a strong start in Dwight Galt's strength and con- ditioning program. ■ Penn State BRYCE MOSTELLA RIVALS ★★★ | POS DE | HT 6-6 | WT 240 | HOME Kentwood, Mich. | SCHOOL East Kentwood END GAME Mostella is expected to add depth to the Nittany Lions' contingent of defen- sive ends. He was a three-year letterman at East Kentwood High. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

• Cover