Blue White Illustrated

L ogging 100,000 miles together over a four-year stretch is a pretty good way for two people to form a tight bond. That's what Bryce Mostella and Marty Martens did when the pair traveled the country during Mostella's recruitment as a three-star defensive end. But even with that relationship, Martens, the head strength and conditioning coach at East Kentwood High in Kentwood, Mich., jokes that if he texted Mostella, it might take a while to hear back. "He's just not a social media guy. He's not a texter. He just doesn't post a lot of things," Martens said. "Even now, Bryce, that's just not who he is. If I tried texting, he might not even text me back. He might not even check his phone. ... He's quiet that way. It's just part of his DNA." That's part of the reason it came as a bit of a surprise to many when Mostella an- nounced his commitment to Penn State via a two-minute Twitter video last July. It wasn't one of those fancy, pull-out-all- the-stops clips that many high-level re- cruits use. Instead, it featured Mostella talking to a series of unnamed characters, played by himself, ending with the Michi- gan native smearing blue and white paint on his face. It makes perfect sense that Martens un- derstood the deeper meaning behind the video better than anyone. "Everybody makes this whole recruiting process out to be a whole lot of fun. And it's really pretty stressful, because you're get- ting bombarded by everybody," Martens said. "In the beginning, it's fun. Then it's like, holy cow, gets old. … The video meant there can be only one, and holy cow, I'm glad this is over. I'm going to Penn State." It was the close relationship he shared with Mostella that allowed Martens to decode the video. Relationships are also the reason Mostella chose Penn State over 22 other o4ers. "That was the di4erence-maker for Bryce going to Penn State," Martens said. "It was about coach [Sean Spencer] and graduate assistant [Kevin] Smith, who built that re- lationship with Bryce. That was the di4er- ence-maker from everywhere else." Neither Spencer nor Smith remain at Penn State now that Mostella is on campus as an early enrollee. But Mostella, a 6-foot- 6, 240-pound weakside defensive end, feels the same way about James Franklin as he did about Spencer and Smith. "Coach Franklin is going to keep that same atmosphere that 3ts Bryce, that free atmosphere of being yourself, enjoying who you are, playing within the bound- aries they want you to play in but really having fun," Martens said. "Football is about having fun, and Coach Franklin's guys are having fun when they're playing." Now that Mostella is at Penn State and is going through spring workouts with his new teammates, he's able to develop his game while also embracing the individu- ality that may set him apart among fans. That, in conjunction with a huge frame and stellar athleticism for a defensive end, make Mostella one of the more intriguing prospects in the Class of 2020. He spent some time as a stand-up edge rusher as well as a hand-in-the-ground end at East Kentwood, showing that he has the ability to shed blocks and prevent o4ensive line- men from using leverage against him. But what's most exciting about Mostella is that he's still got plenty of potential for continued improvement. "Sometimes he's like a baby gira4e. You know, when they're 3rst born, they're still all gangly and long, trying to put it all to- gether," Martens said. "Bryce is extremely long and athletic, and he's still trying to put all those pieces together. And when he really matures into that frame that God has gi5ed him with, that athleticism, and the smarts that he has, when they can mold all of the foundational pieces that he has, you're going to see that baby gi- ra4e become a strong adult male who's going to lead the charge." ■ Mostella creates a quiet storm at defensive end CLICK HERE to see video of Mostella in action. THE MOSTELLA FILE STATS Was a three-year letterman at Kentwood High and a team captain as a senior... Helped the Falcons go 9-2 and claim the OK Read Championship during his junior season HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 34 prospect in Michigan... Received All-Conference honors following his junior and senior seasons | terceptions. He 3nished his high school career with seven interceptions. "He's a corner who hits like a line- backer," McMichael said. "He just loves to get a5er it and get physical. We needed him more at corner, but he's going to be a real good safety. He tackles well. You don't see that from everyone nowadays, but he tackles well. Honestly, [quarter- backs] rarely threw to his side much, so he could have had so many more tackles and interceptions. Once he arrived on the scene as a junior and then as a senior, guys never really went a5er him that much. When they did, he made them pay." ■

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