Blue White Illustrated

hen Ibrahim Traore thinks of Penn State, one thing pops into his mind 7rst. No, it's not Beaver Stadium or the Lasch Building, two places where he'll spend much of the next half-decade of his life. Rather, it's something to which the average Penn State student can relate. "The 7rst thing I think of is the ice cream," Traore said with a laugh. "During my o9cial visit, I had some chocolate mousse cake on a wa:e cone with some caramel and whipped cream. Oh man, that was incredible. I think about it to this day." The Berkey Creamery is a Penn State in- stitution, of course, and there's nothing complicated about the devotion that its products have inspired. But the path that led Traore to its door? That is a bit com- plicated. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Traore orig- inally enrolled in Frederick Douglass Academy to play basketball. He had never played football before but lettered on the varsity team as a freshman. With his size – Traore enters Penn State at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds – FDA coach Andrew Kell knew he had potential, but the initial learning curve was steep. "Ibrahim came into FDA with no knowledge or experience playing the game of football," Kell said. "He gave the sport a chance and really struggled early on as a freshman on varsity. He showed his true character and grit by coming back ready to work even harder." Traore went on to become a three-time team captain and New York's No. 9 re- cruit, as rated by Rivals.com. Former de- fensive line coach Sean Spencer saw his 7lm and invited him to camp in June 2019, but Traore couldn't get a ride. He was invited again in July, and his coach paid for him to take a bus to State Col- lege, even though an o8er wasn't yet on the table. "Truth be told, when I'm sitting on the bus, probably four hours away from Penn State, I was nervous as hell," Traore said. "I'm thinking, 'Oh man, my coach paid for all this. What if I go there and don't get the o8er? What if I end up screwing this up?' "When I got o8 the bus then and met Coach [James] Franklin and Coach Spencer and everyone, everything changed," Traore added. "I was still a little nervous, but I also knew I wasn't leaving there without an o8er." He got it, and the moment was even more rewarding for him because Penn State didn't extend it solely based on 7lm. His original plan had been to commit on his birthday, Sept. 24, but he ultimately decided there was no reason to wait. He joined the Nittany Lions' class on Sept. 13. But there's much more to Traore than his potential as an o8ensive tackle and a9nity for ice cream. For one, football wasn't the only sport he picked up upon his arrival at FDA. Traore also gave lacrosse a try, an option made possible through a nonprofit called Harlem Lacrosse, and he fell in love with it. In addition to enjoying "hammering guys" with his long pole as a defenseman, he was able to use the sport to build on his athleticism, which he believes is his biggest strength. He also continued to play basketball at the AAU level. Now that he's achieved his goal of se- curing a scholarship from Penn State, Traore has his sights set on new ambi- tions. "When you walk into Penn State's weight room, you'll see a chart up above with a bunch of li;ing numbers and times. I want my name on that list," Tra- ore said. "If there's one thing I'd really like to be on there for, I want to have the fastest 40-yard time for the o8ensive linemen." It's a near certainty that Traore will red- shirt as a freshman, which will give him a chance to continue to re7ne his skill set and add some more weight. Rivals.com analyst Adam Friedman has lauded Tra- ore for his heavy hands and talent as a pass blocker but said he'll need to work on his balance before he can expect to see consistent playing time with the Nittany Lions. He'll be doing so under the direction of new o8ensive line coach Phil Trautwein, who replaced Matt Limegrover earlier this o8-season. Traore said he under- stands why Limegrover and Spencer are no longer with the program – "College football is a business," he said – and he's excited to work with Trautwein. "He's an amazing guy. He's accom- plished so much so quickly," Traore said. "He played with Tim Tebow at Florida, Traore set to add versatility to Penn State's offensive front | W CLICK HERE to see video of Traore in action. U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L THE TRAORE FILE STATS Was a four-year letterman and three-time captain at Frederick Douglass Academy... Helped the Lions finish 12-1 and win their confer- ence championship as a freshman in 2016... Also was a three-year letter- man in lacrosse and played AAU basket- ball HONORS Named a three- star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 9 prospect in New York

• Cover