Blue White Illustrated

BWI If there was one thing that stood out about Penn State compared to Notre Dame, what was it? TENGWALL I would say it was the peo- ple and the players at Penn State. I just found myself associating with the peo- ple at Penn State more. There were just a lot more players and coaches who I found myself comfortable with. That's not a knock on Notre Dame at all. There were still a lot of people at Notre Dame who I really liked. But in the end, I just felt like more of those people were at Penn State. BWI I want to ask about your strengths and weaknesses. What's one thing that just comes naturally to you? Also, is there anything you want to improve on before you enroll next June? TENGWALL One thing I want to get bet- ter with is my punch. That's a big focus for [Phil Trautwein]. He's really big on that, especially in the pass game. Your punch to stun guys makes a huge di5er- ence. That's a big one for me. Something that has always come natu- rally to me is probably just run blocking. It's not just about mauling guys. There's a lot of technique that people don't real- ize, and that's something I've worked hard on over my career. But really, there are a lot of things that I'm working to improve. There's nothing that I can't improve on. BWI Do you know any of your li6ing numbers? What's your max on the bench, squat, power clean? TENGWALL I just got 400 on the bench. That's a number I've been working hard to get. We never really do just one rep when we squat, but when we calculated what my one-rep max would be for the squat, I believe it was around 585 or 590. It was right around that range. My power clean is right around 315, which I think is pretty good for a junior o5ensive lineman in high school. I'm proud of that one. A lot of people doubt my quickness, so I like to throw that one up there. That shows explosion. BWI Any idea what you'd like to study? Also, if you don't make it to the NFL someday, what would be your dream job? TENGWALL I plan to major in business. I already run a landscaping business at home. I've got a decent amount of clients. I just hand out 4iers around town and then people will call me. I do a lot of yards, stu5 like that. I do a lot of stu5. I lay down mulch and tear up 4ower beds. I mow a ton. That's what I do most of the time. I have a riding mower and a trailer, all of that. That's where the good money is at. (laughs) But I also did a lot of leaf cleanup this year. I always try to stay busy. I'm not out there doing farms or anything like that, but I do what I can to make some money. I would love to someday take it to a di5er- ent level. BWI Would having a big landscaping company be your ultimate goal if you don't end up playing in the NFL? TENGWALL Well, it depends. I just want to go where the money is. In a perfect world, I would go to the league, although playing in the NFL is far from my ulti- mate end goal. That's just a great place to start. I'm using football to get a free education and then to hopefully make money playing. But really, I want to 3nd some sort of business. I'll franchise Mc- Donald's if I can. It doesn't matter to me. I just want to work hard and 3nd a job that's rewarding. BWI I like to give recruits an opportu- nity to say something to Penn State fans. Is there anything you'd like to say to all the fans reading this? TENGWALL I would just like to tell the fans what kind of guy they're getting. I love working out. I'm always going to be the guy who's in the weight room a6er practice or whenever. I'll always be put- ting in that extra work. I'm de3nitely a guy who likes to push people. I credit that to my time at [St. Vincent Pallotti]. We had some tough coaches there who pushed us. I just want to be a leader. They already have a lot of those guys. I know Shaka Toney has been the guy pushing them a lot during the o5-sea- son. I just want to lead and do my part. ■ LION LINEMAN Tengwall began to at- tract attention even before he played his first high school game. The ris- ing senior is now the 27th- rated overall prospect in the Class of 2021. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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