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day Friday in the town. We ate breakfast at The Wa2e Shop. That was great. We also walked the whole campus. I thought the campus was really nice and I liked how the town was just across the street. I liked the setup there. We also watched the sunset in the Arboretum. We were there for an hour or two. We FaceTimed with Coach Franklin while we were there. That was the majority of our day. I think we spent probably /ve or six hours on campus that day. It was a really good experience. BWI Before the dead period started in March, what other schools did you visit? Also, who were Penn State's top com- petitors down the stretch? STAES I only got two uno1cial visits in before the shutdown. I went to Okla- homa March 1 and then I went to Michi- gan the following weekend, March 8. Michigan ended up being my /rst o0er, so that was a big deal and they ended up being one of the schools that was really in the mix. Coach [Sherrone] Moore is someone I became close with. I love Coach Moore. So those were the only two schools I got to visit. A3er that Michigan o0er, I started getting a bunch of o0ers pretty quickly. Other than Michigan, I would say that the other schools that were close were Ohio State and LSU. Georgia and USC were in there a little bit, but it was re- ally Ohio State, Michigan and LSU. Those were the schools that I looked at. BWI Have you gotten to know any of the players currently committed to Penn State? Is there anyone you've become friendly with? STAES I told the coaches the day before I went public that I was committing. I then ended up messaging all of those guys on Twitter to tell them, so we had a big group chat a3er that. I also ended up FaceTiming those guys a3er I commit- ted. So we've talked a few times now since I committed. It's been good. We're already starting to recruit other guys that we want to join. It's been good. We've talked a lot. BWI I have to ask about those recruits you've been speaking with. Are there a few maybe in your region who are inter- ested in Penn State who we don't talk about enough? STAES Well, Alex Bacchetta, my team- mate, is interested in Penn State. He's someone I'm going to try and get to join us. I want him to come up there with me. Another guy is Damari Alston at Wood- ward [Academy]. He just got an o0er from Penn State like two or three weeks ago. I talk to him a lot about Penn State. He loves Penn State. He'll admit that Penn State is becoming Running Back U, so I know he likes them. He's waiting until next spring to commit, but I know he's real interested in Penn State. Also, Addison Nichols, the big o0ensive tackle from [Greater Atlanta Christian] is an- other guy I'm talking with a bit. We're friends, so he'll be someone I talk with a lot. BWI What are some of your strengths and weaknesses at tight end? What are you trying to improve on between now and when you enroll? For strengths, what's some- thing that comes naturally to you at the position? STAES I'm a basketball player /rst. I grew up play- ing basketball and didn't play football until I was 12, so a lot of my basketball skills have transitioned to the football /eld. For my strengths, high-pointing the ball is something I pride myself on. If the ball is in the air, I pride myself on coming down with it. Also, another strength is that I feel like I'm capable of doing everything that's needed from a tight end on the /eld. Don't get me wrong, I still need to improve on everything. I'm not trying to act like I'm polished al- ready, but I feel like I'm capable of being a three-down tight end. If they want to line me up next to the tackle and block, I think I hold my own. If they want me to run routes, I can do that, but also, if they want me to split out wide to stretch a linebacker or a defensive back, I think I'm athletic enough to either get by them or use my strength to make a play. I'll do whatever needs to be done. One thing I need to improve on is get- ting out of my three-point stance. Also, stretching out blocks is something I can be better at. I think I do a pretty good job blocking, but stretching them out for even another second or two can make a big di0erence. I think I can work on all of that and I think I will do a better job of that this season. I got a lot stronger dur- ing quarantine. Another thing is cutting SHOW OF STRENGTH When he gets to Penn State in two years, Staes will help solidify a tight end corps that has been one of the Nittany Lions' biggest strengths under James Franklin. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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