Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1400830
6 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M C ristian Driver may have a famous last name, but no one will ever see it on the back of his Penn State jersey, and that's just fine with the four-star athlete from Liberty Christian High in Argyle, Texas. In fact, it was one of the reasons why he picked the Nittany Lions over the dozens of other schools that were pursu- ing him. "It's not about the in- dividual there," Driver said. "It's about the team. They don't have names on the back of their jerseys. People know you there based on your number, not your name, because it's not about you. It's about the team. That's where 'We are' comes from. "It's all about play- ing as a team there and being a family. That's something a lot of other colleges don't have. … I think that's one thing that really stood out to me the most." Driver, who stands 6-foot-1, 170 pounds and is ranked as the nation's No. 229 overall recruit and No. 12 athlete, is the son of former NFL star Donald Driver. He plans to play his father's position, wide receiver, at the college level, though he's also been an impact player at safety in his high school career. The Nittany Lions were always among Driver's favorites, but they seemed to pull ahead following an official visit to State College in June. Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and Wisconsin were among the schools recruiting him the hardest, al- though Penn State was one of the few that were open to him playing either side of the ball. That played a key role in his decision. "Terry Smith was originally my lead recruiter," Driver said, referring to Penn State's veteran cornerbacks coach. "He's the one that got it started with me. But once I told him I preferred to play wide receiver, nothing ever changed, and that's one thing I loved about him. So many other coaches would back off when I told them that, but he was fine with it and kept recruiting me hard." Driver told BWI on numerous occasions that he looks to James Franklin "as an uncle." His ties to the Nittany Lions' head coach ac- tually go back to 2005, when Franklin coached Driver's father with the Green Bay Packers. Franklin only stayed with the Packers for one season, but his con- nection with the Driver family never faded. " I 've k n ow n h i m since I was very young and he's always believed in me, so that made this an easier decision, too," Driver said. Per Athletic.net, he clocked a 12.03-sec- ond 100-meter dash during the 2021 out- door track season in addition to a 5-foot, 10-inch high jump and a 21-10 long jump at the Texas Association of Private and Pa- rochial Schools Class 6A championships. He appears to be the complete athletic package, which is why so many schools sought to earn his commitment. In the end, a strong and long family relationship, plus a terrific staff effort, both before, during and after the official visit, netted the Lions his pledge. "I think out of all the coaches that I've met on the college level, this is the best group of coaches and staff I've ever been surrounded by," Driver said. "Everything Coach Franklin got to show my family was excellent. It's a great group." ■ Athlete Brings Versatility To Nittany Lions' Class G R E G P I C K E L | G P I C 9 2 @ G M A I L . C O M Driver is rated as a four-star athlete. James Franklin coached his father, Donald, in the NFL. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Check off yet another preferred target on Penn State's recruiting board. On July 29, the Nittany Lions picked up Cristian Driver, the No. 229-ranked player in the nation as rated by Rivals.com. Driver earned offers from 43 schools, and the biggest question concerning his creden- tials is not what he brings to Penn State, but rather what position he'll bring it to — he could be a receiver or safety. Let's take a closer look at his skill set. STRENGTHS Closing speed: Driver is a carbon copy of his father, Donald Driver, in so many ways. He's an agile, explosive athlete with a great short-area burst. As a receiver, this means he eats up cushion and can get by defensive backs with ease. As a safety, it makes him a heat-seeking missile of a tackler. Route running: What would you expect? Driver is a precise route runner with crisp cuts and sudden transitions. He's super efficient and does a marvelous job creating separation with advanced position skills like head fakes and shoulder shakes. Recognition and pursuit: It's not just the closing burst that makes Driver a great candidate to be a safety; he also has a knack for recognizing routes, formations and plays. AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT Top-end speed: Driver is a good athlete but is not a superior physical presence nor a top-end speed athlete. He has a recorded 100-meter dash time of 12.03 seconds, which is good but not special. The hope is that he can increase his speed once he gets into Penn State's strength and conditioning program. Breaking tackles: This is an area we simply need to see more of. Driver has been used much less on offense than on defense, and his ability to break tackles is inconsistent on those plays. PROJECTION Boundary safety: The Liberty Christian defense has used Driver the same way that Penn State uses its boundary safety. Driver shows the skills to be a great project at this position. It also would help to have the smart- est, most well-schooled player operating the secondary and setting the defense. Boundary/possession receiver: I typically don't root for things to happen, but Driver's route-running skills are some of the best I've seen in recent years from a Penn State recruit. It sounds like the coaches will allow him to try his hand at receiver so he can pursue his dream of following in his dad's footsteps — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N COMMITMENT PROFILE CRISTIAN DRIVER