Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
5 8 N O V 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 A fter a late-summer lull on the re- cruiting front, Penn State made an- other addition to its 2022 class on Sept. 23 when offensive tackle Andre Roye picked the Nittany Lions over North Car- olina State, Maryland and Rutgers. Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals. com, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Roye had kept a low profile before announcing his choice. His quiet approach to the recruit- ing process made it difficult to predict which way he was leaning. But in the end, a sustained effort by head coach James Franklin, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and one of the team's current starters, redshirt junior offensive tackle Rasheed Walker, helped convince the Baltimore native to choose Penn State. "I talk to Coach Traut and Rasheed a lot," Roye told Rivals prior to committing. "We're close. They're preaching to me that that's the place for me. "The coaches talk to me about how I've been improving since I first got on the scene to right now, and now they're say- ing that I could play a lot if I were to go there. If I do everything right and get in the playbook, then I could play early." Roye attends St. Frances Academy, which always has at least a few FBS re- cruits, although not many have ended up in State College. That makes Roye unique. He became the 25th player to pick Penn State in the 2022 recruiting cycle and the fourth offensive lineman, joining Drew Shelton, Maleek McNeil and J.B. Nelson. The Nittany Lions also have a transfer set to join their line next year, with Harvard tackle Spencer Rolland having announced that he plans to continue his career at Penn State after graduating from the Ivy League school. "I always liked Penn State," Roye told BWI in May. "Ever since I was a kid, their uniforms and stuff like that stood out. I remember when I was first getting offers, their one coach, Coach [Tyler] Bowen, who's in the NFL now, he was real excited about me, and we just bonded pretty early on. "Their excitement always kind of stood out to me. They don't just talk about foot- ball with you. They do a good job getting to know you. Their coaches have kept that going since Coach Bowen left." While it may seem as though the Nit- tany Lions are finished in this cycle with 27 players committed — they added three-star wide receiver Omari Evans of Killeen, Texas, on Oct. 2, and the transfer Rolland also counts against the class of 2022 — it's not out of the question that the class could grow a bit larger before all is said and done. A one-year waiver by the NCAA has given the Lions and everyone else in college football up to 32 slots to fill as long as they stay under the 85-man scholarship limit. Roye's high school teammate Jaishawn Barham, a four-star linebacker prospect, is one of the Nittany Lions' top remaining targets, and they continue to pursue oth- ers, as well. Barham took an official visit to Penn State for the game against Auburn in September, but he had not locked in a decision date as of early October. ■ Penn State added a surprise recruit to the class of 2022 in three-star offensive tackle An- dre Roye. At 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, he's a big addition in the most literal sense of the word, and he has incredible tools. Yet it's the work that Roye has done to refine his game that landed him a spot on offensive line coach Phil Trautwein's short list. STRENGTH Reach: One of the rarest gifts in football is extreme arm length. For offensive and defen- sive linemen in particular, having 35-inch arms or longer is akin to running a sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash. That's the territory that Roye is in with his reach and overall length. Technique: Roye made remarkable improve- ment heading into his senior year. His pass protection improved technically, as did his hand placement and balance in run blocking. Show- ing that level of growth before college is what likely secured him a scholarship offer. Physicality: This is what jumps out imme- diately about Roye. He's an emotional, feisty player who wants to dominate his opponent. AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT Lateral explosiveness: I think it's fair to say that Trautwein values length, power and frame over athleticism. A good number of the play- ers he's recruited are big, physically imposing prototypes who lack lateral agility. Roye fits that mold. Point of contact: From pad level to consis- tently getting to the target in space, there are run-blocking techniques that Roye will need to clean up. PROJECTION Tackle: Roye's length and height make him a tackle first. His technical improvements are an encouraging sign that he is capable of pro- tecting the quarterback's blind side. After all, we've seen that players with exceptional physi- cal traits are simply average without exemplary technique. Guard: If Roye doesn't have the speed to play on the edge, his length and power won't go to waste at guard. He'll have to make sure his pad level improves in order to unlock his length advantage on the interior. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Baltimore Lineman Gives Lions' 2022 Class A Big Lift G R E G P I C K E L | G P I C 9 2 @ G M A I L . C O M COMMITMENT PROFILE ANDRE ROYE Roye became the fourth offensive lineman to join the Nittany Lions' 2022 class when he announced his deci- sion on Sept. 23. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM