Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
M A R C H 2 0 2 2 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State assistant coach Phil Trautwein has been on a roll recently, securing a fourth offensive lineman in the 2023 class in Jven Williams. Here's an early look at what the Nittany Lions are getting: STRENGTHS Athleticism: Williams is a complete athlete at 290 pounds. He has a small amount of stiffness in his frame but nothing that would prevent him from executing any block he's asked to run. He looks like a tight end running in the flat on pull- ing plays and has the flexibility and balance to hit targets in open space at the second level of the defense. Run blocking: Wyomissing runs a Wing-T of- fense so there's not much else that Williams is asked to do except block on running plays. He shows great power to kick out defensive ends, down block on defensive tackles, and hit players at the second level. Versatility: Some players look like they could play multiple positions, but Williams actually plays four different spots along the Wyomissing offen- sive line. Sometimes, he plays each position on the same drive. That sort of mental and athletic flexibility is impressive. AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT Pass protection: Williams shows all the neces- sary physical skills to be a good pass protector, including an alert intent when blocking. The prob- lem is that he does not have the opportunity to work on his techniques during games. Even when his team does throw the ball, Williams is used as a play-action power pulling guard to protect on the edge. Technique: It's hard to know what he's learned in terms of hand fighting, pass-blocking sets or anything else. Can he recognize and pick up a stunt? Does he handle pressure on the edge well? PROJECTION Tackle: Williams is reminiscent of former Penn State offensive lineman Ryan Bates. Bates was a guard when he came to PSU but was able to play on the edge of the pocket thanks to great feet, awareness and technique. Williams doesn't have the same technique as a pass blocker at the mo- ment but shows the intelligence and versatility to play four spots. Guard: Williams shows the necessary power in his lower body to move defensive tackles off of the line of scrimmage, while still having the feet to block in pass protection. — Thomas Frank Carr J ven Williams made some coaches very happy when he announced that he was joining Penn State's 2023 recruiting class. A four-star offensive lineman from Wyomissing, Pa., Williams liked what he saw during his three visits to campus and appeared to be leaning toward the Nittany Lions. Even so, when he placed a Face- Time call on Feb. 5 to let James Franklin and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein know that he was coming, there was pan- demonium on the other end of the line. "Coach Trautwein and Coach Frank- lin were going crazy, jumping around, all pumped up," Williams said. "That was just another thing that made me think, 'Yeah, this is definitely my home.' They were super excited and said that I'm a big piece to their puzzle. I really appreciate all of them." Ranked as the No. 90 overall player na- tionally and the No. 6 interior offensive lineman in the On3 Consensus, Williams had almost committed previously. After camping with Penn State's coaches last summer, he earned his offer while attend- ing the game against Villanova at the end of September and thought about ending his recruitment that same day. "The first game I went to, when they offered me against Villanova, I almost committed while I was leaving," Williams said. "Me and Coach Franklin talked it out and decided I should wait, see some schools and see how I felt. "So I went and visited Pitt, and I loved Pitt. Loved the area, but for me, I wanted to stay close to home. If you're from east- ern PA, you want to go to Penn State. Penn State is where it's at." Listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, Wil- liams earned just shy of 20 scholarship offers, most of which came in the past few months. Notable programs included Ken- tucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Okla- homa, Oregon, Pitt, Tennessee, USC and West Virginia. None of those schools were able to out- recruit Penn State in the end, and that was primarily because of Trautwein's efforts. "Coach Traut was a huge factor for me," Williams said. "He spent a lot of time texting with me and checking up on me. He came into my school multiple times. It's just a really strong relation- ship. It's really been daily for me. I'm always getting a text or a call from some- one on the staff. It's love every single day from them and it's hard to say no to something like that." In addition to Williams, Penn State has three other offensive linemen commit- ted: Alex Birchmeier, Joshua Miller and Anthony Donkoh, all of whom reside in Virginia. Williams said he was speaking regularly with several of the committed players in the months leading up to his own announcement. "Those guys did a great job staying in touch with me, texting me, letting me know that Penn State was the place to be," Williams said. "It's kind of cool now that I'm committed and I can call those guys my soon-to-be teammates." ■ Four-Star Lineman An Exciting Addition To Lions' Class RYA N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M COMMITMENT PROFILE JVEN WILLIAMS Williams is the No. 6 interior offensive lineman in the 2023 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Consensus. Penn State outdueled Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and USC, among others, for his commitment. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N