Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1490816
5 6 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State signed one of the best linebacker classes in the country in December. The Nittany Lions had earned commitments from four-star players Tony Rojas and Ta'Mere Robin- son earlier in the 2023 recruiting cycle, and they added another impressive ath- lete just before signing day in four-star prospect Kaveion Keys of Richmond, Va. Listed as the No. 177 overall player nationally by On3, Keys had been com- mitted to North Carolina since August but decided a few weeks before signing day that he wanted to explore other op- tions. Virginia Tech got the 6-foot-2, 190-pound prospect on campus for an official visit, but all signs pointed to- ward PSU as his most likely destination after reopening his recruitment. That speculation proved accurate, and Keys signed in December. To get a better feel for how the Nit- tany Lions ultimately won out, BWI caught up with Varina High head coach Marcus Lewis to learn more about Keys and his decision. BWI: When did Kaveion arrive at Va- rina? Did he come in planning to play linebacker? MARCUS LEWIS: He came right before his junior season. He was at Henrico High originally. When he came over, I didn't really know a ton about him. He was at a school that we play, but I didn't know much about who he was. He came to us mainly as a wide receiver, but we only had like 36 to 40 kids with us his junior season, which is when we won the state championship. Most of our kids play both ways. Once I got to see his stature and see how he runs, I knew he would fit in well at linebacker. When he started doing all the different drills, he was a natural. I played linebacker and I'm a defensive person, so I knew I had to have him play there. By the third or fourth game, he I N T E R V I E W V A R I N A H I G H C O A C H M A R C U S L E W I S A PERFECT MATCH Kaveion Keys' high school coach envisions the four-star prospect fitting in well as part of PSU's linebacker corps RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N. S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Keys had 70 tackles, 11 sacks and 9 tackles for loss during his senior season at Varina (Va.) High. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER