Penn State Sports Magazine
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1 0 4 A U G U S T 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 F our-star safety Vaboue Toure of Ir- vington, N.J., anticipated making more official visits on the heels of a trip to Penn State in early June. After checking out the Nittany Lions, how- ever, his choice crystallized. Toure, a 6-foot, 188-pound pros- pect from Irvington High, was part of a group of official visitors who were on campus for the Nittany Lions' second visit weekend of June. He had previously taken an unofficial visit in late January, and he attended the Nittany Lions' game last October against Ohio State, having received his scholarship offer from PSU the previous March. The January trip gave him an oppor- tunity to spend more time with safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, and the sub- sequent official visit confirmed for him that Penn State was the right choice. He officially joined the Lions' class on June 16. "What I enjoyed most was getting to sit down and chop up my film and watch some game film with Coach Poin- dexter," Toure said following his most recent visit. "One thing that stood out to me was the new weight room, sim- ply because I had never seen it before. It amazed me." Toure had trips scheduled to Ken- tucky and Oklahoma after checking out Penn State, and while he followed through on the official visit to Lexing- ton, the Wildcats weren't able to change his mind. He also racked up scholarship offers from Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Rut- gers, USC and others. In addition to his four-star grade, Toure is the No. 286 overall prospect, No. 27 safety and No. 3 player in New Jersey, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Those numbers are weighted averages of his rankings from the major recruit- ing sites, and they're substantially lower than the evaluations of On3's scouts, who have him at No. 206 nationally and No. 19 among safeties. As a junior at Irvington High last fall, Toure was credited with 89 tackles, 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries, both of which he returned for touch- downs. He had 40 tackles, 2 intercep- tions and 2 fumble recoveries as a soph- omore. Toure became the first New Jersey prospect to join the Nittany Lions' 2024 recruiting class and now figures to help end a drought in the Garden State. The Nittany Lions have not signed a New Jersey prospect since defensive end Amin Vanover in the class of 2020. Toure is the second safety to com- mit to Poindexter in the 2024 recruiting cycle, joining Maryland prospect Dejuan Lane. The Lions' defensive back class also includes three cornerbacks: Kenny Woseley Jr. of Imhotep Charter in Phil- adelphia, and teammates Jon Mitchell and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter of Man- darin High in Jacksonville, Fla. ■ New Jersey Safety Finds The Right Fit With Lions S E A N F I T Z | S E A N. F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M COMMITMENT PROFILE VABOUE TOURE Toure joined the Nittany Lions' class on June 16, one week after taking an official visit to PSU. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Penn State all but wrapped up its recruiting efforts in the secondary when it landed a com- mitment from safety Vaboue Toure. Here's a look at what the Nittany Lions are getting in the New Jersey standout: STRENGTHS Frame: Penn State assistant coach Anthony Poindexter admits that he prefers bigger safeties. In Toure, he's found another one. Toure's 6-foot, 188-pound frame isn't filled out yet. He should be able to carry about 200 pounds naturally, mean- ing he can play fast at that size. Closing burst: When Toure decodes a play, he's lightning quick. He gets up to top speed im- mediately and does a great job of squaring up in space to close for a tackle. Coverage diversity: Toure plays in an Irvington High defense that is relatively complex based on the coverage shells it runs. He's had experience in split-field coverages, traditional single-high coverages, and two-high shells. That's much more than many high school players get the chance to play in. AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT Speed: Toure shows good acceleration on film, but you wouldn't rank deep speed as a standout trait. However, based on his size, he should be able to develop his explosive muscle fibers. This means he can get much faster. Tackling technique: Toure tends to throw shoulders instead of wrapping up. It's more of a bad habit than a full-blown problem, but his technique needs work. Man coverage: We'll chalk this up as an un- known rather than a weakness; Toure simply doesn't have many reps of single coverage on film. He'll need to learn the technique in order to give his game the versatility his profile hints at. PROJECTION Boundary safety: Toure has the skills and po- tential to play both safety positions within the Penn State defense. Once he gets in the system and learns to play in single coverage, his game should open up. Field safety: With great burst and potential as a coverage defender, Toure should see some time here. He's got some technique and speed work to do before you would put him in single coverage against a slot receiver or tight end, but he shows the potential to play wherever PSU needs him. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N