Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P L A Y E R B I O S / / / / / / / P enn State's 2024 recruiting class features a handful of players who could ultimately outshine their high school ratings. Friendship Collegiate Academy defensive lineman De'Andre Cook fits that mold. A three-star prospect, Cook is the second-lowest-ranked player in Penn State's class this year, coming in at No. 807 nationally and No. 75 at defensive tackle in the On3 Industry Ranking, which combines the grades from the four major recruiting services. While On3 scouting director Charles Power does rate him substantially higher than others — he's the 28th-ranked defensive tackle according to On3 — it's still fair to say that Cook has been overlooked by both fans and media. But back on National Signing Day, re- cruiting assistant Alan Zemaitis made it clear he doesn't share that opinion. Zemaitis sees a 6-foot-4, 269-pound prospect who moves well for his size, with Cook having run a 4.9-second 40- yard dash and a 4.6-second shuttle. "Cook is a guy who played [defen- sive end] for Friendship," Zemaitis said. "When we were going through this re- cruiting class, we found that we liked and wanted guys who can move inside. Obviously, you want height and length, so sometimes you're going to find those bigger guys out on the edge in high school. "A lot of those guys that we found and recruited for the D-tackle position were just bigger ends, and that's what he was. He was hampered by a high- ankle sprain, which nobody really knew about his senior year. But you saw when he came back from it, that last game of the season, he had 5 sacks. He was the MVP of that game. He's another guy who's like 6-4 and a half, so he's a giant, and he can move." Zemaitis added that playing alongside five-star defensive end Dylan Stewart also impacted Cook's recruitment. "He was overshadowed by the No. 1 player in the country who played on that team," Zemaitis said, "but we trusted our evaluation. Just talking with other teams around the country, they saw that we ended up getting on him first in terms of heavily recruiting him for the inside position. A lot of people agreed with what we were seeing. So, we feel like we got a diamond in the rough with that guy." While he may rate lower than others in the class, Cook totaled 30 scholarship offers. He took official visits to Boston College, Rutgers and North Carolina. He also paid an unofficial visit to Wash- ington in April 2023. Cook said that the Huskies were among several schools that pushed hard in the final months before he enrolled. "There were a few schools that kept reaching out," he said. "It was mainly just my top schools when I committed. Washington was definitely on me, but I just kept telling them that I was with Penn State the whole way. I was never going to flip. They were just trying to see if they could get a foot in the door, mainly. I always told them no." — Ryan Snyder DT | 6-4 | 269 Friendship Collegiate Academy Washington, D.C. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★ 807 75 4 On3 ★★★★ — 28 3 ESPN ★★★ — 67 5 Rivals ★★★ — — 5 247Sports ★★★ — 71 2 Statistics • Totaled 11 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a senior • Had 20 tackles and 9 sacks as a junior • Played on teams that won back-to-back Class AA championships in the District of Co- lumbia State Athletic Association Notable • Named team MVP in 2023 • Was a two-year team captain Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on June 30, 2023 • Recruited by defensive line coach Deion Barnes and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter • Picked Penn State over Boston College, North Carolina, Rutgers and Washington • Officially visited on June 16, 2023 2024 Projection Listed at 269 pounds when he enrolled at Penn State in January, Cook will need time to add weight. The PSU coaching staff hopes to get him closer to 280 pounds by the start of the 2024 season. With multiple upperclassmen returning at his position, we expect Cook to red- shirt this fall. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "We're looking at Cook primarily as a one-technique defensive tackle, but he does possess most of the athletic traits needed to be a quality pass rusher. If he can work on his bend and change of direction, he could play either spot for Penn State. No matter where Cook lands on the ros- ter, Penn State found a physically talented big man with the size, movement skills and growth potential to be a standout defensive lineman. There are always pitfalls along the way, but if you want to recruit a three-star defender, this is the mold you'd take every time." Cook garnered 30 scholarship offers while helping Friendship Collegiate Academy win back-to-back Class AA championships in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association. PHOTO COURTESY ON3 DE'ANDRE COOK Penn State finds a 'diamond in the rough' in three-star defensive lineman T H E C O O K F I L E