Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 4 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M you think you would get an offer that day? What kind of feedback were you getting? KEYS: I've been to a lot of camps, and I felt like I was going to leave with an offer from most of them, but I also knew I couldn't control what the school was going to do. When I ran my first 40, I ran a 4.4. Now, mind you, I always run faster during my second 40. Coach [James] Franklin wasn't looking dur- ing my first one, so I guess they called Franklin over to watch me run again, and that's when I ran a 4.32. When I was walking back over, Franklin walked up to me with Coach Ty [Howle] and was like, "Man, you're pretty fast." He let me know then that I ran a 4.3, so I felt good after that. I knew they liked fast guys. When we did field drills, I really liked working with Coach [Marques] Hagans. I was happy it was a smaller camp, be- cause I was able to re- ally get a lot of work in. You can also tell when a coach really wants you. It's their job to coach everybody, but when they're on you particu- larly, it feels good. Coach Hagans kept pointing out different things for me and this other guy they offered, so the feedback was always positive. When we moved to one-on-ones and then seven-on-seven, Coach K [Andy Kotelnicki] was giving me a lot of good feedback, too. He told me we were going to catch up after this camp, plus Coach Franklin told me something similar. When we got to seven-on-seven, they had a lot of the commits working to- gether during that drill. Coach Hagans kept putting me in there to work with their 2026 quarterback commit. That's when I really felt like I was going to get the offer, because they wanted to see how I worked with their guys, especially their quarterback commit, Troy Huhn. BWI: You've mentioned that Penn State was always the school you wanted to attend. What separated it, and what were the other schools you considered? KEYS: Virginia Tech started to come in at the end. They wanted me to come to their camp, and I felt like if I went down there, it would have been a similar result because they have good ties with DeMatha. Maryland was Maryland. They're al- ways going to be Maryland, but with Penn State, that's where I've been want- ing to go for years. I was so excited to get that opportunity. Everything about Penn State is different. It's definitely one of the best schools that's not too far from me. I know if I go there, I'll be able to compete at a high level. That's where I always saw myself if I got that offer. BWI: You told me your parents named you after LaVar Arrington. Have you been able to connect with him since committing? KEYS: Yeah, that was crazy. … I'm just hanging out at the house and Coach Rich hit me up, was saying there's someone who wants to talk with you and it was LaVar Arrington. Me and my mom got to talk to him for a little bit, and he actually shared his number with me. That was really cool. It happened right after I committed. Since I com- mitted to Penn State, they've done a lot for me. It's been a blessing. BWI: Did you have much of a rela- tionship with Marques Hagans before camp? KEYS: Our relationship really got go- ing at the camp, but we've been build- ing a great relationship ever since. The phone calls, the texts, everything about him I really respect. He's the kind of guy I want to be coached by. He's shown how interested he is in me and has re- ally done a great job getting to know my mom, too. They've had some great con- versations. But he's always straight up with you and keeps it 100. That's what I love in a coach. BWI: What do your parents think of Penn State? You made a quick decision. Was there any thought that maybe you were committing too quickly? KEYS: My mom loves Penn State. She loves Coach Franklin and everything he stands for, so there wasn't any reason for us to think about it more. She was excited for me. It's still close to home, and she knows that they're going to take care of me up there. So, it's been great for her, too. We're all really happy about that decision. There was no reason for me to wait around. BWI: Junior seasons are always mas- sively important for prospects like your- self. What have you been focusing on so that you're able to improve this fall? KEYS: Just the little things. I'm always try- ing to make my routes better. Getting out of my stance and breaks, making sure I don't get jammed. That's all im- portant to me this year. Also, I want to show the coaches that I can block. I don't want them to think I'm a smaller guy who's just fast and gets open. I want to show coaches that I can block and do whatever the team needs, so I plan to show that on my film this year. BWI: Any chance you run track next spring? KEYS: During my freshman year, I ran track, but I didn't my sophomore year. I need my heart to be in it for me to play a sport, and my heart was never really into track. But after sitting out last year and talking to coaches more, I do plan to run track next spring. Since I started run- ning at these camps, coaches haven't mentioned it much, but I do think it'll be good for me to keep working on my speed. If I can work on some of those little things to make myself faster and help the track team, I think it's some- thing I should do. ■ "Everything about Penn State is different. It's definitely one of the best schools that's not too far from me. I know if I go there, I'll be able to compete at a high level. That's where I always saw myself if I got that offer." K E Y S