Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
1 8 M A R C H 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State will field a thoroughly dif- ferent football team when it opens its season on Sept. 5 against Marshall. To make up for a wave of graduation and portal losses, the Nittany Lions have brought in 37 scholarship transfers, the sixth-highest total in the Power Four conferences this year. One of the architects of that recon- struction effort was Derek Hoodjer, the Lions' new general manager. Hoodjer previously spent eight seasons as direc- tor of player personnel at Iowa State, where he teamed up with head coach Matt Campbell to lead one of the most successful eras in the history of the Cy- clones' program. At Penn State, Hoodjer's first few weeks on the job were spent assessing the roster and figuring out where to fo- cus the staff's retention efforts and then who to go after in the portal. In the end, the Lions had some wins and also a few losses. The staff per- suaded promising players like redshirt junior tight end Andrew Rappleyea, sophomore defensive end Yvan Kema- jou and junior offensive linemen An- thony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins to stick around. And while they weren't able to hold onto budding stars like edge rusher Chaz Coleman and safety De- juan Lane, they were able to supple- ment their returning roster by signing 23 scholarship players from Iowa State. Hoodjer, a Lincoln, Neb., native and 2014 Iowa State graduate, recently sat down with reporters to discuss the Li- ons' roster overhaul. QUESTION: You brought in three tight ends from Iowa State, but how crucial was it to make sure that Andrew Rappleyea was part of the plan? HOODJER: "Rap was one of the first guys [about whom] we said, 'We want to make sure we keep him here.' He's got such a versatile skill set. He's a great blocker, he can really run, he's got good ball skills. ... He brings a tremendous sense of toughness to the room, and he's a high-end character guy. We felt early on, we've got to make sure we keep this guy here. "That's a room that we feel really good about, and I think we have to feel good about it. The way we want to play football is to run the ball and play with two or three, sometimes four, tight ends. We're really grateful that Rap de- cided to stay." QUESTION: You talked previously about the importance of length and frame. How do those qualities factor into your evaluations when you're look- ing at who you might want to bring into the program? HOODJER: "Coach Campbell would tell you, big people beat small people. The ability to create a physical football team is something that we've always strived to do and will continue to strive to do. Coach Campbell and [coordina- tors Taylor Mouser and D'Anton Lynn] have always done a great job of saying, 'This is what each position on our foot- ball team has to do,' and then identifying players who have done that and who can walk in the door and have an impact right away. "And then in the high school ranks, what are the characteristics that a player needs to have in order for us to feel like we can develop them? Certainly, length and physical size are critically impor- tant." QUESTION: The receivers specifi- cally have gotten taller by about two and a half inches on average since you guys got here. That's a pretty significant change. Receivers come in a lot of dif- ferent body types, but it seems like you have been looking for size there. HOODJER: "What length and size at the receiver positions do is create a larger catch radius and the ability to win the one-on-one matchups. The way we're going to play football and run the ball, it leads to more one-on-one situ- ations. In our history … those guys have allowed us to play offensive football the way that Coach wants to play it, and I think that will continue to be critically important here." QUESTION: From a quarterback perspective, what are the non-physical traits that you're looking for? It seems like deep-ball accuracy is important in your offense. Is that something you specifically scout for, or is it just a trait that comes up when you're looking for a good quarterback? HOODJER: "Accuracy and consis- tency are important across the board, whether it's deep-ball accuracy, inter- mediate accuracy, or in the quick game. Accuracy is really hard to teach — how the ball comes out of their hand — and that's critically important. "Obviously, your arm strength has to be good enough, although I don't think you need to have the strongest arm in all of college football to be successful and play winning football. And then you've got to be able to move around a little bit. Some guys we've had have been tremen- dous runners. Other guys are mobile enough to pick up a few yards, to stay clean in the pocket. But accuracy, I would say, is critically important, for sure." ■ Sitting Down With Football General Manager Derek Hoodjer Hoodjer had been overseeing Iowa State's player person- nel efforts since 2018 before heading to Penn State in December along with head coach Matt Campbell. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS