Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
M A Y 2 0 2 6 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A s a kid growing up in northern Mary- land, Owen Reilly wasn't a close fol- lower of Penn State's football program. He did know the basics, though, and when the Nittany Lions began showing inter- est in him during his freshman year at Bel Air High, he decided to learn more about them. The young offensive lineman attended a camp at Penn State in June 2024, and he returned to campus for the Lions' 2025 season opener against Nevada. He didn't receive a scholarship offer from James Franklin's staff, but their interest in him made a strong impression. When the Lions' new staff extended an offer, he jumped at the chance to suit up for PSU, announcing his commitment on April. 17. Listed at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds and rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals' scouts, Reilly said Penn State's early inter- est played a big role in his decision. "The offer was huge to me since it was my dream college since my freshman year," Reilly said. "They were the first school that contacted me. As a freshman, to get contacted by Penn State, I knew that was a big deal, knowing how great of a team they were. That made me like them even more." While many of the coaches on Frank- lin's staff are gone, including offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, the change in leadership didn't alter Reilly's feelings about the school. It didn't take him long to develop a good relationship with new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, and that, too, helped him make up his mind. "I really got along with Coach Clanton," Reilly said. "He's younger and reminds me of my high school offensive line coach, so it's really easy to connect with him as a player. He had a lot of success at Iowa State creating all-conference linemen." In addition to Penn State, Reilly vis- ited Maryland, Rutgers, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia Tech over the course of his recruitment. He had planned to visit Pitt, Rutgers and West Virginia in April but canceled those trips once it be- came clear that PSU was the choice. "He loves Penn State," Bel Air head coach Eric Siegel said. "I remember him saying that Penn State is a place where he could see himself playing, and that goes back all the way to his freshman year. So, he's been talking about that for a while." In addition to excelling at football, Reilly is a quality wrestler. As a sopho- more, he was the MPSSAA 4A-3A North Regional champion at heavyweight and placed sixth in the state tournament. Reilly earned the No. 2 seed in this year's MPSSAA state championship but was up- set in the quarterfinals. Rivals lists Reilly as the No. 35 interior offensive lineman in the nation and No. 14 prospect in New Jersey. In the Rivals Industry Ranking, which incorporates the grades from the two other major re- cruiting websites, he's listed as the No. 777 prospect nationally, No. 66 interior lineman and No. 19 player in his home state. ■ PSU's Early Interest Leads To Pledge From Lineman RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M Reilly had been on Penn State's radar since his freshman year at Bel Air (Md.) High. A three-star interior lineman, he committed to the Lions on April 17. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS COMMITMENT PROFILE OWEN REILLY Owen Reilly is an unheralded prospect, but he's been near the top of position coach Ryan Clanton's interior lineman board. He's a very quick and fluid mover on the field, and he backs that up with a strong punch at contact, making him an appealing prospect. While his 40-yard time may or may not be elite, his 10-yard splits are probably great for his size and build. Reilly does need to develop better control. He's apt to run at full speed to his assignment and arrive with too much momentum. As a result, he sometimes overshoots and misses his targets on the second level, and he'll whiff on some agile defensive ends in run defense at the line of scrimmage. This is an easily correctable aspect of his game once he gets to Penn State. Reilly's best position at the college level looks to be right guard. He's a powerful run-first lineman who has dominated his high school competition in a way you want to see from a Power Four prospect. It would be easy to coast on pure talent, but he's clearly worked at his craft and wants to get better. Those traits bode well, and his temperament as a nasty bulldozer makes him a guard, although he'll probably get a look at center, too. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N