Blue White Illustrated

Signing Day Newsletter (Feb. 2, 2014)

Penn State Sports Magazine

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F E B R U A R Y 5 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 5 MEET THE NEW COACHING STAFF DEFENSE BOB SHOOP TITLE Defensive coordinator/safeties coach HOMETOWN Oakmont, Pa. ALMA MATER Yale FRANKLIN CONNECTION Shoop was Franklin's defensive coordinator and safeties coach the past three seasons at Vanderbilt. BRENT PRY TITLE Assistant head coach/co-defensive co- ordinator/linebackers coach HOMETOWN Altoona, Pa. ALMA MATER University of Buffalo FRANKLIN CONNECTION Pry was a grad assistant at East Stroudsburg in 1993 and '94 when Franklin was the team's starting quarterback. They renewed acquaintances at Vanderbilt, where Pry held the same titles he now holds at PSU. TERRY SMITH TITLE Defensive recruiting coordinator/cor- nerbacks coach HOMETOWN Monroeville, Pa. ALMA MATER Penn State FRANKLIN CONNECTION Penn State's new head coach first got to know Smith while recruiting in western Pennsylvania. At the time, Smith was head coach at Gateway High in Mon- roeville. SEAN SPENCER TITLE Defensive line coach HOMETOWN Hartford, Conn. ALMA MATER Clarion FRANKLIN CONNECTION Spencer – nicknamed "Coach Chaos" – joined Franklin's staff at Vanderbilt in 2011 after spending the previous two seasons as defensive line coach at Bowl- ing Green. STRENGTH & CONDITIONING DWIGHT GALT TITLE Director of performance enhancement HOMETOWN Silver Spring, Md. ALMA MATER Maryland FRANKLIN CONNECTION Galt worked with Franklin at Maryland, and later left the Terra- pins to join Franklin's staff at Vanderbilt. GRANT HALEY CB | 5-10 | 185 Atlanta, Ga. Lovett KOA FARMER Saf. | 6-1 | 205 Sherman Oaks, Calif. Notre Dame MIKE GESICKI TE | 6-5 | 245 Manahawkin, N.J. Southern Regional TRACE McSORLEY QB | 6-0 | 190 Ashburn, Va. Briar Woods CHRIS GODWIN WR | 6-2 | 205 Middletown, Del. Middletown MICHAEL O'CONNOR QB | 6-4 | 226 Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy PHIL'S TAKE PSU needs players who can line up at multiple positions. McSorley fits that bill. On offense, he's a solid dual-threat quarterback. On defense, he had 77 career tack- les and eight interceptions. It's possible he will start his ca- reer at quarterback or free safety. He has excellent 4.52-second 40-yard speed and super-quick ball reactions. PHIL'S TAKE Cabinda appears capable of playing offense or defense at the college level. But given PSU's depth concerns at linebacker, he's all but certain to play defense. Cabinda had better be prepared to play right away. The coaching staff will certainly be able to put him to good use – if not at line- backer, then definitely on special teams. PHIL'S TAKE Campbell appears to be an outstanding open- field tackler with excellent tackling technique. I love his physical style of play and his run support as a safety. I be- lieve Campbell has an excellent chance of playing special teams this fall and not end up being redshirted. I believe he'll begin his Nittany Lion' career at free safety. PHIL'S TAKE Rated by multiple recruiting services as the top tight end prospect in the Northeast, Gesicki reportedly has 4.7-second 40-yard speed. Despite the fact that PSU has what may be the best group of tight ends in the Big Ten, he looks to have a solid chance of playing as a freshman. He'll create big matchup problems with his size and speed.. PHIL'S TAKE Farmer could supply immediate help at the strong safety position. He has 4.5-second 40-yard speed, a 34-inch vertical leap and just might be one of the top stu- dent-athletes in this class. He has the perfect size to play strong safety. Not only will Farmer not redshirt, he will very likely compete for a starting position in the secondary. PHIL'S TAKE Godwin bears a strong resemblance to fellow recruit Saeed Blacknall. Both are big wideouts with good speed who use their physical ability to create matchup prob- lems for opposing defensive backs. And like Blacknall, God- win will have an excellent opportunity to contribute as a freshman this coming fall. PHIL'S TAKE Depth at cornerback could be a concern going into spring practice, especially if senior Adrian Amos moves to free safety. Haley is an excellent centerfielder in baseball and has been scouted by the Chicago White Sox. He's got quick reflexes and ball reactions. He will most likely play the field cornerback position at Penn State. PHIL'S TAKE O'Connor will enter spring practice as the No. 2 scholarship QB and will have months to get acclimated to college football. O'Connor is a pure pocket passer with ex- cellent arm strength. I believe PSU would prefer to redshirt him, but that might prove difficult, as there's a good chance he will enter preseason practice as Hackenberg's backup. JASON CABINDA LB |6-1| 240 Flemington, N.J. Hunterdon Central PHIL'S TAKE What really impressed me is the way Brown played at an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive alignment. He's reported to have 4.6 40-yard dash speed, fills the hole quickly, takes great angles in pursuit and has excellent clos- ing speed. He also really likes to hit. It would't surprise me if he grew into a 255-pound defensive end by his junior year. TORRENCE BROWN Ath. | 6-4 | 240 Tuscaloosa, Ala. Tuscaloosa CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL DB | 6-1 | 195 Phenix City, Ala. Central

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