Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
Also, Coach [James] Franklin played a major part. He reached out whenever he could and was open and honest with my parents about everything. They're just a great group of guys, and I know they're good coaches. Another thing about Coach Hand is that all of his players love him. He has a lot of fun with his guys, and that's something I'm looking for- ward to. How di+cult was this decision for you? Everyone knows you had a lot of interest in Michigan, but Northwest- ern was also a major player in your re- cruitment. Clemson and Rutgers were two other schools you were seriously considering. But it seemed as though Penn State was always the team to beat. Is that true? Penn State was always very high on my list, but like you said, Northwestern was a major player. Their academics are in- credible, and I really like Coach [Pat] Fitzgerald and his coaches. Michigan and Rutgers were also very much in the mix. For all of these schools, they all have a few things that are better than the others and vice versa. But in the end, once I saw all of these schools, it became clear that Penn State was the right 1t for me. I knew that's where I wanted to go. When did you start playing football? Have you always played exclusively at right tackle? Do you have any experi- ence playing defense? Well, I played freshman football my 1rst year. That's something my school does. All the freshmen just play the freshmen at other schools. I know they don't do that everywhere. But then, my sophomore year, I started at guard on varsity. I played right guard. I also played a little defense as well. Then, this past season, I moved to right tackle and I loved it there. I felt that I really improved my game this past season and I feel like tackle is also my best position. I also played defensive end this past season. Those will be the two positions I end up playing again this upcoming season. Penn State has been telling you that you could play either tackle spot, cor- rect? They haven't said le, or right tackle speci*cally, have they? Yeah, they're just saying I could play either tackle position. They want me to come in and compete and then we'll see what happens. I de1nitely have a chance to compete early, so they just want to see how I handle it and then they'll 1gure out the speci1c position. What are a few things you'd like to improve on this season, before you enroll at Penn State? Also, what are a few of the things that just come natu- rally to you? Basically, what are a few things you excel at? I think the biggest thing that comes naturally to me is my aggression. I'm al- ways 1nishing every block, and there's nothing I enjoy more than really knock- ing guys o3 the ball. Toughness and physicality are two things I really priori- tize, especially in the run blocking game. With pass blocking, you can always im- prove, and I'm working hard on that this year. Your feet can always be quicker, so I'm really working on that and my punch. I think that's the one thing I'm really working to improve on right now, as well as getting bigger and stronger. Do you play any other sports? Yeah, I played basketball and did track this spring. I threw the shot put and dis- cus. I mainly just did each to stay in shape and keep working out. My longest throw this year was 46 feet, 9 inches [in shot put] and 129-8 [in discus]. I also played center in basketball. I mainly was just doing that to stay lean and stay in shape. It also helps with your quickness and stu3 like that. Is there any chance you'll be an early enrollee? I haven't really looked into that option yet. I know that if I were going to do that, I should have probably looked into it already. So it's probably doubtful, but I will look into it, just to see what I would have to do. Do you know what you want to ma- jor in? Also, how important were aca- demics in your decision to select Penn State? Given the other schools you were considering, I imagine they were a pretty important factor. Academics were very important. All the schools I considered had a lot to o3er there, but Penn State's alumni base was very attractive. That's something that should really help me out a4er my foot- ball career. As far as what I want to ma- jor in, I just know that I'll do something in the business 1eld. I'm kind of looking at marketing or supply chain, one of those two, but I still have a lot of time to 1gure that all out. Do you work with any speci*c train- ers for lineman drills or footwork? I know you work with your team a,er school every day, but outside of that, do you do any speci*c training with personal trainers or anything like that? Well yeah, I li4 with my teammates every day a4er school. Me and some of my teammates also do some speci1c speed training on our own. We work with hurdles, we run up hills and work with 2ex bands, stu3 like that. My dad knows a lot about li4ing and training, so he's been very helpful with that. I also go to a guy who teaches me a bunch of of- fensive and defensive line techniques. He's showed me a lot of things with my hands. He's taught me things like karate blocks, so that's pretty cool. I go to work with him once a week. His name is Peter Kafaf. Last question: Is there anything you want to say to Penn State fans? Maybe something that you want them to know about you? I would just say that I'm so excited to play for this family and for all of you fans. I can't wait to help this team take it to the next level. I really believe we're going to be competing for Big Ten and national championships. It won't hap- pen overnight, but I know everyone is going to be working really hard at that goal. So, with your support, we should be able to reach it. ■