Blue White Illustrated

K aramo Dioubate is an accomplished player on both sides of the ball, but the Penn State recruit from Prep Char- ter in Philadelphia is especially good at getting to the quarterback. That skill is the main reason why the 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman is a four-star recruit. Dioubate, who committed to Penn State in mid-August, said he is looking forward to concentrating on his senior season. His Philadelphia Public League oppo- nents may not be as enthusiastic. Last season, Dioubate recorded 23 sacks for a Prep Charter team that went 10-1-1 and won the Public League title, eventually falling to St. John Neumann, 12-6, in the city championship game. "His 3rst step is quick and he is so ex- plosive when he gets o4 the ball," Prep Charter coach David Hand said. "Besides having 23 sacks, he played both ways and led our team in pancake blocks and he is really a specimen and a top-notch char- acter kid." Dioubate made two visits to Penn State. He had numerous scholarship o4ers and also took uno5cial visits to Ohio State, Rutgers and Temple. Choosing a college was di5cult given all the options he had to sort through, but he said it feels great to have o5cially joined the Nittany Lions' Class of 2016. "I liked what Penn State had to o4er academically and footballwise," Dioubate said. Dioubate's family is originally from Liberia. He was born in New York but has lived most of his life in Philadelphia. He began playing football in the seventh grade at the urging of friends and family and quickly showed an aptitude for the game. Dioubate said that one of his biggest thrills in his career was helping Prep Char- ter win the Public League title last season with a 14-12 victory over Delaware Valley Charter. "It felt great holding up the trophy a6er beating our rival Del-Val," he said. "Plus, I had a big game." That is an understatement. In leading the Huskies to the title, Dioubate had six tackles including a pair of sacks, and he also batted down a pass. The second of those sacks sealed the vic- tory for Prep Charter. "There was less than a minute le6, and they had the ball on their own 10-yard line," Dioubate recalled. "On a fourth- and-2 play, I had the sack. It felt great to end things that way." So what will he be working on most during his senior year? "My overall game and my conditioning," he said. Even with all that he has accomplished, Dioubate remains hungry to improve. "I always have to keep working," he said. "You can never be satis3ed." Hand said Dioubate has a motor that doesn't stop, no matter what position he's playing. But even though he has the physique to play on the o4ensive Pass-rushing skills make Dioubate a big catch | BLUE-CHIPPER Dioubate chose the Nittany Lions in mid-August, picking them over Ohio State, Rutgers and Temple. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

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