T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 6
WHAT HE DID Having committed to the Nittany Lions in
June, the Cranford, N.J., native helped guide his hometown
Cougars to a 9-0 regular-season record and the top seed in
the New Jersey North 2 Group III playo>s. Cranford went on
to earn three postseason victories, including a 50-23 romp
over Chatham in the state ectively throughout the
season, producing nearly 5,000 yards of total o>ense and
averaging 41.3 points per game en route to the champi-
onship.
WHAT HE WON In Rivals.com's ensive guard. In addi-
tion, he's the No. 17 prospect at his position and the No. 10
overall player in New Jersey. Fries also was named to the
Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl, although he declined to
play in the game due to a minor late-season injury.
WHERE HE VISITED Fries picked Penn State over nearly two
dozen other schools that extended o>ers, a list that included
Clemson, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, North Caroli-
na, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wiscon-
sin. The Nittany Lions' closest competitors were the
Wolverines. Fries took a summer visit to Ann Arbor but
landed at Penn State shortly therea?er. He held tried hard to =ip
him in December.
QUOTABLE Fries on the departure of o>ensive line coach
Herb Hand: "I'm upset to see him go, but I'm not going any-
where. I'm not taking any visits or anything like that. I com-
mitted to Penn State for so many di>erent reasons. I love the
school, the town. I want to go to Penn State because it's the
best school for me. That's the most important thing."
STAFF SAYS Franklin: "Everybody had him slated as an of-
fensive tackle, and we do as well. But if you look, he played a
lot of guard in high school. He is a big, physical guy."
PHIL'S TAKE Fries is one of four outstanding o>ensive line
recruits in Penn State's class. He has the toughness, foot-
work and athletic skills to play guard or tackle at the college
level. I expect him to play at either right or le? tackle at Penn
State. At 6-foot-6, he can probably pack about 310 pounds
onto his sizable frame. He will almost certainly be redshirted
as a freshman.
WILL
FRIES
RIVALS ★★★★
POS OL HT 6-6 WT 290
HOME Cranford, N.J.
SCHOOL Cranford
WHAT HE DID With Gellerstedt serving as a team captain,
Co>man High s.
The Shamrocks faced No. 1 seed Colerain in the ensive line, having successful-
ly made the switch from defense, where he began his high
school career.
WHAT HE WON Awarded a three-star ranking by Rivals.com
as an o>ensive tackle, Gellerstedt er, but that situation changed in
May. Gellerstedt had already made informal visits to many of
the other schools that had extended o>ers, including Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Miami (Ohio), North Carolina, North-
western, Pitt, Rutgers, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and West
Virginia. Having done much legwork already, he needed only
a few weeks to announce that he would be attending Penn
State.
QUOTABLE Gellerstedt: "Everybody around me is de
against them, so it should be fun."
STAFF SAYS Franklin: "Gellerstedt is the one guy at this
point in his career who is probably a true prototype tackle.
And you've got to remember, too, that he was a defensive end
up until his junior year, so o>ensive line is still new to him."
PHIL'S TAKE Gellerstedt was recruited by Penn State to play
an o>ensive tackle position. At 6-foot-6, he could potentially
add 30 to 40 pounds and play at 310 pounds or more. His arm
span is nearly 32 inches, and he displays a good punch with
his pass-blocking technique. He's one of two freshman o>en-
sive linemen who are already on campus (Connor McGovern
is the other), but I expect Gellerstedt to redshirt in 2016.
ALEX
GELLERSTEDT
RIVALS ★★★
POS OL HT 6-6 WT 275
HOME Dublin, Ohio
SCHOOL Coffman
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