Blue White Illustrated

P enn State's pool of o7ensive line tal- ent is getting even bigger. Chris Ble- ich, an o7ensive lineman out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., became the second prospect to join the Nittany Li- ons' Class of 2018 when he announced April 7 that he had given the coaching sta7 a verbal commitment. The an- nouncement came just days a8er he paid a visit to University Park. "Chris really enjoyed everything when we were there the other day," said Walt Bleich, Chris's father. "It has everything he could ever want. Between football and school, it's the whole package." Originally from Plymouth, Pa., Bleich played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wyoming Valley West Senior High before transferring to IMG Acade- my this past winter. At 6-foot-5, 308 pounds, he is seen as either a guard or tackle at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Recently, Blue White Illustrated's Ryan Snyder caught up with Bleich to talk about his decision. What was it about Penn State that made you comfortable enough to commit this early in your high school career? What gave me the con6dence to do this now is that Penn State is home to me. It's two hours away from my family. I want all of them to be able to come and see me play. A lot of my friends from my old school are also going there, so I feel like I won't have to 6nd a group of friends. I'll already know some people who are going to be there. I also know a few guys already on the team. I used to train with Connor McGovern. Having someone like Connor there could really help me out in the beginning. If I ever needed help with the plays or the cam- pus, I know he's someone who would al- ways help me out. Just knowing that I'll be comfortable there is really important to me. If you go someplace where you feel comfortable, I feel like it'll make that transition to col- lege a lot easier. That should then help me with football and school. Getting o7 to a good start in both is really impor- tant. What is it about the coaching sta that you like? Honestly, right from the beginning, when I took my 6rst couple visits, I just felt a bond with them. I haven't been able to talk to them as much over the phone and on Twitter since, but since I was able to visit there like four or 6ve times, I was able to meet them in-person and have good talks with all of the coaches. So I don't feel like I need all the messages on Twitter and talks on the phone and things that you can do when you're a senior. I already know them. I also made sure that I got to meet Coach [Matt] Limegrover before I did this. We were able to sit down and talk in the beginning and at the end of my last visit. I asked him about how he sees me in the future and what I can do. He was explaining all the di7erent ways he'll work with me and help me. I just know he's someone I'll enjoy playing for. What was Penn State to you growing up? They were always my dream school. They were always the school that I grew up following. Where I'm from, in north- east Pennsylvania, everyone is crazy about Penn State. That's how I started following them. I always liked the fans and how passionate they are about the team. I would dream about playing in front of fans like that. To get the oppor- tunity to now play there and represent the area where I grew up, that's a dream come true for me. I know you've been cutting weight in recent months. Can you talk about your training and what you've been doing? That was actually something that I was able to talk to Coach Limegrover about. I've been cutting weight since my sea- son, so I was talking to him about what he thinks I should be doing. He just wants me to be comfortable. He's not one of those coaches who says you have to be a speci6c weight. He just wants me to keep training and naturally grow into whatever position I 6t in best at. But yeah, when I did my Bod Pod test a8er I 6rst got to IMG, I weighed in at like 300. I weighed in at 304 when I was at Penn State the other week, but at one point [last summer] I was around 343. … I want to say that I was around 315 or 320 for the season, and ever since then, I've just kept it going when it comes to training right and eating right. It's been really important to me. I feel great right now. What has IMG been able to do for you when it comes to helping you with your training? Honestly, I would say the biggest thing for me is the high intensity of the work- outs. We're always on a schedule at IMG, so we're always trying to maximize everything. With li8ing, it's all about 'To get the opportunity to play there... that's a dream come true for me.' I N T E R V I E W C H R I S B L E I C H

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