Blue White Illustrated

U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L BY TIM OWEN Blue White Illustrated A After a two-year recruitment, defensive tackle Brian Gaia and defensive coordinator Ted Roof reunite at Penn State THE GAIA FILE MEET YOU IN THE VALLEY long with future teammate Eugene Lewis, Brian Gaia was the most na- tionally recruited prospect in Penn State's 2012 recruiting class. Nearly every Big Ten program court- ed the 6-foot-5, 285-pound lineman from the Gilman School in Baltimore. He claimed scholarship offers from every Atlantic Coast Conference school (except for Florida State) and every Big East school, and had he returned to Tuscaloosa for summer camp, Ala- bama probably would have offered, too. But one coach in particular wanted Gaia – wanted him so much that he of- fered the young prospect scholarships at two different schools, literally. No matter where he was coaching, Ted Roof was going to recruit Gaia. Roof, who at the time was the defen- sive coordinator for Auburn, first met Gaia during his junior season. Roof had long recruited the Gilman School, a hotbed for Division I talent, and Gaia was next in line. Their relationship formed quickly, and Auburn became one of three Southeastern Conference schools to offer Gaia a scholarship. Then after the 2011 regular season – once Gaia had already committed to the Nittany Lions – Roof left Auburn to be- come defensive coordinator at Central Florida. Once he was there, Roof was back on the phone with Gaia and his coach. Why not give it another shot? Gaia was one of the top athletes in Maryland, having earned consensus All-State recognition three consecutive years. Plus, Penn State was suffering from the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. As was the case with most of the Nittany Lions' recruits, programs nationwide tried to sway Gaia from his original decision. At Central Florida, Roof was no exception. "I had been dealing with Coach Roof [at Auburn], but then he went to UCF," Gaia said. "He was trying to get me to come there when everything started with the whole scandal and every- W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M S T A T I S T I C S As a senior offensive lineman, helped pave the way for 2,727 rushing yards. H O N O R S Was named a two-time All-Metro offensive lineman by The Baltimore Sun. ... Three- time consenus Maryland All-State selction. ... Selected to play in the International Bowl and the Semper-Fi Bowl. ... Was named a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. thing, but I told him I wasn't interest- ed." But less than one month after their conversation, Roof joined head coach Bill O'Brien and became the defensive coordinator for Gaia's Nittany Lions. At last, Roof would get his guy. "We ended up in the same spot," Roof said. "He just beat me to it." "It's funny how things work out in the college coaching world," added Henry Russell, an assistant coach and recruit- ing coordinator at Gilman. "I think Bri- an will really enjoy playing for [Roof] and I think it's a great fit for Penn State." Rated a three-star offensive guard by Rivals.com, Russell said Gaia is also ca- pable of playing center at the collegiate level, but Gaia has already received the defensive playbook. He'll start his Nit- tany Lion career on Roof's side of the ball. "From a depth standpoint, we're go- ing to have some freshmen come in and add some depth for us," Roof said. "When you watch his tape, you see his suddenness, a guy who's real twitchy. You can tell he'll be a physical pres- ence." Gaia said his position "doesn't mat- ter, as long as I can play." And while Russell said offensive line could be his ideal position, he also said "if you want someone to stuff the run and eat up blockers [at defensive tackle], he can do that, too. His strength and attitude are a good mixture for either side of the line." That's what Roof saw in Gaia, and also part of the reason why he made it clear that he wanted Gaia on his team. For Gaia, the thought of playing in Roof's scheme was always appealing, even when he was at the previous two pro- grams. But at that time, Gaia couldn't back away from Penn State. He loved the Nittany Lions, and always had. They were the team he had idol- ized growing up. So he stuck to his orig- inal commitment, passing on not only Central Florida but also a host of oth- er schools. "Most of us committed for that Penn State tradition," Gaia said, referring to himself and his fellow recruits. "That's what kind of pulled us in." Then Roof kept him there. Firmly committed to the Nittany Lions, Gaia and his coach received one last phone call in early January. It was Roof. "Hey Coach," Roof said to Russell. "I'm with [Penn State] now." BY TIM OWEN Blue White Contributor career. "I'd say it would have to be his junior year – a punt return against Mount St. Joe's." Redd, the receivers coach at Calvert O Hall High School, called it one of the best returns he's ever seen. Williams, too, regards it as a career highlight. The 6-foot-2 receiver from Towson, Md., said he remembers the play "like it was yesterday." Receiver Trevor Williams changes direction and ends up where he wanted to be all along A sky-high punt came down at THE PLAYMAKER h, man," said Devin Redd, recall- ing the play he remembers best from Trevor Williams' high school Calvert Hall's 47-yard line. It seemed like the right time to call for a fair catch, take the excellent field position and let the offense handle the rest. Williams had another plan. Fielding the ball between three Mount St. Joseph's defenders, he juked a would-be tackler, stiff-armed another and took off down the middle of the field, sprinting past eleven pur- ple jerseys, then cutting outside at the 10 and dashing to the pylon for a touchdown. Fifty-three yards. Paydirt. Williams knew exactly what he wanted when the ball came floating into his arms dur- ing that 28-0 victory. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but he knew that no matter what, he would find a way to reach the goal line. In a way, that play resembled his journey to Penn State. He had always wanted to be a Nittany Lion, but he wasn't sure he would ever get the chance. Following a junior season in which he nearly eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards, Williams began attracting the at- tention of several Football Bowl Sub- SEE WILLIAMS NEXT PAGE J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 13

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