Blue White Illustrated

P enn State recently landed its third four-star prospect in the Class of 2018 in tight end Patrick Freier- muth. A native of North Andover, Mass., the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Freier- muth received scholarship o2ers from Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Rut- gers and Syracuse, among others, even- tually choosing Penn State over the Orange. Shortly a3er his commitment, Blue White Illustrated's Ryan Snyder caught up with Freiermuth to learn more about his decision. BWI I want to start with the Friday Night Whiteout camp and the impact that had on you. You were able to work out with both Ricky Rahne and Joe Moorhead that evening. When you le3, you made it very clear to me and others that Penn State really impressed you. What was it about that experience that made an impression on you? FREIERMUTH I'll never forget driving up there and seeing the stadium when I got into town. It kind of feels like you're in the middle of nowhere after driving all that way, but then, when you get into town and you see that big stadium, you instantly know where you're at. When I actually walked into the sta- dium then for camp, it just gave me the chills. I instantly realized how cool it would be to play here. When I was working with the coaches then, that was also a really good experience. I never felt pressured with them. They were always positive and helpful. I felt comfortable with both Coach Rahne and Coach Moorhead. That whole camp was great. When I left that camp, I really wanted to be a part of that program. BWI Penn State extended an o2er to you a few days a3er the camp. Since then, what has the contact been like be- tween you and the coaching sta2? Have you been reaching out to them regularly? FREIERMUTH Well, obviously, since I'm [in the Class of] 2018, they can't re- ally call or text me, so it was on me to start all of that. When I visited, Coach Rahne was saying that he would like to speak with me about twice a week, so I've been calling him a couple of times each week. We would talk about a little bit of everything, whether it be life or school or football or whatever. So I was in contact with him a lot. That really helped me get to know him better. BWI Was there anything in particular you liked about Rahne? FREIERMUTH Talking to Coach Rahne really helped me make this decision as early as I did. Talking to him on the phone, outside of a football environ- ment, like a camp or a visit, I realized how easy it is to relate with him. With some coaches, it's always very orderly and respectful. Of course, I'm still very respectful with Coach Rahne, but it just feels like Coach Rahne is another one of the guys. It doesn't feel like I'm talking I N T E R V I E W P A T R I C K F R E I E R M U T H I plan to give 100 percent effort, day in, day out' ' NEW RECRUIT Freiermuth talks with Rahne during a visit to PSU this past sum- mer. Photo by Nate Bauer

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