Blue White Illustrated

that he'll go down as one of the better coaches when he's done with his career. I think he's done a heck of a job, espe- cially a6er starting 2-2 this year. They kept to their plan all year and really coached those players up. Penn State has a lot of good things coming their way, and Coach Franklin and his coaching sta5 are a big reason why. BWI How much did this season impact Lamont's decision? Before the year, I re- member you told me that you guys loved everything about Penn State but just wanted to see how much the team pro- gressed. So, did the team's success play a big part in his decision, or do you think he would have ended up at PSU even if it had won seven games again this year? WADE That was huge, it really was. When Pitt beat them early this season, then with Michigan a few weeks later, it was looking like this may be a tough sea- son. For them to bounce back then and win all the games they did during the Big Ten season, it really le6 a great impres- sion on [Lamont]. He wanted to play for a winner because he comes from a win- ning high school. He's always had a lot of success in high school, so now, when you look forward, with all the guys they have coming back, we really believe they could be a top-4ve team next season. ... The sky is the limit for Penn State, espe- cially when you look at what they've added this season. Their current re- cruiting class is excellent, the 2018 class is o5 to a great start, so I'm really look- ing forward to seeing them take the next step. BWI Lamont is enrolling early, which isn't easy. I know he had to work hard to make sure he got all of his credits done early so he could do that, so as his father, how proud are you of what he's accom- plished academically? WADE I'm extremely proud of every- thing he's done these past few years. The kid is a very smart young man. If he re- ally wants something, he always goes out and gets it, regardless of what's in his way. I'm very proud of him. He's worked very hard to be able to enroll early, which is a major accomplishment in itself. That's going to allow him to grasp some schemes and concepts be- fore the rest of the class gets there. That should put him on the 4eld sooner, so I can't say enough about how proud I am of him. Even if he's not able to play a6er college, I know he's going to get an ex- cellent degree and be successful in whatever he ends up doing. That alone is a blessing. BWI Speaking of education, I know that also played a major part in his deci- sion. Can you talk about that, as well as what Lamont wants to major in? WADE He's planning to major in en- trepreneurship. Their Alumni Associa- tion was huge. It's just so big, but they also really help each other out, espe- cially for someone that plays sports at Penn State. Once he's done, we know that there will be a lot of opportunities for him through their alumni. That's one thing we really compared to West Vir- ginia. Respectfully, you can't really even compare the two. Penn State's connec- tions are just on a di5erent level, and I mean that with all due respect to West Virginia. They could have o5ered him a lot, but Penn State can just o5er even more. BWI Can you talk about his relation- ship with a few of the other committed players? Do you know of any players with whom he's become close in recent months? WADE Lamont could speak on that better than myself, but one guy that I know he speaks with a lot is K.J. Hamler. His relationship with K.J. was huge. They talked a lot about Penn State in the past couple of weeks. From what I un- derstand, they're actually going to be roommates when they enroll next month. I met K.J. when we went up there for a visit a while back. I like that young man a lot. He's a real nice kid and I think he's going to do a lot to help that program out early in his career. BWI Throughout Lamont's recruit- ment, cornerback was the position we discussed the most, but if you look at the depth chart, safety and nickel back are the two positions that could allow him to get on the 4eld early, possibly next season. What has Coach Smith been saying to you guys about next year and where he could play early in his career? WADE Yeah, we've talked about that a few times. Both of those positions are real possibilities. Terry has been telling us that they plan to play him. They have to get him in the mix early, so wherever he 4ts best in their scheme, [that's where] they plan to play him. We know they have at least one opening at safety next year... so that's a position that he could work at during spring practice. Terry just wants him to produce early, so we'll see where he ends up playing a6er spring practice and the spring game. BWI I always like to ask the players about what they believe their strengths and weaknesses are. You've seen him play throughout his career, so what do you believe are some things that just come naturally to Lamont? Also, what are some things that you believe he'll be working to improve on this spring? WADE When it comes to the positives, he's a very smart player. He picks up stu5 very easily. He's also a very physical player. He can bump receivers o5 the line and then make sure that he's able to run with them. He never shies away from contact. When it comes to what he may need to work on, I think he could improve on turning his head around ear- lier when the ball is in the air, but I can't think of too many other weaknesses. For his age, he's developed into a solid de- fensive back. BWI For my last question, I like to give people an opportunity to say something to the Penn State fans. It can be about anything. Can you think of anything you'd like to say to Penn State fans? WADE First and foremost, I'd just like to say thank you to all the fans for keep- ing it classy. We rarely saw Penn State fans tweeting negative things about the other schools he was considering. We're just grateful to be part of the Nittany Lion family. We can't wait to get up there and tailgate with everyone and re- ally enjoy these next few years. Thank you all for being so supportive. We're looking forward to having a good time and winning some games. ■

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