Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
WHAT HE DID Castro-Fields was a four-year starter for Riverdale Baptist. During that time, the Crusaders went 30-9, winning one league championship. Exact statistics weren't kept, but his coach said Castro-Fields didn't allow a single completion playing cornerback his senior year. One of his teammates in high school was Zech McPhearson, who is cur- rently a redshirt freshman cornerback with the Nittany Lions. WHAT HE WON Originally a two-star prospect, Castro- Fields climbed all the way to a four-star player by the time he =nished his senior season. In 2016, he also earned =rst-team All-Met honors from The Washington Post. He =nished as the nation's 26th-ranked safety – although he's expected to play cornerback at Penn State. He was the fourth-ranked player in Maryland for the Class of 2017. WHERE HE VISITED Castro-Fields earned 22 scholarship of- fers. Michigan State, Rutgers and Virginia Tech all received uno@cial visits before his senior season, but he ultimately fo- cused on three schools: Alabama, Maryland and Penn State. All three earned o@cial visits before Castro-Fields shiAed his focus to the two Big Ten schools. He announced his decision on signing day, becoming the =nal member of PSU's class. QUOTABLE Castro-Fields: "I picked Penn State because of my relationship with the coaching sta? and my relationship with Z Mac [McPhearson]. I'll have a chance to play early, and I'm not going that far away but it is still away from home. I'll get a great education, and Penn State has a great network. I aspire to go to the NFL, but if that doesn't work out I'll still have a network outside of football." STAFF SAYS Terry Smith: "Tariq has great length and ath- leticism. He brings size, speed, good ball skills and playmak- ing ability. He's a true cover corner who will tackle." PHIL'S TAKE Castro-Fields is rated by many as the top cor- nerback prospect in Maryland for the Class of 2017. He has excellent size and the ability to play press man-to-man cov- erage. Reportedly possessing 4.5-second 40-yard speed, Castro-Fields will likely begin his college career at corner- back, but if he were to add 15 to 20 pounds, he could also play free safety. Because of his size and athletic ability, Castro- Fields will be able to match up well with tall receivers. He has an excellent chance to see action as a freshman in Penn State's 4-2-5 defensive scheme. ■ TARIQ CASTR0-FIELDS RIVALS ★★★★ POS CB HT 6-0 WT 185 HOME Upper Marlboro, Md. SCHOOL Riverdale Baptist Rivals.com P L A Y E R B I O S WHAT HE DID Only something no other Pennsylvania high school football player has ever done: During a September 2015 game against DuBois, Brown carried the ball 30 times for a record-setting 722 yards and 10 touchdowns. The per- formance helped liA Meadville to a 107-90 victory, and the outlandish feat made national headlines. Brown parlayed that junior-year momentum into a stellar senior season in which he rushed for 2,791 yards and 45 touchdowns. For his career, he totaled 7,027 yards and 103 TDs. WHAT HE WON Brown claimed =rst-team All-State honors and was an honorable mention Parade All-American. He is also a state champion sprinter. With a time of 10.73 seconds in the 100-meter dash, Brown captured PIAA Class AAA gold last spring. He earned three stars from Rivals.com, but those weren't awarded until aAer his commitment to PSU. WHERE HE VISITED Brown was under-recruited for a large portion of his high school career. Until late in the recruiting cycle, his most notable scholarship o?er was from Temple. He was nearing a commitment to the Owls when PSU jumped on board in January. AAer announcing his decision, he earned a scholarship o?er from Baylor, and Pitt showed strong interest. QUOTABLE Brown: "I'm going to give it my all because they did take a chance on me. I'm not going to let anybody down and [worry about] proving anybody wrong. I'm going to do what I do. I'm going to play football, which I love to do, and I'm not going to let anybody down." STAFF SAYS James Franklin: "He's 5-11, 190 pounds at least. He's not just one of these little speed backs. He's going to be over 200 pounds and he's going to be able to run." PHIL'S TAKE Brown may be the Northeast's top sleeper in the Class of 2017. He could play cornerback or free safety but was recruited by Penn State exclusively as a running back. He has a personal-best time of 10.62 seconds in the 100-meter dash and also reportedly has a 38-inch vertical leap. His combination of size and speed (4.44 seconds in the 40) makes him a very intriguing prospect. In addition to his potential on o?ense, he could also be an excellent return man on kicko?s. He will probably be redshirted as a fresh- man but could end up being one of the bigger surprises in this class. ■ JOURNEY BROWN RIVALS ★★★ POS RB HT 5-11 WT 194 HOME Meadville, Pa. SCHOOL Meadville Penn State Athletics