Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
me. I loved how he coached. I loved how he went out of his way to explain di;er- ent things and really teach me. Also, his enthusiasm. He has a lot of energy, wants to have fun but also wants to take care of business. I think that's a great combination. I know I'll enjoy playing for a guy like that. Then, this season, he was great at defensive coordinator. He set the bar really high a=er just one year. I think he showed everyone that he's a coach on the rise. He clearly knows how to run a defense. BWI I have to ask about your friend- ship with Zack Kuntz. Did his commit- ment impact your decision, or do you think you would have ended up at PSU regardless? KATSHIR I think Penn Sate still would have been the school at the end, but it de:nitely impacted me. Having some- one that I'm real good friends with going up there with me, that's really nice. I know the kind of person he is, so if something ever goes wrong, I know he's someone who I can talk with. He's someone who has my back. It's nice knowing that I'll have a close friend up there with me. Of course, I'll become friends with all the other guys between now and then, but Zack and I will always be very close friends. BWI You su;ered an injury this bas- ketball season. Can you talk about that and where you currently stand? KATSHIR I tore my labrum and I in- jured a few other ligaments. … It's look- ing like it will be a six-month recovery [following surgery on Feb. 6], so as long as everything goes well, I should be back in time for football season. I'm probably going to miss some of the preseason. I would love to be back in time for our :rst game, but I really want to make sure that everything heals properly, because I have college ball still ahead of me. So we'll see. I de:nitely want to be back in time for conference play. BWI How involved do you plan to be in recruiting other prospects? Will you ac- tively reach out to other players or just let them come to you to talk about PSU? KATSHIR I'll de:nitely be reaching out to other recruits. Our 2018 class has the potential to be really special at Penn State, so I'll do whatever I have to do to help improve that. I would love to get Shaquon Anderson-Butts on board. He's right across the river from me, and I know how good a player he is. But really, I'll help with anyone that's interested in Penn State. I think the school sells itself in so many di;erent ways, but if I can help show a few other players that, I'll be sure to do so. BWI I want to ask about some strengths and weaknesses. What are maybe two or three things that come naturally to you? Also, what are maybe two or three things that you would like to improve on between now and when you enroll in June 2018? KATSHIR I've always felt like my ball skills are a strength. That's a big reason why I played safety. With my size and athleticism, I can usually outmuscle re- ceivers and tight ends. To go along with that, I think I do a good job at reading the play. It's a little easier at safety than linebacker to see the whole :eld, but I do think that's a strength of mine. I'm sure I'll be focused more on the guards and tackles when I move to linebacker, but I do think I can process the play pretty quickly, so that should help me at line- backer. I know that two things I have to work on are my strength and speed. Moving to linebacker, I need to bulk up as much as I can before I move to Happy Valley. Un- fortunately, I won't be able to li= much upper-body in the next few months, but FAST RISER Penn State coaches Franklin and Pry pose with Katshir and his parents at the Nittany Lion shrine. Photo courtesy of the Katshir family