Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
L ike hundreds of other Class of 2017 prospects who made a commitment before their senior season, four-star of- fensive lineman C.J. Thorpe couldn't help but wonder if he was missing out on something. Leading up to his commitment to Penn State, which took place just a few hours before the Blue-White Game last April, Thorpe was well aware of what the Nit- tany Lions had to o8er. Not only did he take eight uno9cial visits beginning in his sophomore year at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, he also grew up in a Penn State household, as his father, Chris Thorpe, played fullback and linebacker under Joe Paterno in the late '80s. But as time went on, both Thorpe and his father found themselves wondering whether he had rushed his decision. He did visit Auburn, Michigan, Pitt and West Virginia, along with some others, but none of those schools hosted him even half as many times as James Franklin and his assistants. So, as his senior season came to a close, Thorpe and his father de- cided that it might be best for him to at least use a few of his 7ve allotted o9cial visits. A:er speaking with multiple schools, two assistant coaches in partic- ular – Michael Zordich at Michigan and Tom Bradley at UCLA – caught their eye. "My relationship with both of those guys de7nitely had an impact," Chris Thorpe said. "That's especially true with Tom Bradley. I don't think C.J. was ever looking to really back out of his commit- ment to Penn State, but he was interested in just seeing what he may have skipped over earlier in the process. "So, with Tom, we knew that he was a quality guy who cared about the right things. He was actually my recruiting co- ordinator when I was being recruited, so we just felt comfortable knowing that those guys stood for the right things." Thorpe and his father visited UCLA on the weekend of Jan. 13-15, but they never made it to Michigan, as Thorpe returned to Penn State for an o9cial visit the weekend a:er his trip to the West Coast. By the end of that visit, Thorpe's recruit- ment was o9cially 7nished. "I kept the Penn State coaches in the loop with everything I did," Thorpe said. "It was going to take a lot for me to actu- ally back out of my commitment. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything, because I did commit very early. "But once I got back to Penn State and met with the coaches, met with all [the players and recruits], it just reminded me of why I committed to PSU in the 7rst place. That's the place I was meant to be." During his four years at Central Catholic, Thorpe and his teammates put up the best cumulative record that the Vikings had amassed in at least a decade, as they went 55-6 and won the PIAA Class AAAA state championship in 2015. In addition to the job he did on the 7eld, the 6-foot-3, 314-pound Thorpe was great in the classroom, as he was a con- sistent honor roll student since the end of his sophomore year. In fact, that's what his father is most proud of. "One thing about C.J. that has always made me very proud is that he knows that football isn't his end-all, be-all," Chris Thorpe said. "He knows that he can ac- complish a lot outside of football. … I've always been really proud of the fact that he understands this doesn't last forever. It's comforting knowing that he sees the big picture." Now, with just months remaining be- fore he's o9cially a member of the Nit- tany Lion football program, Thorpe is doing all that he can to prepare himself to compete at college football's highest level. He also understands that there are some quality o8ensive linemen already in the program, but that hasn't impacted his mental approach in the slightest. "Everyone wants to go in there with the mindset that they're ready to produce. I'm no di8erent," Thorpe said. "Of course, I want to make sure that I get o8 to a great start academically. I think that will have a lot of my focus this summer, but I also want to make a statement from the start. I want to make an impact as soon as possible." ■ Visit confirms that Thorpe made the right choice | CLICK HERE to see video of Thorpe in action. THE THORPE FILE STATS Was a four-year letterman at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and a team captain as a senior... Helped lead the Vikings to a combined 29-3 record his junior and senior seasons, including district and state Class AAAA championships in 2015... Earned three letters in track and field... Was a three-year honor roll member HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania and No. 78 player nationally... Earned All-State honors his junior and senior seasons... Named the Class 6A Lineman of the Year by the Pennsylvania Football News... Played in the Under Armour All- American Game Rivals.com