Blue White Illustrated

S P R I N G P R A C T I C E R E P O R T per and cornerback Jordan Miner – are Florida natives. Could more be on the way? With the hiring of Belle Glade native Ja'Juan Seider this off-season to coach Penn State's running backs, it's expected that the Nittany Lions will put a greater emphasis on recruiting the Sunshine State. "You don't hire Ja'Juan unless you're going to make a recruiting shift," Franklin said, "and you don't hire Ja'Juan and not recruit Florida. It doesn't make any sense." But long before any new additions, it was Oruwariye who made the first move, a trailblazer of sorts, and if he were to offer advice to those considering a similar route, he would tell them, "Just be open- minded." "I'm 18 hours away from home, if you were to drive. Some guys are only four or five hours, but if I was four or five hours from home in Florida, if I was in Gainesville, it would still be unfamiliar to me," he said. "You would still have differ- ent atmospheres, different vibes. So whether you're 18 or 5, it's kind of the same thing. You just have to do a great job finding the best school for you, the best fit, and then go from there." That, he added, is exactly what he did – both on the field and off. Now he's set- tling into his place on the defense, and with temperatures warming up and spring ball getting started, this is when Oruwariye thrives. Players from states like Florida that have organized spring football at the high school level are accustomed to the rhythm of the college game. When Oruwariye took part in his first spring practice following his redshirt season, he was prepared to put the pads back on, and he finally started to feel at home on his new team. "The same kind of blueprint that we have here as far as the season, off-season workouts and then spring football, we had the same thing back in high school in Florida," Oruwariye said. "So I do think it gives you a little bit of an advantage, being used to that." It's part of what makes spring ball so appealing to him. He's used to it, and that's evident in the results. It was two years ago that he made what he describes as "a big transition" as a player. Oruwariye intercepted quarterback Trace McSorley in the first quarter of the 2016 Blue-White Game. He went on to play in 11 games the following fall, making 23 tackles and returning an interception for a touchdown in the opener against Kent State. He parlayed that performance into an even stronger junior campaign in which he logged 28 tackles and broke up eight passes to go with his four intercep- tions. "I improved a lot that spring and it just carried over to the fall," he said. "I had a big fall camp and I just kept going from there, but I definitely think the spring contributed to that." Now, with a starting position all but se- cured, he's aiming this spring to grow into his new role. The most important task, Oruwariye said, is to develop camaraderie and chemistry with his new position- mates – even if that requires some danc- ing from time to time. With four starters off to the NFL, it's up to guys like John Reid, a former starter who returns to the lineup after a knee in- jury, Tariq Castro-Fields, Nick Scott, La- mont Wade, Ayron Monroe and Oruwariye to take the reins of the second- ary. Oruwariye is confident they have the collective skill set to serve as next men up. What's perhaps more important – and a lingering uncertainty – is how well they'll play together as one. All are undertaking new responsibilities and unfamiliar roles, and that could impact their cohesion, as they will likely be focused, at least ini- tially, on their own individual responsi- bilities and not on how they mesh together as a whole. "Spring ball will be huge for us," Oruwariye said. "There are a lot of people stepping into roles that they haven't had before, including myself. It's important for us to get those reps and get on that same page [to develop] that same chem- istry that we had last year, so we don't take a step back. That would be huge. We're going to work hard and communi- cate... until we get it. Obviously from a leadership standpoint, that will be some- thing new to harp on." ■ A Penn State football book by Lou Prato with a forward by Adam Taliaferro The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions Price: $14.95 plus shipping Published by Triumph Books (soft cover) Autographed copies available via louprato@comcast.net or through Lou Prato & Associates at 814-954-5171 Autographed copies of Lou's book We Are Penn State: The Remarkable Journey of the 2012 Nittany Lions are still available via louprato@comcast.net or through Lou Prato & Associates at 814-954-5171. Price: $19.95 plus tax where applicable and shipping

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