Blue White Illustrated

B lue-White Weekend isn't about wins and losses, but Penn State got a big victory anyway when Caedan Wallace announced April 21 that he plans to join the Nittany Lions next year. A four-star offensive lineman from Princeton, N.J., Wallace had been the subject of national recruiting atten- tion. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound prospect received 28 offers, choosing the Nittany Lions over Oklahoma and Stanford after making several visits to campus, including an unannounced visit during spring practice earlier this year. BWI recruiting reporter Ryan Snyder caught up with Wallace recently to talk about his decision. Here's what he had to say: BWI What were some of the key rea- sons behind your commitment to Penn State? If you could pick one or two things that really set it apart, what would they be? WALLACE I would de7nitely have to start by saying [it was] the family vibe around the team and really the whole school. I just feel that every time I come to State College. Whether I'm walking around town or meeting with the coaches and stu8 like that, it really does feel like a big family there. Another big thing is, when you look at Penn State and the type of recruits they got last year and really the last couple of years, plus the type of recruits we're going to get this year, we're building something spe- cial. I truly believe that we're building a national championship-caliber team. I really feel like we're building something special here, and I want to be a part of that. BWI How big of a role did o8ensive line coach Matt Limegrover play in your de- cision? WALLACE Of course he played a big role. I've gotten to know him well for about a year now, and right from the start, when I 7rst met him, you could just tell that he cares about his guys. He's a good all-around guy. He cares about seeing his guys succeed on the 7eld, but it's more than that. He wants to make sure we succeed in everything. So, when I saw the way he coaches his players, plus the ways he interacted with me and my family, I knew that he was the kind of guy I wanted to play for. He's a great guy and a great coach. You can't go wrong with that. BWI Are there any players on the cur- rent Penn State team that you've be- come close with? Is there anyone who really helped answer some questions for you and helped you make up your mind? WALLACE Yeah, I would say that Trent Gordon and Zack Kuntz, two of the early enrollees, both helped me out. I hung out with them a little bit during one of my visits this spring, and they just talked to me about how they've been transitioning from high school to col- lege. It's a big step for anyone, espe- cially when you're an athlete. Both of those guys kind of went out of their way to talk to me about the Penn State lifestyle and what I can expect when I get up there. BWI Is there any chance you'll be an early enrollee yourself? Is that some- thing you've discussed with the coach- ing sta8? WALLACE I haven't talked to the sta8 about that. I have looked into it and I am thinking about it, but I don't know if my school will allow it. It's something I need to learn more about, but it is something I've thought about. BWI What other schools were you seri- ously considering? Did any of them re- ally come close, or was Penn State always a clear favorite? WALLACE I would say that Oklahoma and Stanford, at one point, were two schools that were up there with Penn State. But I always had Penn State up top. Obviously, I wanted to go around and see what other schools could o8er. I feel like I did that early in my recruitment, but Penn State was always the school that I kept coming back to when I would compare schools. I never wanted to make a close-minded decision. I kept a lot of schools in mind and narrowed them down, but Penn State was at the top of my list for a while. BWI You took an unannounced visit to Penn State to watch spring practice a few weeks before your commitment. Was that the weekend you realized you were going to end up at PSU? When did you actually 7ll the coaching sta8 in on your plans to commit? WALLACE I personally knew when I went up for that practice, which was at the end of March, that I was going to end up at Penn State. But I didn't tell the coaches until the day I committed. I wanted to surprise them that day, so I kept it on the low. BWI Now that you're committed to Penn State, do you plan to help recruit other players? Are you someone who likes to message guys regularly, or do you let players come to you when they have questions? I N T E R V I E W C A E D A N W A L L A C E We're building something special here, and I want to be a part of that' '

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