5 Most Underrated PSU Players of '16

[psu skp]

My personal list of the top five most valuable but under-hyped players of 2016 (so far):

1) Jordan Smith; now a senior, he came here/ stuck it out during the really tough times. Has had few chances to play in his career but has still maintained an excellent attitude and has provided quality depth at CB this season; his stats will be buried deep down towards the bottom but he has maximized his opportunities and made 4-5 key plays in key games.

2) Brian Gaia; the one constant on an otherwise inconsistent OL; a quiet leader who is a big reason we are doing so well offensively

3) Gregg Garrity; a kid who will not get a chance to generate any stats to speak of but who epitomizes what the Penn State family is all about and whose sure hands have been sorely needed fielding kicks down the stretch in all kinds of Big Ten weather.

4) Nick Scott; agreed to switch from the glam position of TB to safety, has been a solid contributor on special teams for two seasons and keeps improving; should continue to provide a spark in his career.

5) tie Derek Dowry/Wendy Laurent; two 5th-year seniors who lost starting positions and could have easily packed it in by now; but both have maintained great attitudes and continued to plug away; they may be two of the most important players on the squad right now as far as providing depth at a VERY thin position; we have almost literally nobody else to put in at C/G right now and yet thanks to these guys' versatility we are in a position to redshirt younger linemen and develop them for the future.

 

[jennjeffjoe]

Good post. We appreciate these players. Its real tough being a true student-athlete.

 

[PSU_1991]

Great post. Completely agree.

 

[BobPSU92]

Brandon Smith may no longer be underrated by Penn Staters, but he is largely unknown. Smart, consistent, heady player in the middle.

 

[aferrelli]

Mike Gesicki
Blake Gillikin
Trace McSorley
Brandon Smith
Chris Godwin

 

[34EVER]

My personal list of the top five most valuable but under-hyped players of 2016 (so far):

1) Jordan Smith; now a senior, he came here/ stuck it out during the really tough times. Has had few chances to play in his career but has still maintained an excellent attitude and has provided quality depth at CB this season; his stats will be buried deep down towards the bottom but he has maximized his opportunities and made 4-5 key plays in key games.

2) Brian Gaia; the one constant on an otherwise inconsistent OL; a quiet leader who is a big reason we are doing so well offensively

3) Gregg Garrity; a kid who will not get a chance to generate any stats to speak of but who epitomizes what the Penn State family is all about and whose sure hands have been sorely needed fielding kicks down the stretch in all kinds of Big Ten weather.

4) Nick Scott; agreed to switch from the glam position of TB to safety, has been a solid contributor on special teams for two seasons and keeps improving; should continue to provide a spark in his career.

5) tie Derek Dowry/Wendy Laurent; two 5th-year seniors who lost starting positions and could have easily packed it in by now; but both have maintained great attitudes and continued to plug away; they may be two of the most important players on the squad right now as far as providing depth at a VERY thin position; we have almost literally nobody else to put in at C/G right now and yet thanks to these guys' versatility we are in a position to redshirt younger linemen and develop them for the future.

Malik Golden and Evan Schwann would be my top two. Was not sold on either of them coming into the season. Both have been solid.

 

[phillybillyreprise]

Koa Farmer

 

[Tri-Power65]

Tyler Davis and Blake Gillikin

 

[psu skp]

Koa Farmer

He almost made my top 5, as did Malik G.

Of course my most "overrated" player is Will Fries (well, his 'shirt' anyways)

 

[Lion8286]

Of course my most "overrated" player is Will Fries (well, his 'shirt' anyways)

It's like Fries isn't even trying. He's invisible out there.

 

[psu skp]

It's like Fries isn't even trying. He's invisible out there.

Yeah, but his Redshirt gets more female action on campus in one week than I did my entire soph/junior years combined...

 

[KnightWhoSaysNit]

1. Special Team Guys ... Von Walker (Special Teams Leader), Ayron Monroe (Knows how to tackle), Tyler Davis (Franklin "MVP")
2. Jason Cabinda (Night/day when out/in lineup.)
3. Brandon Smith (Solid player that demonstrates "student athlete.")
4. Tommy Stevens (Backup QB who could easily start. Odds are that, in time, he will become the most essential player on the team. Trace will eventually go down with injury.)
5. Defensive Line (Cannot select just one. IMHO, collectively showed the most growth. Coach Spencer deserves enormous credit.)

I could almost put Barkley on this list. He doesn't get the national notoriety that someone of his caliber would normally get. Should change next year, especially if PSU finishes well.

Unlike the OP, I would not select any of the upperclass OL. On one hand they deserve credit for coming and sticking it out during sanctions. On the other hand they got the opportunity due to those sanctions. Dowrey gives it his best effort but is not athletic enough for this level. I had expected Laurent to be the center this year. Why not? Did he (not) work hard in the offseason? I don't grade Gaia very high on "leadership" even though he may have volunteered to take over at center. He's slightly improved, but makes as many mistakes as anybody, gets beat frequently, and often finishes plays completely unengaged. I also didn't like how he admonished after a mistake by Gonzalez. Might have been marginally acceptable coming from a high-caliber player, but not in this case, especially since Gonzalez hasn't played much. I saw more of a yell/shove than a teaching conversation into Steven's ear. Kind of sickening when I think of some of the things Gaia did as a junior. Blocking his own teammate comes to mind.

 

[maxxedout]

BRANDON SMITH #1

 

[AvalonJohn]

Mike Gesicki
Blake Gillikin
Trace McSorley
Brandon Smith
Chris Godwin

My top two would be Gillikin and Smith

 

[psu skp]

Blocking his own teammate comes to mind.

That was a decent block though if I recall...

 

[Cpeplion]

Gilikin, Smith, Farmer, Miles Sanders(the kick returner), and John Reid (returning punts.)

Then I'd add all the back up Lb's and Olinemen.

 

[Nitwit]

Givens

 

[GregInPitt]

Mike Gesicki
Blake Gillikin
Trace McSorley
Brandon Smith
Chris Godwin

Gesicki would be on my list of "over-rated" player this year. Although he had bounced back from all the drops he had in 2015, this is his 3rd year and he is not yet a complete TE as his blocking is still weak. If Bowers had been healthy I believe Bowers would have replaced Gesicki frequently in order to get a TE on the field that could help the running game get going.

Godwin has had a nice year, but not the statistical year he had last year. But there is plenty of time (games) yet for him to make a few more splash plays. Some thought he would leave after this year and his stats so far do not warrant an early exit, so maybe he was over rated.

Gillikin has had a great year and is a big contributor to the improved special team, but he was the #1 punter coming out of H.S. so it was pretty much expected. Not sure that qualifies as under rated.

 

[GregInPitt]

1. Special Team Guys ... Von Walker (Special Teams Leader), Ayron Monroe (Knows how to tackle), Tyler Davis (Franklin "MVP")
2. Jason Cabinda (Night/day when out/in lineup.)
3. Brandon Smith (Solid player that demonstrates "student athlete.")
4. Tommy Stevens (Backup QB who could easily start. Odds are that, in time, he will become the most essential player on the team. Trace will eventually go down with injury.)
5. Defensive Line (Cannot select just one. IMHO, collectively showed the most growth. Coach Spencer deserves enormous credit.)

I could almost put Barkley on this list. He doesn't get the national notoriety that someone of his caliber would normally get. Should change next year, especially if PSU finishes well.

Unlike the OP, I would not select any of the upperclass OL. On one hand they deserve credit for coming and sticking it out during sanctions. On the other hand they got the opportunity due to those sanctions. Dowrey gives it his best effort but is not athletic enough for this level. I had expected Laurent to be the center this year. Why not? Did he (not) work hard in the offseason? I don't grade Gaia very high on "leadership" even though he may have volunteered to take over at center. He's slightly improved, but makes as many mistakes as anybody, gets beat frequently, and often finishes plays completely unengaged. I also didn't like how he admonished after a mistake by Gonzalez. Might have been marginally acceptable coming from a high-caliber player, but not in this case, especially since Gonzalez hasn't played much. I saw more of a yell/shove than a teaching conversation into Steven's ear. Kind of sickening when I think of some of the things Gaia did as a junior. Blocking his own teammate comes to mind.

Mention of the DL is very warranted in a discussion of under rated players. I remember all the doom and gloomer's here crying about the fact that we didn'tj have any "studs" at DL, no 4 and 5 star freshmen in the last class to step in and replace the NFL bound D-linemen. But there were good numbers, especially at DT (and at DE but it's great the Simmons and Joseph could redshirt) such that great competition in practice and great coaching has produced a DL that is young and improving each game. Too bad Cothran was suspended for the first few games as he could have made the difference in the run defense vs Pitt (sure we needed LB help as well with all the injuries) to slow down the Pitt run game and get a win that game.....

 

[Jerademan74]

My personal list of the top five most valuable but under-hyped players of 2016 (so far):

1) Jordan Smith; now a senior, he came here/ stuck it out during the really tough times. Has had few chances to play in his career but has still maintained an excellent attitude and has provided quality depth at CB this season; his stats will be buried deep down towards the bottom but he has maximized his opportunities and made 4-5 key plays in key games.

2) Brian Gaia; the one constant on an otherwise inconsistent OL; a quiet leader who is a big reason we are doing so well offensively

3) Gregg Garrity; a kid who will not get a chance to generate any stats to speak of but who epitomizes what the Penn State family is all about and whose sure hands have been sorely needed fielding kicks down the stretch in all kinds of Big Ten weather.

4) Nick Scott; agreed to switch from the glam position of TB to safety, has been a solid contributor on special teams for two seasons and keeps improving; should continue to provide a spark in his career.

5) tie Derek Dowry/Wendy Laurent; two 5th-year seniors who lost starting positions and could have easily packed it in by now; but both have maintained great attitudes and continued to plug away; they may be two of the most important players on the squad right now as far as providing depth at a VERY thin position; we have almost literally nobody else to put in at C/G right now and yet thanks to these guys' versatility we are in a position to redshirt younger linemen and develop them for the future.

As I've posted before, I believe that Koa Farmer is a big unsung hero for our team. He came in as a highly rated, speedy DB from CA who never really settled in at any 1 position until this season when our starting LB's all went down to injury. He was a lost warrior sitting as a back-up in the secondary until that point. He filled into the outside LB role exceedingly well and brings an outside rush to the QB's blindside that has created many big plays, especially in the OSU game!

 

[Lion84]

Gesicki would be on my list of "over-rated" player this year. Although he had bounced back from all the drops he had in 2015, this is his 3rd year and he is not yet a complete TE as his blocking is still weak. If Bowers had been healthy I believe Bowers would have replaced Gesicki frequently in order to get a TE on the field that could help the running game get going.

Godwin has had a nice year, but not the statistical year he had last year. But there is plenty of time (games) yet for him to make a few more splash plays. Some thought he would leave after this year and his stats so far do not warrant an early exit, so maybe he was over rated.

Gillikin has had a great year and is a big contributor to the improved special team, but he was the #1 punter coming out of H.S. so it was pretty much expected. Not sure that qualifies as under rated.

Disagree on Gesicki, I think his transformation from last year is unreal. Almost no drops and has been a force in the offense with critical catches when needed. Is he a great blocker, no but he is not really asked to be.

 

[cment]

Givens

 

[aferrelli]

Gesicki would be on my list of "over-rated" player this year. Although he had bounced back from all the drops he had in 2015, this is his 3rd year and he is not yet a complete TE as his blocking is still weak. If Bowers had been healthy I believe Bowers would have replaced Gesicki frequently in order to get a TE on the field that could help the running game get going.

Godwin has had a nice year, but not the statistical year he had last year. But there is plenty of time (games) yet for him to make a few more splash plays. Some thought he would leave after this year and his stats so far do not warrant an early exit, so maybe he was over rated.

Gillikin has had a great year and is a big contributor to the improved special team, but he was the #1 punter coming out of H.S. so it was pretty much expected. Not sure that qualifies as under rated.

I respect your opinion but couldn't disagree more about Gesicki. I was not very high on the kid last year; but he's made some nice catches this year, and has had some nice runs after the catches also. I've been very impressed with his performance this year.

 

[GregInPitt]

Disagree on Gesicki, I think his transformation from last year is unreal. Almost no drops and has been a force in the offense with critical catches when needed. Is he a great blocker, no but he is not really asked to be.

Yep, he is better than last year. But that does not make him under rated.

A top 5 TE recruit that finally is contributing, but still is a weak blocker, is under rated?

 

[aferrelli]

Yep, he is better than last year. But that does not make him under rated.

A top 5 TE recruit that finally is contributing, but still is a weak blocker, is under rated.

Blocking, even for tight ends, is the most difficult part of the position. Do we really care if he can block well if he can run down field and get us 15-20+ yards after a catch? Now if he were a guard or tackle and couldn't block, that would be a different story.

 

[jerrycalpal]

I'll Gesicki on offense. Sickens on D.

Top award to former walk on and the heart of special teams
Von Walker.

 

[Lion84]

Yep, he is better than last year. But that does not make him under rated.

A top 5 TE recruit that finally is contributing, but still is a weak blocker, is under rated.

I know but you called him "over rated" which I don't agree with.

 

[psu skp]

Good article on Jordan Smith:

http://pennstate.247sports.com/Arti...nerback-Jordan-Smith-is-personifying-49187396

 

[GregInPitt]

Blocking, even for tight ends, is the most difficult part of the position. Do we really care if he can block well if he can run down field and get us 15-20+ yards after a catch? Now if he were a guard or tackle and couldn't block, that would be a different story.

If we had better blocking from the TE's the last 2 years we would have seen Barkley running down the field 15-20+ yards many more times than what Gesicki has done..... That's why CJF was so excited about Bowers' potential, as he is reportedly a very good blocking TE, and why CJF has reminded us that the loss of Bowers for this season was very significant.

 

[21Guns]

Ayron Monroe
Koa Farmer
Brandon Smith
Chasz Wright
Saeed Blacknall