If you missed the thread I posted earlier, I went down to Hershey this afternoon to watch both the Pennsylvania and Maryland squads workout. As most of you know by now, DE/LB Shaka Toney decided not to play. I asked at least a half-dozen players and coaches today about why he decided to back out. No one was able to give me a legit answer. I reached out to Toney as well, but didn't hear back from him.
So, with the addition of WR Dae'lun Darien, Penn State has three 2016 prospects playing on Saturday. RB Miles Sanders is the lone representative in the Pennsylvania squad, while Darien is joined by LB Cameron Brown on the Maryland squad.
Below are all the notes I was able to gather over the three hours I was there.
LB Cameron Brown - 6-5, 210 - Potomac, Md. - Bullis School
- When speaking with the coaches on both teams, they stressed that Monday and Tuesday were the two days that both really got after it when it comes hitting and tackling, so most of what I saw from everyone today was at half-speed. I was running back and forth between the two teams, but from what I saw, Brown's going to start at outside linebacker, but will regularly shuffle down to defensive end throughout the game. The coaches also plan to use him at tight end depending on the situation. They wouldn't go into many details, which I understand, but I think when Maryland gets down into PA's red zone, that's when you'll see Brown come in and play some tight end. He's clearly one of the taller prospects they have, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if you see Maryland throw him a few jump balls in the end zone Saturday night. I saw them throw him a few jump balls this afternoon.
Physically, Brown told me that he's right around 6-5, 210, so he hasn't added much weight. However, he has been using the weight program that Penn State gave him when he signed and he made it clear that he's already seeing results. Brown feels as if he's become much stronger in just the past few months, despite the fact that he hasn't bulked up much. I also tried to get a feel for what PSU plans to do with him this season and he said that, because of the situation at linebacker, he thinks there's a real chance that he doesn't redshirt. Of course, that'll be decided at the end of preseason camp. I think it's clear that he has to bulk up before he gets thrown to the fire at linebacker at this level, but overall, Brown's had an excellent week down in Hershey. Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish raved about him when we caught up after practice.
- Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish on Cameron Brown -
"He’s outstanding. There’s nothing that young man cannot do. He’s long and athletic, but he’s also very physical. He uses all three to his advantage when he needs to. Because of that, he can play linebacker, defensive end or even tight end. For us this week, we’re going to use him mainly at linebacker and defensive end, but we definitely want to get him some reps at tight end for us in certain situations. We don’t want to push these guys too hard since it’s an all-star game and they all have big plans coming this fall, but Cam is a guy that we just have to take advantage of. He’s one of the best athletes that we have here. That’s why we’ll be putting him on special teams, too. If it was up to me, he’d never leave the field, but we don’t want to do that to Cam and Penn State. That’s unfair to them. But I really would call him a jack-of-all-trades. He’s been excellent for us.
"Another thing that I’ve really noticed is that he’s done everything we’ve asked and always has a smile on his face when he’s doing it. Some of these guys just want to focus on whatever spot is best for them. They want to have the best game that they can have for themselves, but Cam is the opposite. For someone like myself and my staff, who’s trying to make sure this squad is as good as it can be before Saturday night, we really appreciate everything he’s been doing for this team this week. He came to play from the moment we got here. He’s going to be a great teammate at Penn State."
WR Dae’lun Darien - 6-4, 204 pounds - Baltimore, Md. - Dunbar
- As I posted Monday night, Darien got the call from the Maryland coaching staff that afternoon that they wanted him to join the squad if he could make it to Hershey. Darien was originally invited to play back in the winter, but he was committed to Temple at the time and was under the impression that the timing wouldn't work out. That's why the Maryland staff ended up inviting others, but once it became clear this week that they needed to add another wide receiver, Darien was the first prospect they called.
He arrived in Hershey at 10 PM last night, so this morning was actually his first practice with the team. Because of that, he ran with the second-team throughout the afternoon, but I think it's pretty clear that he's the staff's top threat out wide. He's by far the tallest receiver they have. He also proved on multiple occasions that he has great hands. As I mentioned, they didn't go full speed much today, so I wasn't able to fairly evaluate speed or route-running. We'll get a much better feel for all of that Saturday night.
As of now, it's really all about how much he picks up on tomorrow and during Friday's walk-through. If he's able to lockdown the playbook, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up starting Darien. He looked like the best wide receiver for Maryland today. In fact, he may have been the most impressive receiver on either squad, but again, a lot of today was half-speed, so I don't want to get too carried away there. I literally saw him drop one ball all day, and Maryland doesn't have the best group of quarterbacks. Quarterback is a weak spot for both PA and Maryland, so keep that in mind Saturday when you're watching the game. He was consistently readjusting his routes and still came down with the ball basically every time.
One other note: Darien is up to 204 now. He weighed in at 195 when he took his official visit to Penn State, so he's clearly adding some solid weight since starting the weight program that Penn State assigned him in February.
- Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish on Dae'lun Darien-
"We think that Dae’lun will be a real steal for us. To be honest, before this past season, I really didn’t know who he was. But then, once I started going through film to try and build this team, I was just shocked that I didn’t really know who he was until then. I started learning more about him then and knew we had to get him here. We wanted him to be on the team originally, and he always wanted to play, but at the time, he didn’t think he was going to be able to do it because he was committed to Temple. I believe they already enrolled or didn’t want their guys playing, something like that. So, when we got the opportunity to add Dae’lun the other night, I was really happy to see that he still wanted to play and could get a ride up here the following day.
"We got him up here late last night, so this morning was his first opportunity to get him on the field and working with the team. By the time we wrapped up our second practice today, I could already see that he has great hands. He’s also very long, too, which is nice for us. We think he’ll be great for us at the X position. One thing he’s really good at is jump balls. We’ve thrown a couple up and to the sideline for him already and he comes down with it basically every chance he gets. I feel as if we have a pretty good group at wide out, so as of now, we’re just trying to see how much he can pick up on. His IQ level is very high, which is great for us. He picked up on things very fast for us today, but we also only have three practices left. So, how he’s able to pick up on the playbook these next three practices will determine how much play he gets. But everything I’ve seen so far tells me that this young man is a real steal for not only our team here, but also Penn State."
RB Miles Sanders - 5-11, 195 - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Woodland Hills
- What is there to say about Miles that hasn't already been said? Everyone I spoke with today made it clear that he's Pennsylvania's top playmaker on offense, which is why we're going to see him play a little bit of slot receiver at times. Of course, he'll be the lead back out of the backfield and I think he'll easily surpass 15 carries. The staff understands that he has a real chance to get meaningful playing time at Penn State this fall, so they're not going to overwork him, but they also know that the offense is going to run through him on Saturday night.
- Pennsylvania head coach Mike Matta on Miles Sanders -
"Miles is just so special. The thing I like most about Miles is that he’s a doer, not a talker. He’s never carrying on and messing around on the sidelines. He’s all about working hard and helping the team however he can. In games like this, you have so many players that care all about their image and how they’re going to perform individually. We know Miles is going to perform for us, but you can just tell that he hasn’t let all the accolades go to his head. He’s been an excellent teammate all week. He’s a guy that you really want to have on your squad, from a character perspective.
"On the field, everyone already knows what he can do. He’s just such a special player. We’re going to be getting the ball in his hands as much as possible. He’ll mainly play in the backfield, but we want to get him in the slot when we can and different things like that. I want him to get the ball at least 20 or 25 times. But he also has such a bright future, so I’m not going overwork these guys, not in a game like this. But we plan to use him heavily. I think he could have a special night on Saturday. We’re so fortunate to have him here."
PS: The photo I took of Miles got messed up because of the sun. Sorry about that. I didn't notice the glare until I got home. Don't worry, he looks like a beast. haha
So, with the addition of WR Dae'lun Darien, Penn State has three 2016 prospects playing on Saturday. RB Miles Sanders is the lone representative in the Pennsylvania squad, while Darien is joined by LB Cameron Brown on the Maryland squad.
Below are all the notes I was able to gather over the three hours I was there.
LB Cameron Brown - 6-5, 210 - Potomac, Md. - Bullis School
- When speaking with the coaches on both teams, they stressed that Monday and Tuesday were the two days that both really got after it when it comes hitting and tackling, so most of what I saw from everyone today was at half-speed. I was running back and forth between the two teams, but from what I saw, Brown's going to start at outside linebacker, but will regularly shuffle down to defensive end throughout the game. The coaches also plan to use him at tight end depending on the situation. They wouldn't go into many details, which I understand, but I think when Maryland gets down into PA's red zone, that's when you'll see Brown come in and play some tight end. He's clearly one of the taller prospects they have, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if you see Maryland throw him a few jump balls in the end zone Saturday night. I saw them throw him a few jump balls this afternoon.
Physically, Brown told me that he's right around 6-5, 210, so he hasn't added much weight. However, he has been using the weight program that Penn State gave him when he signed and he made it clear that he's already seeing results. Brown feels as if he's become much stronger in just the past few months, despite the fact that he hasn't bulked up much. I also tried to get a feel for what PSU plans to do with him this season and he said that, because of the situation at linebacker, he thinks there's a real chance that he doesn't redshirt. Of course, that'll be decided at the end of preseason camp. I think it's clear that he has to bulk up before he gets thrown to the fire at linebacker at this level, but overall, Brown's had an excellent week down in Hershey. Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish raved about him when we caught up after practice.
- Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish on Cameron Brown -
"He’s outstanding. There’s nothing that young man cannot do. He’s long and athletic, but he’s also very physical. He uses all three to his advantage when he needs to. Because of that, he can play linebacker, defensive end or even tight end. For us this week, we’re going to use him mainly at linebacker and defensive end, but we definitely want to get him some reps at tight end for us in certain situations. We don’t want to push these guys too hard since it’s an all-star game and they all have big plans coming this fall, but Cam is a guy that we just have to take advantage of. He’s one of the best athletes that we have here. That’s why we’ll be putting him on special teams, too. If it was up to me, he’d never leave the field, but we don’t want to do that to Cam and Penn State. That’s unfair to them. But I really would call him a jack-of-all-trades. He’s been excellent for us.
"Another thing that I’ve really noticed is that he’s done everything we’ve asked and always has a smile on his face when he’s doing it. Some of these guys just want to focus on whatever spot is best for them. They want to have the best game that they can have for themselves, but Cam is the opposite. For someone like myself and my staff, who’s trying to make sure this squad is as good as it can be before Saturday night, we really appreciate everything he’s been doing for this team this week. He came to play from the moment we got here. He’s going to be a great teammate at Penn State."
WR Dae’lun Darien - 6-4, 204 pounds - Baltimore, Md. - Dunbar
- As I posted Monday night, Darien got the call from the Maryland coaching staff that afternoon that they wanted him to join the squad if he could make it to Hershey. Darien was originally invited to play back in the winter, but he was committed to Temple at the time and was under the impression that the timing wouldn't work out. That's why the Maryland staff ended up inviting others, but once it became clear this week that they needed to add another wide receiver, Darien was the first prospect they called.
He arrived in Hershey at 10 PM last night, so this morning was actually his first practice with the team. Because of that, he ran with the second-team throughout the afternoon, but I think it's pretty clear that he's the staff's top threat out wide. He's by far the tallest receiver they have. He also proved on multiple occasions that he has great hands. As I mentioned, they didn't go full speed much today, so I wasn't able to fairly evaluate speed or route-running. We'll get a much better feel for all of that Saturday night.
As of now, it's really all about how much he picks up on tomorrow and during Friday's walk-through. If he's able to lockdown the playbook, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up starting Darien. He looked like the best wide receiver for Maryland today. In fact, he may have been the most impressive receiver on either squad, but again, a lot of today was half-speed, so I don't want to get too carried away there. I literally saw him drop one ball all day, and Maryland doesn't have the best group of quarterbacks. Quarterback is a weak spot for both PA and Maryland, so keep that in mind Saturday when you're watching the game. He was consistently readjusting his routes and still came down with the ball basically every time.
One other note: Darien is up to 204 now. He weighed in at 195 when he took his official visit to Penn State, so he's clearly adding some solid weight since starting the weight program that Penn State assigned him in February.
- Maryland head coach DaLawn Parrish on Dae'lun Darien-
"We think that Dae’lun will be a real steal for us. To be honest, before this past season, I really didn’t know who he was. But then, once I started going through film to try and build this team, I was just shocked that I didn’t really know who he was until then. I started learning more about him then and knew we had to get him here. We wanted him to be on the team originally, and he always wanted to play, but at the time, he didn’t think he was going to be able to do it because he was committed to Temple. I believe they already enrolled or didn’t want their guys playing, something like that. So, when we got the opportunity to add Dae’lun the other night, I was really happy to see that he still wanted to play and could get a ride up here the following day.
"We got him up here late last night, so this morning was his first opportunity to get him on the field and working with the team. By the time we wrapped up our second practice today, I could already see that he has great hands. He’s also very long, too, which is nice for us. We think he’ll be great for us at the X position. One thing he’s really good at is jump balls. We’ve thrown a couple up and to the sideline for him already and he comes down with it basically every chance he gets. I feel as if we have a pretty good group at wide out, so as of now, we’re just trying to see how much he can pick up on. His IQ level is very high, which is great for us. He picked up on things very fast for us today, but we also only have three practices left. So, how he’s able to pick up on the playbook these next three practices will determine how much play he gets. But everything I’ve seen so far tells me that this young man is a real steal for not only our team here, but also Penn State."
RB Miles Sanders - 5-11, 195 - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Woodland Hills
- What is there to say about Miles that hasn't already been said? Everyone I spoke with today made it clear that he's Pennsylvania's top playmaker on offense, which is why we're going to see him play a little bit of slot receiver at times. Of course, he'll be the lead back out of the backfield and I think he'll easily surpass 15 carries. The staff understands that he has a real chance to get meaningful playing time at Penn State this fall, so they're not going to overwork him, but they also know that the offense is going to run through him on Saturday night.
- Pennsylvania head coach Mike Matta on Miles Sanders -
"Miles is just so special. The thing I like most about Miles is that he’s a doer, not a talker. He’s never carrying on and messing around on the sidelines. He’s all about working hard and helping the team however he can. In games like this, you have so many players that care all about their image and how they’re going to perform individually. We know Miles is going to perform for us, but you can just tell that he hasn’t let all the accolades go to his head. He’s been an excellent teammate all week. He’s a guy that you really want to have on your squad, from a character perspective.
"On the field, everyone already knows what he can do. He’s just such a special player. We’re going to be getting the ball in his hands as much as possible. He’ll mainly play in the backfield, but we want to get him in the slot when we can and different things like that. I want him to get the ball at least 20 or 25 times. But he also has such a bright future, so I’m not going overwork these guys, not in a game like this. But we plan to use him heavily. I think he could have a special night on Saturday. We’re so fortunate to have him here."
PS: The photo I took of Miles got messed up because of the sun. Sorry about that. I didn't notice the glare until I got home. Don't worry, he looks like a beast. haha
