Hey everyone,
Nate and I are on our way home from today's Rivals camp in New Jersey. We have a ton of film to sort through. I also spoke with a bunch of prospects that rank high on the staff's board, so we'll have more posted tomorrow and throughout the week.
However, I wanted to post some of my impressions from today. I'm working from the car, so I'm on limited battery, but I tried to hit on the majority of prospects that really caught my eye today.
Unfortunately, some of the prospects that I was hoping to see this morning didn't show. That includes Ath. Steven Smothers, Ath. Jordan Fuller, DE Micah Parsons and OL Lucas Niang.
OL FILM - Reading, Pa. - Exeter Township Senior - 2016
Menet was one of the top five lineman in attendance today. He also earned an invite to the Rivals100 Challenge in Baltimore. That'll take place in the first week of June.
I spoke with one of the offensive line coaches about Menet during a break. He spoke very highly of Michal's footwork. He mentioned that his hand placement could improve, but went on to add that it was still better than the majority of prospects in attendance.
As I posted in the camp thread earlier in the day, Menet doesn't really have a set timetable for a decision. He knows he'll wrap it up before his senior season gets started, but he's in no rush to make a move. However, that said, his father admitted that it would be nice to wrap it up before the end of May, but like all good parents, he's leaving that totally up to Michal. I do believe they'll visit Duke before making any sort of decision, so that'll be something to watch for in the first few weeks of May.
I believe Penn State should be considered the favorite.
RB FILM - Philadelphia, Pa. - St. Joseph's - 2017
Swift took home the MVP award at running back. For the most part, he and 2016 five-star Kareem Walker - committed to Ohio State - were in a class of their own. The two of them were pushing each other in workouts throughout the day. It was a lot of fun to watch.
As is always the case with these camps, it's not the best of settings to fairly evaluate a running back. He ran excellent routes when he matched up with linebackers coming out of the backfield. He also caught almost every pass that was catchable, but obviously that's just a small part of a running back's overall game. He also showed good footwork during different agility drills, but we already knew that.
D'Andre and I didn't talk extensively about Penn State today, but he continues to say that his relationship with the coaches is one of, if not the strongest he's built so far. But as I said earlier in the spring when he came up to visit, Swift needs to see some other schools before I can really get a feel for where PSU stands. We know he's definitely going to visit Alabama at some point this summer. He wants to do it in May or June. I imagine that he and his father will see a few schools whenever they make that trip down south.
LB FILM - Wilmington, Del. - Concord - 2017
Like running back, linebacker is another tough position to fairly evaluate at camps like this. For starters, there's no pads, so we can't really work on form tackling or anything like that. The linebackers are also sometimes forced to cover the region's top running backs and wide receivers, so they're at an unfair advantage during one-on-ones.
That said, Avery Roberts really impressed today. He was a leader throughout the morning position drills and the coaches were consistently raving about his ability to change direction on a dime.
He's another prospect that needs to visit a few more schools before I can accurately get a feel for where PSU truly stands, but you really can't ask for a better start from the staff. Both of his visits in February and March left an excellent impression.
LB FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady Of Mt Carmel - 2017
I wasn't able to watch Kaindoh as much as I wanted, but I know the defensive line coaches highlighted Josh as one of the top five defensive linemen in attendance today. One thing I noticed is that he jumped at every opportunity he got during the OL v DL session. I love seeing guys that consistently are trying to get reps, trying to get better.
I'll have to watch all the video that we took tonight and tomorrow, but I remember a few defensive line coaches praising his rip move and overall ability to use his hands, but again, I wasn't able to personally watch Kaindoh as much as I would've liked.
However, one good thing to note is that Kaindoh called PSU his early leader during a video interview with Mike Farrell today, so that's a positive sign. He also spoke very highly of Sean Spencer when Nate spoke with him this morning.
WR FILM - Warminster, Pa. - Archbishop Wood - 2017
Out of all of the prospects I watched today, the Archbishop Wood sophomore stood out to me the most. His routes, his hands, his personality and character, all of that really caught my attention. He's excellent at the line of scrimmage. I watched him beat a few cornerbacks today in his first five steps.
Webb wasn't used much last year at Wood, so his film is limited. That's actually working in Penn State's favor right now, but I think it's only a matter of time before most of the region's top programs catch on. His performance today wasn't a one time thing either. He's been shredding kids at camps all winter and spring. I think he's four-star quality.
OL FILM - Brooklyn, N.Y. - Poly Prep - 2017
If Webb was the prospect that impressed me the most today, Wilson was a very close second. The 2017 four-star has already picked up a scholarship offer from PSU staff, but he's not communicating with them on a regular basis yet. Because of his age, it's up to Wilson to reach out to them. He visited last season for the Michigan State game but is yet to make it back. I imagine that, when he visits again, which he says could be this summer, the staff will make a big push for him to begin contacting them every week or two. He's going to be one of the region's top offensive lineman next year.
Wilson was just a monster today. He's extremely aggressive. He was out to prove a point today and he definitely got that message out. I think he has a real chance to be a top 50 prospect, maybe even a fringe five-star.
DT FILM - Wayne, N.J. - DePaul Catholic - 2016
I've been writing Dwumfour off as someone that I thought was a long shot to pick up a Penn State offer, but the more I talk to people, the more I think he has a real chance to add an offer from the staff.
I know he's expecting one of Penn State's assistants to be at his school on Tuesday or Wednesday to see him workout. I believe the staff also wants him to attend one of their camps in June. For now, I think the coaches would prefer to see what happens with a few of the defensive lineman that they've already offered, but if he's able to impress during his workout this week, then maybe again at camp this summer, an offer isn't as farfetched as I once thought.
The defensive line coaches that I spoke also with recognized Dwumfour as one of the top five defensive lineman in attendance today.
WR FILM - Cheshire, Conn. - Cheshire Academy - 2017
Black was another receiver that really caught my eye today. He consistently went up to catch the ball at its highest point. He was also consistent when it came to beating the cornerback off the line of scrimmage.
Penn State is yet to offer Black, but I know they have a lot of interest. From what I saw today, it's probably only a matter of time, especially since he's a 2017 prospect. Wide receiver will be much more important to the staff next year.
Nate and I are on our way home from today's Rivals camp in New Jersey. We have a ton of film to sort through. I also spoke with a bunch of prospects that rank high on the staff's board, so we'll have more posted tomorrow and throughout the week.
However, I wanted to post some of my impressions from today. I'm working from the car, so I'm on limited battery, but I tried to hit on the majority of prospects that really caught my eye today.
Unfortunately, some of the prospects that I was hoping to see this morning didn't show. That includes Ath. Steven Smothers, Ath. Jordan Fuller, DE Micah Parsons and OL Lucas Niang.
OL FILM - Reading, Pa. - Exeter Township Senior - 2016
Menet was one of the top five lineman in attendance today. He also earned an invite to the Rivals100 Challenge in Baltimore. That'll take place in the first week of June.
I spoke with one of the offensive line coaches about Menet during a break. He spoke very highly of Michal's footwork. He mentioned that his hand placement could improve, but went on to add that it was still better than the majority of prospects in attendance.
As I posted in the camp thread earlier in the day, Menet doesn't really have a set timetable for a decision. He knows he'll wrap it up before his senior season gets started, but he's in no rush to make a move. However, that said, his father admitted that it would be nice to wrap it up before the end of May, but like all good parents, he's leaving that totally up to Michal. I do believe they'll visit Duke before making any sort of decision, so that'll be something to watch for in the first few weeks of May.
I believe Penn State should be considered the favorite.
RB FILM - Philadelphia, Pa. - St. Joseph's - 2017
Swift took home the MVP award at running back. For the most part, he and 2016 five-star Kareem Walker - committed to Ohio State - were in a class of their own. The two of them were pushing each other in workouts throughout the day. It was a lot of fun to watch.
As is always the case with these camps, it's not the best of settings to fairly evaluate a running back. He ran excellent routes when he matched up with linebackers coming out of the backfield. He also caught almost every pass that was catchable, but obviously that's just a small part of a running back's overall game. He also showed good footwork during different agility drills, but we already knew that.
D'Andre and I didn't talk extensively about Penn State today, but he continues to say that his relationship with the coaches is one of, if not the strongest he's built so far. But as I said earlier in the spring when he came up to visit, Swift needs to see some other schools before I can really get a feel for where PSU stands. We know he's definitely going to visit Alabama at some point this summer. He wants to do it in May or June. I imagine that he and his father will see a few schools whenever they make that trip down south.
LB FILM - Wilmington, Del. - Concord - 2017
Like running back, linebacker is another tough position to fairly evaluate at camps like this. For starters, there's no pads, so we can't really work on form tackling or anything like that. The linebackers are also sometimes forced to cover the region's top running backs and wide receivers, so they're at an unfair advantage during one-on-ones.
That said, Avery Roberts really impressed today. He was a leader throughout the morning position drills and the coaches were consistently raving about his ability to change direction on a dime.
He's another prospect that needs to visit a few more schools before I can accurately get a feel for where PSU truly stands, but you really can't ask for a better start from the staff. Both of his visits in February and March left an excellent impression.
LB FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady Of Mt Carmel - 2017
I wasn't able to watch Kaindoh as much as I wanted, but I know the defensive line coaches highlighted Josh as one of the top five defensive linemen in attendance today. One thing I noticed is that he jumped at every opportunity he got during the OL v DL session. I love seeing guys that consistently are trying to get reps, trying to get better.
I'll have to watch all the video that we took tonight and tomorrow, but I remember a few defensive line coaches praising his rip move and overall ability to use his hands, but again, I wasn't able to personally watch Kaindoh as much as I would've liked.
However, one good thing to note is that Kaindoh called PSU his early leader during a video interview with Mike Farrell today, so that's a positive sign. He also spoke very highly of Sean Spencer when Nate spoke with him this morning.
WR FILM - Warminster, Pa. - Archbishop Wood - 2017
Out of all of the prospects I watched today, the Archbishop Wood sophomore stood out to me the most. His routes, his hands, his personality and character, all of that really caught my attention. He's excellent at the line of scrimmage. I watched him beat a few cornerbacks today in his first five steps.
Webb wasn't used much last year at Wood, so his film is limited. That's actually working in Penn State's favor right now, but I think it's only a matter of time before most of the region's top programs catch on. His performance today wasn't a one time thing either. He's been shredding kids at camps all winter and spring. I think he's four-star quality.
OL FILM - Brooklyn, N.Y. - Poly Prep - 2017
If Webb was the prospect that impressed me the most today, Wilson was a very close second. The 2017 four-star has already picked up a scholarship offer from PSU staff, but he's not communicating with them on a regular basis yet. Because of his age, it's up to Wilson to reach out to them. He visited last season for the Michigan State game but is yet to make it back. I imagine that, when he visits again, which he says could be this summer, the staff will make a big push for him to begin contacting them every week or two. He's going to be one of the region's top offensive lineman next year.
Wilson was just a monster today. He's extremely aggressive. He was out to prove a point today and he definitely got that message out. I think he has a real chance to be a top 50 prospect, maybe even a fringe five-star.
DT FILM - Wayne, N.J. - DePaul Catholic - 2016
I've been writing Dwumfour off as someone that I thought was a long shot to pick up a Penn State offer, but the more I talk to people, the more I think he has a real chance to add an offer from the staff.
I know he's expecting one of Penn State's assistants to be at his school on Tuesday or Wednesday to see him workout. I believe the staff also wants him to attend one of their camps in June. For now, I think the coaches would prefer to see what happens with a few of the defensive lineman that they've already offered, but if he's able to impress during his workout this week, then maybe again at camp this summer, an offer isn't as farfetched as I once thought.
The defensive line coaches that I spoke also with recognized Dwumfour as one of the top five defensive lineman in attendance today.
WR FILM - Cheshire, Conn. - Cheshire Academy - 2017
Black was another receiver that really caught my eye today. He consistently went up to catch the ball at its highest point. He was also consistent when it came to beating the cornerback off the line of scrimmage.
Penn State is yet to offer Black, but I know they have a lot of interest. From what I saw today, it's probably only a matter of time, especially since he's a 2017 prospect. Wide receiver will be much more important to the staff next year.
