BWI Mailbag: Penn State White Out Game and tackle recruiting
Each week, we put out the call for questions to fill the mailbag on the BWI Live Show. Because of the enthusiastic response (and the limit of a one-hour show), we don’t get to answer every worthwhile Penn State football question submitted. But that effort doesn’t go unnoticed. So, today, we’re answering the questions that didn’t make it on the show.
BWI Penn State football Mailbag
PhillipintheValley_ asks:
With the advent of helmet communication for QBs and a defensive player (usually the Mike), how does the rest of the team get the play call? Is it up to the player with the helmet communication to relay the play to the rest of the team using verbiage or hand signals? Will helmet communication be used in conjunction with signs still coming in from the sideline? There is a lot to communicate on both sides of the ball – formation, assignment, routes, coverages blocking schemes, etc.
Phillip asks a great question because, to this point, we’ve mostly focused on the offensive side of this equation with the Penn State quarterbacks.
Teams can do whatever they like, and different teams will take different approaches to this new tool. I would assume that most will reach out to NFL sources and discuss how they call in the defensive coverage, formation, and alignments..
For the most part, the Mike’s job is to relay all the information, just like the quarterback, to the rest of the defense. This might lead to defensive huddles in college football. I would assume that once the defense gets the initial play, the middle linebacker can relay any changes to the front seven, while the boundary safety handles communication in the Penn State secondary.
As always, crowd noise is a factor, so the team will still need the on-field hand signals and gestures they’ve used to convey nonverbal communication across the defense and get on the same page. In that aspect, things will not change much for the defense.
DwightGaltFan_6: Of the Penn State receivers on the roster that haven’t played a meaningful snap yet in their career, who is the most likely to contribute this year? (Ivey, Johnson, Flowers, freshmen, etc.).
Firstly, Dwight Galt Fan is a new member of Blue White Illustrated. So, welcome to the family!
This is the million-dollar question for 2024, right? Who can be the group’s savior or at least fill in the two-deep with quality, meaningful play? Usually, I lean on opportunity as the main driving force behind any answer, but the opportunity is wide open for a competent player to make a splash.
However, the main position hit by the transfer portal was the X receiver spot. Currently, I’m projecting Omari Evans as the top player at that position to start fall camp, understanding that Penn State can mix and match by formation and personnel group to change things up. But Evans was in a time-share with Malik McClain for snaps before McClain left the program in the spring.
Tre Wallace will likely see snaps at all three receiver spots – X, Z, and H (slot) this fall, and Julian Fleming can also play both outside positions. So, a one-to-one, static depth chart wouldn’t accurately reflect reality. Still, at least in my mind, the plan is for Liam Clifford to get some run at the X position when he’s not playing in the slot. So, I’m eyeing Anthony Ivey or Tyseer Denmark for slot rep opportunities. Ivey played some outside receiver last year but lined up in the slot for the Blue White Game this spring.
Denmark is more of a slot/Z player because he lacks the typical size and speed of a boundary X receiver who faces off against press coverage in smaller spaces. So between the two, Ivey has a leg up from the standpoint of ever-important opportunity.
ValhallaValley: If you’re Franklin and Kraft and you have to pick one option, do you host the White Out against:
a) top-tier opponent on Big Noon or
b) scrub or mid-tier on whatever network gives you prime time?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my colleagues Ryan Snyder and Sean Fitz, it’s that noon games are terrible for recruits and getting players on campus to see your program. The drive or flight into State College early in the day is a roadblock for top regional and national prospects who have games Friday night. Above all else, the White Out is the premier recruiting event of the football season.
Fans love the White Out and get rabid for the chance to show off for the country on national television. The obvious best answer would be a night game against the newly-minted Big Ten team at UCLA on Oct 5. That hits the sweet spot of a “mid-tier” team but also has the sexy newness of a West Coast, Los Angeles team. The next best opportunity would be Washington on Nov 9 as a college football finalist last year. However, November games come with the risk of dreadful weather and the possibility of a letdown post-Ohio State, which is almost certainly a lock for a noon kick.
So, while you didn’t ask for my opinion of the best exact game for the White Out, I’d bet it’s either Illinois on Sept 28 or UCLA the week after. You can build a better story with more buzz to get regional and national recruits to a game against the Bruins.
ScottL: If I set the over/under on how many of the three big OL targets we get – Michael Carroll, Malachi Goodman, and Ziyare Addison – at 1, are you taking over, under, or push?
Scott, I love the profile of all three players, which we’ll get to in a second. While this question is more for Ryan and Fitz, I’ll push and say one. Tackle is an expensive position, and as more go off the board this summer, the NIL price will go up as teams get desperate.
Now that you’re saturated in cold water from the wet blanket I wrapped around you let’s discuss why each player can command a high price. That’s more my lane.
We’ll start with Carroll, whom I’m most familiar with among the group, having watched him in person. Last summer, Carroll camped with Penn State’s committed linemen several times throughout the June camp circuit. During that time, he lined up next to Cooper Cousins, Garrett Sexton, and other commites in the Class of 2024. I’m not exaggerating when I saw he was the best, or at least second-best, lineman in that group each time. He’s a good technician for his age, is very strong and had the tools to compete with older players.
Since then, he’s only gotten bigger and stronger and is a lean-looking 300 pounds. He also kept growing and is now 6-6 with legitimate tackle size and length. Charles Power is spot on, ranking Carroll as a potential five-star player at 27 in this class.
Ziyare Addison
If you love NFL Draft scouting or high school recruiting, nothing makes you more giddy than watching a big athlete who is way more athletic than you’re expecting. Addison is on the Zane Durant spectrum of eye-popping movement skills for a football player. Except, in this case, he’s 6 4 280 pounds and has some of the longest arms you’ll find in this class. When you add that he’s a Florida recruit, the price tag and exposure he’s gotten only increase.
On the other hand, Addison is incredibly raw and will need some major retooling of his basic stance, footwork, and fundamentals on the next level. But if I were a coach, I’d gladly take on that task.
Penn State OT target Malachi Goodman
We covered Goodman’s recruiting journey on the Thursday recruiting show, and I added that conversation into the video player for this article to get the expert’s view of his recruitment. Based on that conversation, he’s the player that I’d say Penn State has the best chance with at this point, pending Carroll’s options.
Goodman doesn’t stand out compared to the other two, with traits that wow you the same way. He’s just your run-of-the-mill, 6-5.5, 315-pound offensive lineman, ranked 11th in the country at his position. Which means he’s also exceptionally talented.
If not for Carroll, Goodman would be the best tackle prospect in this group. He’s just behind the future five-star offensive lineman because he’s a tick stiffer, less explosive, and a bit more raw. But again, we’re talking about the difference between #2 and #11 at the position.
If you want to get a question into the BWI Mailbag, check out the Lions Den every Monday evening or Tuesday morning for the BWI Mailbag Submission Thread.
The post BWI Mailbag: Penn State White Out Game and tackle recruiting appeared first on On3.
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