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The 50-Yard Lion
Football news, rumors and commentary written by Penn State fans
Meet the 2010 class: Zach Zwinak Zach Zwinak--Fullback--6'2"--225--4.5--Zwinak is a big time difference maker at fullback that should develop into a guy that gives the backfield options. Not to set the bar too high so early for him, but Zwinak is more of an Aaron Harris type fullback than he is BranDon Snow, Matt Hahn, or Dan Lawlor. Zwinak has the size and speed to... Zach Zwinak--Fullback--6'2"--225--4.5--Zwinak is a big time difference maker at fullback that should develop into a guy that gives the backfield options. Not to set the bar too high so early for him, but Zwinak is more of an Aaron Harris type fullback than he is BranDon Snow, Matt Hahn, or Dan Lawlor. Zwinak has the size and speed to be a huge weapon for Penn State out of the backfield. For his size, he is very quick and has great feet, which make him a very intimidating runner. He shows the ability to cut and weave his way in the backfield and find the hole, and can leave defenses trailing him. But once he is in the open field, he is not trying to avoid contact, he is looking for it. His stiff arm is very impressive and he knows how to use it perfectly, or he can just straight up run over defenders. His legs are always moving and when you think the play is over, Zwinak appears out of a mob of defenders. He shows the ability to hit the hole very quick or bounce it out, and shows a good side step doing that. Zwinak's blocking is just as impressive; he delivers punishing lead blocks and shows great toughness, and aggression doing it. He flashes good hands receiving the pitch, and in some camp film I saw, does a good job of catching the ball over his shoulder as well. I am interested in what the coaches will do with Zwinak early in his career. With Joe Suhey and Michael Zordich already at fullback, Zwinak will have to really impress when he gets to Happy Valley in the summer. A redshirt is possible, but I think the coaches will eventually play him as the season goes on. Zwinak has too much talent at fullback to not play early in his career, and I expect him to become a fixture in the backfield, sooner than later. Zwinak is the last of the commits for the 2010 class. Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood C.J. Olaniyan Shyquawn Pullium Silas Redd Tom Ricketts Dakota Royer Meet the 2010 class: Dakota Royer Dakota Royer--Defensive End/Outside Linebacker--6'3"--220--4.69--Royer is a good looking prospect who projects to play either outside linebacker or as a rush end in college. In high school, he showed the ability to play either position successfully, but will need to bulk up to play on the line. Royer is very quick on the field, showing the ability to move from... Dakota Royer--Defensive End/Outside Linebacker--6'3"--220--4.69--Royer is a good looking prospect who projects to play either outside linebacker or as a rush end in college. In high school, he showed the ability to play either position successfully, but will need to bulk up to play on the line. Royer is very quick on the field, showing the ability to move from sideline to sideline. He is a physical player that knows how to use his hands very effectively, as well as his moves. He is a smart and instinctual player, and seems to always be around the ball. He is fundamentally sound but will occasionally over pursue the ball carrier. He plays with a blue collar toughness, and has a motor that does not stop. He does a good job getting around the edge, using his hands, moves, or speed. He is a determined player, and will pull out everything to beat his man and get to the ball. As a tackler, he shows good form and knows how to punish the ball carrier. His effort and intelligence are what make Royer a very promising player. Royer will probably begin his career at Penn State at outside linebacker, and work his way up to the line. Early in his career, I think Royer could be a special teams nightmare, with his speed, and nose for the ball. Royer is a player that I think will be productive wherever he plays, whether it is outside linebacker, defensive end, or just special teams. Tomorrow, Zach Zwinak will be the 20th and final commit evaluation for the class of 2010. Tomorrow: Zack Zwinak Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood C.J. Olaniyan Shyquawn Pullium Silas Redd Tom Ricketts Meet the 2010 class: Tom Ricketts Ricketts is yet another very athletic, high upside offensive linemen that Penn State pulled in this class. Tom Ricketts--Offensive Tackle--6'6"--265--5.19--Ricketts is yet another very athletic, high upside offensive linemen that Penn State pulled in this class. Upon watching his film, I could not help but feel the urge to go to the closest IHOP, because his senior film was full of pancakes. The most impressive thing to me was his nasty streak, which seemed to last every play. He has great technique, showing flexibility, explosion, and quickness off the snap. He does a great job of pulling his man off the line, and sustains the block until his man is either in another zip code, or pancaked and buried in the ground. He shows great athleticism and quickness in getting to the second level, and correctly chooses who to block. He has good strength already, and should only get stronger as the coaches bulk him up to a normal offensive tackle size. He will probably need a couple years to add the necessary weight, but is a very high upside prospect. His strength, technique, toughness, athleticism, and nasty streak are all very valuable in an offensive lineman. He will surely redshirt in '10, and I think once he gets in the 290's he will start pushing for playing time. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Monday: Dakota Royer Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood C.J. Olaniyan Shyquawn Pullium Silas Redd Meet the 2010 class: Silas Redd Redd was a yards-per-carry machine in high school; his senior year he averaged over 14 yards a carry! Silas Redd--Running Back--5'10"--190--4.45--In high school, Redd was a yards-per-carry machine; his senior year he averaged over 14 yards a carry! Despite the crazy numbers, many people discounted him because he was playing against weak Connecticut competition. So Redd hit the combine and camp circuits, and proved he was no fluke, successfully tearing up the competition there too. Redd eventually worked his way to playing in the Army All American game. Redd has a wonderful combination of size, speed, elusiveness, vision, and power. When he gets the ball he finds a crease quickly, and explodes through it. He does a great job of using his hands to get defenders out of his way, and is nearly impossible to tackle in the open field because he is so shifty, and can change direction so easily. He keeps a low center of gravity, and has great feet which allow for him to bounce and spin his way through would be tacklers. He is great at getting yards after contact, and does not let up once initial contact is made, always keeping his legs moving. He has a great second gear that can really leave separation between him and the defense, and will allow for him to be a return man at Penn State as well. He is a good receiver out of the backfield, showing soft hands and the ability to adjust to the ball. He will be a threat to take the ball for six every time he touches the ball. Redd is already enrolled at Penn State, and the coaches will have some decisions to make with Redd. With Royster coming back for his senior season, it makes whether or not to redshirt Redd much more of a decision, than had Royster opted for the NFL. Royster and Green will shoulder the load at running back this season, and redshirt freshman Curtis Dukes, will probably get reps as well. But I think that the coaches will utilize Redd as a situational back as a true freshman, because no running back on the team has the size, speed, elusiveness, vision, and power combination that Redd showed in high school. If he can add a little bulk, and become a good blocker in pass protection, expect Redd to eventually become the feature back at Penn State. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: Tom Ricketts Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood C.J. Olaniyan Shyquawn Pullium Meet the 2010 class: Shyquawn Pullium Shyquawn Pullium--Cornerback--6'1"--175--4.5--Pullium is a great athlete that played several positions well in high school, and will play corner at Penn State. He played quarterback, receiver, running back and safety in high school and showed great speed and athleticism playing all of them. On offense he showed great North-South speed and was able to beat people in the open field... Shyquawn Pullium--Cornerback--6'1"--175--4.5--Pullium is a great athlete that played several positions well in high school, and will play corner at Penn State. He played quarterback, receiver, running back and safety in high school and showed great speed and athleticism playing all of them. On offense he showed great North-South speed and was able to beat people in the open field with just his speed. He is not too shifty, but made good cuts and showed good vision. On defense he is rangy, and for his small frame is able to deliver some good hits. All in all he looks the part of a college corner, but will need to gain some mass on his frame. He will also need to work on keeping his head up when he tackles, and wrap up rather than always going at the ball carriers ankles. He has the athleticism to be a successful corner, in Penn State's defensive scheme and has the versatility to play as a lock down corner, or play zone, 10 yards off the ball. He could also become an interception threat as he showed good soft hands as a receiver in high school. A year at Kiski Prep, could be in the works before he hits the Penn State campus, but he has been working hard on his grades so he can report to campus in June with the rest of the team. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: Silas Redd Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood C.J. Olaniyan Meet the 2010 class: C.J. Olaniyan C.J. Olaniyan--Defensive End--6'5"--230--4.65--Olaniyan is a well put together, quick athlete, that should develop into a fine speed rusher at Penn State. His skills appear to be pretty polished already, but he will probably benefit from a redshirt as he is currently very lean, at 6'5" and 230. In high school he was effective beating his man by using either... C.J. Olaniyan--Defensive End--6'5"--230--4.65--Olaniyan is a well put together, quick athlete, that should develop into a fine speed rusher at Penn State. His skills appear to be pretty polished already, but he will probably benefit from a redshirt as he is currently very lean, at 6'5" and 230. In high school he was effective beating his man by using either his hands or just relying on his speed. He plays both the run and pass very well, using his hands very effectively against the run. He finds the crease in the line, and throws his man to the side and is either waiting for, or tackling the ball carrier for a loss on the play. Against the pass he plays low and fast enough, that he can get into the backfield sometimes barely touched. As far as technique, in high school he did not show many moves, but he did not necessarily have to, as his speed and hands did all of the work for him. Being coached by Larry Johnson, Olaniyan has a lot of potential as a speed rusher. He currently reminds me a little bit of Aaron Maybin. Coming out of high school, Maybin was 6'3" and 220, with a 4.67 40. I expect Olaniyan to follow the career plan that Maybin took while at Penn State, and redshirt and bulk up his freshman season. From there, I could see him playing a situational role, and eventually move up to a starter. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: Shyquawn Pullium Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Levi Norwood Meet the 2010 class: Levi Norwood Levi Norwood--Wide Receiver--6'2"--170--In high school, Norwood looked like a bigger and faster version of his brother, Jordan. And if he is half the player that Jordan was at Penn State, Levi will end up being a very productive player. Norwood was really an unknown, until he received an offer from Penn State in the summer. That is because his... Levi Norwood--Wide Receiver--6'2"--170--In high school, Norwood looked like a bigger and faster version of his brother, Jordan. And if he is half the player that Jordan was at Penn State, Levi will end up being a very productive player. Norwood was really an unknown, until he received an offer from Penn State in the summer. That is because his father, Brian Norwood--former defensive backs coach for Penn State--accepted a promotion to Baylor as the Bears' defensive coordinator. Because of this, Levi was unable to play his junior year of high school football, which is regarded as the most important season to impress colleges. Despite receiving only the Penn State offer, Norwood is a promising athlete. Much like his brother, he runs very clean routes, and is not afraid to go over the middle and take a hit. He adjusts to the ball well, and shows good hands always using his hands to catch the ball. He is shifty enough to make the first guy miss, and shows good but not great speed. He has a nice frame that his high school took advantage of with a lot of curl routes. All in all, I think that Norwood is going to need some time to develop, and given the current depth at receiver, that is not a bad thing. I really like Norwood's potential as a receiver, he has all the tools (and good blood lines) to be a successful receiver at Penn State. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: C.J. Olaniyan Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Khamrone Kolb Meet the 2010 class: Khamrone Kolb Khamrone Kolb--Offensive Tackle--6'6"--300--5.1-- Kolb is another very athletic big man, with a lot of upside, and potential. At 6'6" and 300, Kolb is one big dude, but incredibly athletic for his size, as his 5.1 40 shows. To fully utilize his athleticism, in high school, Kolb would sometimes play as an H-Back, lining up at fullback, tight end, and... Khamrone Kolb--Offensive Tackle--6'6"--300--5.1-- Kolb is another very athletic big man, with a lot of upside, and potential. At 6'6" and 300, Kolb is one big dude, but incredibly athletic for his size, as his 5.1 40 shows. To fully utilize his athleticism, in high school, Kolb would sometimes play as an H-Back, lining up at fullback, tight end, and sometimes even in the slot to provide extra blocking downfield. At 6'6" he towers over most opponents, and tends to play a bit high because of it. He shows great footwork, and does a good job of jarring his man and knocking him off the line. Unsurprisingly he has very long arms that allow for him to reach out, and block his man for the length of the play. He is a hard worker, and looks to keep his block until the play is done. For both his, and the quarterback's sake he is going to need to work on not playing so high, and show more bend in his knees. He will also need to improve on his hands, and use them more effectively and consistently. He appears to have all the upside needed to be a successful tackle in college, but will need a little time to further develop his skills. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Monday: Levi Norwood Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Alex Kenney Meet the 2010 class: Alex Kenney Kenney is an absolute burner that could end up playing either corner or receiver at Penn State. Alex Kenney--Athlete--6'0"--190--4.37--Kenney is an absolute burner that could end up playing either corner or receiver at Penn State. Whichever side of the ball he ends up playing, he will be leaving talent behind that could very easily be utilized on the other side of the ball as well. In high school Kenney played running back, and he could occasionally line up in the backfield at Penn State, ala Derrick Williams, but on offense, he will play as a receiver. In high school his speed was elite, he would pull away from the opponents so effortlessly, and leave them giving up on the play once he was in the open field. He is a very fluid athlete that can cut on a dime and make defenders miss, and changes overall direction effortlessly with great vision. As a receiver he looked comfortable running routes, and catching the ball. He shows good hands, and unsurprisingly gets separation from the defense in a hurry. On offense, with his size I think he is best suited for the slot, where he can catch the ball with a little bit of space, and let his abilities take care of the rest. He does a good job tracking the ball, and adjusts to an over thrown ball well by turning on the jets. At cornerback, Kenney is just as impressive. His speed and instincts from offense, make him a huge interception threat, and in his senior year alone, Kenney logged 12 picks! He reads the quarterback well, and looks comfortable in both man and zone coverage. He identifies where the ball is, and is good in run support, and is a pretty good tackler. I think the coaches are going to have a very tough time deciding on Kenney's full time position, because he shows such great traits on each side of the ball. While currently the position in need of depth between corner and receiver, is corner by a mile, I think the coaches will give Kenney a shot at offense. If he plays as a true freshman, I think the coaches will go the Justin King, Lydell Sargeant, and AJ Wallace, rout and try him on both sides of the ball. No matter what his official position is, Kenney should be a major threat on both punt and kick returns. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: Khamrone Kolb Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones Paul Jones Meet the 2010 class: Paul "PJ" Jones Paul "PJ" Jones--Quarterback--6'3"--226--4.88--Jones has an impressive arm that most high school quarterbacks just do not have. As much as I like Robert Bolden's good technique and ability to run, I like Jones' arm, and patience in the pocket just as much. While Jones is by no means a statue, he is a drop back quarterback that looks to make... Paul "PJ" Jones--Quarterback--6'3"--226--4.88--Jones has an impressive arm that most high school quarterbacks just do not have. As much as I like Robert Bolden's good technique and ability to run, I like Jones' arm, and patience in the pocket just as much. While Jones is by no means a statue, he is a drop back quarterback that looks to make plays with his big arm. He shows great pocket presence, and will take a hit if it means getting the throw off at the right time, but can make throws effectively on the run as well. He shows great accuracy on his throws, and can deliver the ball into tight spots with good zip on them. He shows great touch on his throws, and does a good job leading his receivers with the ball. In high school, Jones played in a pro style offense with some read option occasionally mixed in. He showed good decision making with the read option, and flashes good speed for his big frame, but is not going to burn anyone in college. He is going to need to work on his mechanics at Penn State, as he will occasionally throw off his back foot, and force throws. He has received comparisons to Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb, and in high school it was not too far fetched of a comparison. He has a strong and accurate arm, and is a physical, big runner that makes plays with his feet when needed. I think a better comparison is Daryll Clark, with a potentially stronger and more accurate arm. Jones is already enrolled, and if he can pick up the playbook quick, he has just as good a shot as anyone to claim the starting quarterback role for 2010. I will continue to post my assessments of all the 2010 commits every week day, until all 20 have been covered. Tomorrow: Alex Kenney Previous assessments Brad Bars Kyle Baublitz Robert Bolden Miles Dieffenbach Khairi Fortt Luke Graham Evan Hailes Kevin Haplea Mike Hull DaQuan Jones

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