Players who I had written off from PSU who turned out to be Players

[PSU Soupy]

I would cringe last year when Jordan Van der Berg woud come on the field and now the claim is that he has become a force at DT.....if he does become the type of penetrating DT this year I will gladly admit that I was wrong.

I had a similar belief on Allen Robinson.....not so tall, not super fast.......early in his career, could not believe that he was getting snaps and by the end of his career he was in the conversation for best PSU WR ever.

Others somewhat on the list Jeff Hartings (too small), Evan Royster (too slow for his size) and Matt McGloin (not a strong arm, short).

Anyone else have a player who either dramatically improved, or that you were not impressed in their play who eventually became very, very good players for PSU?

 

[GregInPitt]

It would be great if after 2023 I could feel that way about Elsdon!!

 

[Wallace Breen]

I would say Jordan Hill. He was an adequate 1 technique playing alongside Devon Still in 2011 but turns out he was merely playing out of position and turned in perhaps the single best season any 3 technique has ever played in the blue and white in 2012 when he was a one man wrecking crew at times. His final game against Wisconsin was the best game I saw a DT play since Ndamukong Suh nearly beat Texas in the Big XII championship game, by himself.

 

[SLUPSU]

I would cringe last year when Jordan Van der Berg woud come on the field and now the claim is that he has become a force at DT.....if he does become the type of penetrating DT this year I will gladly admit that I was wrong.

I had a similar belief on Allen Robinson.....not so tall, not super fast.......early in his career, could not believe that he was getting snaps and by the end of his career he was in the conversation for best PSU WR ever.

Others somewhat on the list Jeff Hartings (too small), Evan Royster (too slow for his size) and Matt McGloin (not a strong arm, short).

Anyone else have a player who either dramatically improved, or that you were not impressed in their play who eventually became very, very good players for PSU?

Robbie Gould had a career FG% of 65 (55% as a JR and SR) at PSU, and as a Pro has a FG % of 86.5.

 

[jimarnp]

I would cringe last year when Jordan Van der Berg woud come on the field and now the claim is that he has become a force at DT.....if he does become the type of penetrating DT this year I will gladly admit that I was wrong.

I had a similar belief on Allen Robinson.....not so tall, not super fast.......early in his career, could not believe that he was getting snaps and by the end of his career he was in the conversation for best PSU WR ever.

Others somewhat on the list Jeff Hartings (too small), Evan Royster (too slow for his size) and Matt McGloin (not a strong arm, short).

Anyone else have a player who either dramatically improved, or that you were not impressed in their play who eventually became very, very good players for PSU?

For the better part of 2 years, Mike Gesicki looked like a volleyball player on the football field. —When it finally “clicked”, he was an absolute pass catching beast….. a freak athlete with a 40 inch vertical

 

[SLion]

Sam Ficken really turned it around from a horrendous start in 2012, losing the UVA game single-handedly. He became a great FG kicker, culminating with big game and extra point winner against BC in Pinstripe. Had to feel good for him, particularly in the depths of the sanctions

 

[voltz99]

Sam Ficken really turned it around from a horrendous start in 2012, losing the UVA game single-handedly. He became a great FG kicker, culminating with big game and extra point winner against BC in Pinstripe. Had to feel good for him, particularly in the depths of the sanctions

He had plenty of help losing the uva game.

 

[ejb25]

Journey Brown. He was a 2-star Junior and looked like he was going to get passed by with 4 and 5 star underclassmen Noah Cain, Devyn Ford, and Ricky Slade.

 

[ejb25]

He had plenty of help losing the uva game.

You mean by our BOT, NCAA, and the Big Ten’s ridiculous sanctions that gutted the team?

 

[Nittany1997]

Devon "Moo Moo" Smith. I thought he was too small to play, but he proved me wrong.

 

[PSU Soupy]

Could Cadean Wallace be a prime candidate for this description? Can he become a player??

Speed guys have given him problems. Hoping for a big year.

 

[GregInPitt]

For the better part of 2 years, Mike Gesicki looked like a volleyball player on the football field. —When it finally “clicked”, he was an absolute pass catching beast….. a freak athlete with a 40 inch vertical

Yep, he was a drop machine when he played his first year. Every time he dropped one I was yelling at the TV....wondering why he was on the field. And then he turned it around and made the big catches in the heat of battle.

 

[Marylovesthelions]

Journey Brown. He was a 2-star Junior and looked like he was going to get passed by with 4 and 5 star underclassmen Noah Cain, Devyn Ford, and Ricky Slade.

He had the tools and unbelievable running stats on a very week conference where I am from. Anyone with his proven speed and running stats was worthy of a 4 star. He coheld the PA record for 100 yd dash with an Olympic gold metal sprinter.

 

[Waltwam]

He had the tools and unbelievable running stats on a very week conference where I am from. Anyone with his proven speed and running stats was worthy of a 4 star. He coheld the PA record for 100 yd dash with an Olympic gold metal sprinter.

Too bad we never got to see his end result! Such a shame!

 

[87 Penn St8]

Through no fault of his own, does Michael Robinson fit this mold? A lit of expectations. Great athlete...too good not to be on field so he becomes a WR. There was the recruiting/fight incident.

Then Boom! 2005 happens. Who honestly saw that coming? Simply amazing leadership and performance.

 

[PSU Soupy]

Through no fault of his own, does Michael Robinson fit this mold? A lit of expectations. Great athlete...too good not to be on field so he becomes a WR. There was the recruiting/fight incident.

Then Boom! 2005 happens. Who honestly saw that coming? Simply amazing leadership and performance.

Yes.... I think so. No one expected him to be as good as he was in 2005...... good recall.

 

[tboyer]

I don't know if this quite fits because no one even knew enough about this guy to write him off but: in 2005, Deon Butler arrives as an undersized walk-on corner, is tried at wideout and almost instantly becomes PSU's most valuable receiver ---even better than national No. 1 recruit Derrick Williams. Goes on to break Bobby Engram's receptions record and gets drafted in the 3rd round by the Seahawks.

 

[WIP2001]

Ellis Brooks. Thought he was a “small, slow, never will be” but he was lights out his last year. Just off the chart instincts and intelligence. Amazing how fast he read keys and fired into run gaps.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Drew Astorino

 

[bdgan]

IIRC Grant Haley had some costly fumbles on kicks in his first two years but became a star player as an upperclassmen.

 

[mcpat]

Tony Sacca was a two-year starter and, in 1991, led what I consider to be one of their best squads outside of the obvious ones.

As a junior in 1990, he completed less than 50% of his passes for just 10 TDs and 9 INTs. But in 1991, the team went 11-2, finished 3rd in the nation and he threw for 21 TDs against just 5 INTs.

Kerry Collins’ career was somewhat similar with an even better senior year.

 

[PSU Soupy]

I would say Jordan Hill. He was an adequate 1 technique playing alongside Devon Still in 2011 but turns out he was merely playing out of position and turned in perhaps the single best season any 3 technique has ever played in the blue and white in 2012 when he was a one man wrecking crew at times. His final game against Wisconsin was the best game I saw a DT play since Ndamukong Suh nearly beat Texas in the Big XII championship game, by himself.

Interesting that you mentioned Jordan Hill......he is the coach of Messiah Mickens the 10th grader who is a top 30 player in the country who just committed to PSU. My guess is that Mr. Hill was putting in some words for the good guys. Mickens had an offer to go anywhere....Ala, tOSU, Mich, TN etc........... picked Happy Valley, at least for now. Seems like the kind who will be a leader for that class and attempt to bring in some dudes.

 

[SLion]

He had plenty of help losing the uva game.

True but 4 FGS missed (a 20 yarder?) along with extra point blocked when lose by 1..hard to overcome.

 

[marshall23]

Sean Clifford...booed and accused of being in the way...mocked for staying at PSU .. not good enough for the PSUHVCAC , but apparently more than welcome in Green Bay.

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

Could be Van Den Berg for me. We'll see.

 

[PSUWrestlingFanSince2011]

Sean Clifford...booed and accused of being in the way...mocked for staying at PSU .. not good enough for the PSUHVCAC , but apparently more than welcome in Green Bay.

He can be decent with a good OL it seems. He struggles when under pressure. Could work out at Green Bay.

 

[marshall23]

He can be decent with a good OL it seems. He struggles when under pressure. Could work out at Green Bay.

Truth be told, he's already embarrassed many here. They just aren't gonna admit it.

 

[GregInPitt]

Ellis Brooks. Thought he was a “small, slow, never will be” but he was lights out his last year. Just off the chart instincts and intelligence. Amazing how fast he read keys and fired into run gaps.

Just goes back to what the ol ball coach used to say, "the best thing about freshman is that they become sophomores"

There are many players that are ready to compete as freshmen these days due to the weight training and coaching improvements from years ago. But there are still players that need development and get significantly better as their PSU careers progress. That's really part of what makes following a college football team interesting.

 

[nitanee123]

Allen Zamaitis

 

[voltz99]

True but 4 FGS missed (a 20 yarder?) along with extra point blocked when lose by 1..hard to overcome.

Any mistake in a 1 pt game can cost you the game. Maybe O'Brien should have had a special teams coach.

O'Brien also gave Derek day 20 carries for 40 yds while zwinak was sitting on the bench.

Special teams was an issue the following year too. I remember a Missed XP in the Nebraska game that went to ot.

 

[bigbopper1985]

Bryant Johnson - highly regarded but couldn’t catch the ball first couple seasons then blossomed in to 1st rounder
Josh Hull - too slow linebacker who played his way in to the NFL
Derek Wake - started out strong, got hurt and ended up undrafted and in the CFL. Ended up playing double digit seasons in NFL
Daryll Clark - everyone clamored for Pat Devlin but Clark was a heck of a Qb for 2 seasons

 

[blair10]

I would cringe last year when Jordan Van der Berg woud come on the field and now the claim is that he has become a force at DT.....if he does become the type of penetrating DT this year I will gladly admit that I was wrong.

I had a similar belief on Allen Robinson.....not so tall, not super fast.......early in his career, could not believe that he was getting snaps and by the end of his career he was in the conversation for best PSU WR ever.

Others somewhat on the list Jeff Hartings (too small), Evan Royster (too slow for his size) and Matt McGloin (not a strong arm, short).

Anyone else have a player who either dramatically improved, or that you were not impressed in their play who eventually became very, very good players for PSU?

I interpreted the title of your thread to mean how the player performed in college, not the NFL.

Yet, I see so many comments about what players did in the NFL, which is not relevant to what you asked.

Based on their performance in college only, I would not used the words very, very good to describe McGloin’s college performance at Penn State. He was Mr. pick 6, especially in the big games. I doubt anyone would place McGloin on any top 5 PSU QB list.

Evan Royster was a very solid player who was consistent and durable. I don’t remember PSU fans expecting more or less from Royster. I would not have included Royster on the list.

I am very shocked to read your comments about Allen Robinson. To me, he was only limited by the ineffective passers at PSU. The guy was arguably a top 3 all-time PSU receiver along with McDuffie and Engram.

Lastly, I don’t have any expectations of Van der Berg. The guy has a known ceiling. To expect more is not being fair to Van der Berg. He is what he is.

 

[RickinDayton]

Bryant Johnson - highly regarded but couldn’t catch the ball first couple seasons then blossomed in to 1st rounder
Josh Hull - too slow linebacker who played his way in to the NFL
Derek Wake - started out strong, got hurt and ended up undrafted and in the CFL. Ended up playing double digit seasons in NFL
Daryll Clark - everyone clamored for Pat Devlin but Clark was a heck of a Qb for 2 seasons

If I recall properly, Bryant Johnson had a vision problem that was corrected with glasses and then he began to catch consistently.

 

[PSU Soupy]

I interpreted the title of your thread to mean how the player performed in college, not the NFL.

Yet, I see so many comments about what players did in the NFL, which is not relevant to what you asked.

Based on their performance in college only, I would not used the words very, very good to describe McGloin’s college performance at Penn State. He was Mr. pick 6, especially in the big games. I doubt anyone would place McGloin on any top 5 PSU QB list.

Evan Royster was a very solid player who was consistent and durable. I don’t remember PSU fans expecting more or less from Royster. I would not have included Royster on the list.

I am very shocked to read your comments about Allen Robinson. To me, he was only limited by the ineffective passers at PSU. The guy was arguably a top 3 all-time PSU receiver along with McDuffie and Engram.

Lastly, I don’t have any expectations of Van der Berg. The guy has a known ceiling. To expect more is not being fair to Van der Berg. He is what he is.

I had written off Jordan VDV. As a player, and if he shows that he is a player I would have been wrong. He did not come in as a 5 star, I just did not think that he was a D1 player and reports out of camp is he can play.

Robinson came in as a “package” with Rob Bolden so I discounted Robinson who turned out to be sensational.

 

[mcpat]

Daryll Clark - everyone clamored for Pat Devlin but Clark was a heck of a Qb for 2 seasons

He really was

 

[mcpat]

Based on their performance in college only, I would not used the words very, very good to describe McGloin’s college performance at Penn State. He was Mr. pick 6, especially in the big games.

2012, with all that had happened, here were McGloin’s senior year stats:

270 for 446; 60.5%; 3,271 yds; 24 TD; 5 INTs

He did throw a pick-6 against Ohio State that year, the highest ranked team they played in 2012. He also threw for 327 yards, 2 TDs and completed 60% of his pass attempts that game.

His other INTs were against Ohio, Temple, Nebraska and Indiana. Just one in each of these games and none were a pick-6.

Don’t mean to be too incredibly argumentative, but I credit McGloin as one of the key guys that kept the team together. Going 8-4 that season and having those numbers were incredible IMO.

 

[voltz99]

A lot of IFs on Vandenberg.

 

[blair10]

2012, with all that had happened, here were McGloin’s senior year stats:

270 for 446; 60.5%; 3,271 yds; 24 TD; 5 INTs

He did throw a pick-6 against Ohio State that year, the highest ranked team they played in 2012. He also threw for 327 yards, 2 TDs and completed 60% of his pass attempts that game.

His other INTs were against Ohio, Temple, Nebraska and Indiana. Just one in each of these games and none were a pick-6.

Don’t mean to be too incredibly argumentative, but I credit McGloin as one of the key guys that kept the team together. Going 8-4 that season and having those numbers were incredible IMO.

Thank you for sharing. I did not take your response as being argumentative. You were quite respectful. Much appreciated.

We just have a very different opinion on McGloin as a college QB.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Thank you for sharing. I did not take your response as being argumentative. You were quite respectful. Much appreciated.

We just have a very different opinion on McGloin as a college QB.

McGloin played behind an Oline taken from the intramural league. And fourth and fifth team running backs. The top receiver and punter left. All new coaching staff. Played with injuries.

Amazing he even survived.

 

[brupsu]

Through no fault of his own, does Michael Robinson fit this mold? A lit of expectations. Great athlete...too good not to be on field so he becomes a WR. There was the recruiting/fight incident.

Then Boom! 2005 happens. Who honestly saw that coming? Simply amazing leadership and performance.

Never forget his collision with that Minnesota kid..Felt bad for him.