2019 Early Signing Day Thread

[canuckhal]

A question Judge please if I may:

Mark-Anthony Richards 6-1,187 All-Purpose Back.

Does PSU realistically still have a chance to land this young man and what position would he play at PSU?/Or being recruited as sir?

Thank you!

I'll hang up and listen to your response

Not Judge, but discussion earlier was whether he wanted to be RB or would consider being a slot receiver. RBs are closed.

 

[norcalion]

Cain is a freaking stud! I dont know how Franklin pulled, an SEC looking back, from the South, from IMG and brought him to Happy Valley.

He and Devyn Ford. OH SH!T !!!

I had the pleasure of seeing Cain in person several times this Fall. Kid is very, very good. He shared duty with 5-star RB Sanders (Alabama), but I was more impressed with Cain.

 

[MacNit07]

Please capitalize Mighty from now on.

Absolutely...your knowledge of PSU football is second to none! My most sincere apologies!

 

[psuro]

Didn’t read all the posts but the disparity between the Big East and Big West is quite evident.

Led by PSU Michigan and OSU of course.

 

[mcruny42]

In future opponent news, looks like Auburn has also put together 2 back to back top 15 classes.

This current class will likely play a big role in those games

 

[bmw199]

Our running back recruiting has been insane under James Franklin.

View embedded media

Saquon, then the No. 1 APRB, then the No. 1 APRB, then two Top 5 RBs.

Run the Wing-T?

 

[Connorpozlee]

In future opponent news, looks like Auburn has also put together 2 back to back top 15 classes.

This current class will likely play a big role in those games

Auburn seems to burn through players pretty quickly. There may be many of them not even in the roster by time we play them.

 

[ChiTownLion]

Good insight here:

 

[BobPSU92]

I hope Cain is really all in with Penn State and didn't feel pressured in his commitment.

 

[Thomas1945]

I hope Cain is really all in with Penn State and didn't feel pressured in his commitment.

What pressure, there’s no pressure on kids in big time college recruiting!!!

 

[grinagrin]

In the front page article it states that Keaton Ellis is a Penn State legacy recruit. Does anyone know who is father is and when he played here?

https://bwi.rivals.com/news/penn-state-s-class-of-2019-signing-day-superlatives-1

 

[jtm78]

In the front page article it states that Keaton Ellis is a Penn State legacy recruit. Does anyone know who is father is and when he played here?

https://bwi.rivals.com/news/penn-state-s-class-of-2019-signing-day-superlatives-1

Bruce, was a State College grad in the early 70’s and was a walk on-wide receiver. Keaton’s grandparents were on the faculty and Bruce and his wife have worked at a Penn State for their careers too...A great family!

 

[PSUFBFAN]

I hope Cain is really all in with Penn State and didn't feel pressured in his commitment.

Just one man's opinion, but this kid gets my vote as "most likely to transfer" within a couple of years. Clearly, he wasn't "all in" as demonstrated by his midnight call to CJF just hours before he was supposed to sign his LOI. In addition, he admits that he was going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap.

A couple of other nagging issues - didn't he visit State College only twice? If so, I would bet that was the fewest visits that any of the class of 19 commits made to State College. I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. One of the biggest strengths of CJF's recruiting efforts is to literally recruit the entire family - the kid, his siblings, his parents, etc. Most of the commentary you hear from the commits is all about the family atmosphere and the total program at PSU - the academics, the community, the atmosphere, etc..

I didn't see much of that from Cain - his comments were more along the lines of "that stuff doesn't matter - its all about what happens on the field" - he's ready to be the next Saquon (nothing wrong with that goal). He's already stated his objective is to be here for 3 years. Again, nothing wrong with that and maybe he will be the next Miles Sanders - somebody who was willing to be patient for 2 years and then get his shot in his 3rd year.

The running back room is pretty crowded with outstanding talent - Sanders (if he returns), Slade, Brown, the transfer from ND, Ford, and Cain. Is he likely to get the playing time he wants to be happy and stay here for 3 years? Will a kid from Louisiana/Texas/FL be willing to sit behind a couple of other talented players for a good part of his first couple of years or will he decide to head back down south?

Certainly, this can play out in a number of ways - he may have a GREAT career at PSU or he may see little time and transfer. Best of luck to him and I hope he has a great college football experience at PSU first of all, or elsewhere if it doesn't work out for him here.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

You are very much a negative Nancy.

 

[artsandletters]

Just one man's opinion, but this kid gets my vote as "most likely to transfer" within a couple of years. Clearly, he wasn't "all in" as demonstrated by his midnight call to CJF just hours before he was supposed to sign his LOI. In addition, he admits that he was going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap.

A couple of other nagging issues - didn't he visit State College only twice? If so, I would bet that was the fewest visits that any of the class of 19 commits made to State College. I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. One of the biggest strengths of CJF's recruiting efforts is to literally recruit the entire family - the kid, his siblings, his parents, etc. Most of the commentary you hear from the commits is all about the family atmosphere and the total program at PSU - the academics, the community, the atmosphere, etc..

I didn't see much of that from Cain - his comments were more along the lines of "that stuff doesn't matter - its all about what happens on the field" - he's ready to be the next Saquon (nothing wrong with that goal). He's already stated his objective is to be here for 3 years. Again, nothing wrong with that and maybe he will be the next Miles Sanders - somebody who was willing to be patient for 2 years and then get his shot in his 3rd year.

The running back room is pretty crowded with outstanding talent - Sanders (if he returns), Slade, Brown, the transfer from ND, Ford, and Cain. Is he likely to get the playing time he wants to be happy and stay here for 3 years? Will a kid from Louisiana/Texas/FL be willing to sit behind a couple of other talented players for a good part of his first couple of years or will he decide to head back down south?

Certainly, this can play out in a number of ways - he may have a GREAT career at PSU or he may see little time and transfer. Best of luck to him and I hope he has a great college football experience at PSU first of all, or elsewhere if it doesn't work out for him here.

That story is the same at every big time program. Noah comes in knowing who he has to compete with for playing time. Ford is a 4/5 star in his own class. Noah has already shared carries with RB Trey ? who’s headed for Alabama. No doubt Trey is thinking along the same lines as Noah and some ‘bama poster just wrote the same post as you did about Trey.

 

[PSUFBFAN]

Jeebzus H.

Did someone hit you on the head?


He was “going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap”?
But - oddly enough - he had a PSU announcement video thing (whatever one calls that stuff) all lined up and ready to roll.

Holy Drama Queen, Batman.

No Robin, nobody hit me on the head. Maybe you have a different understanding of his own words ...

"I was honestly a Texas lean this morning," he told 247Sports. "Waking up, I’m going to Texas."
"I didn’t make my decision until about 9:45 this morning," he said. "I was actually leaning toward Texas this morning right before my decision.”

Even CJF indicated the decision was in doubt a few hours before signing ... " I get a call at 12:05 and it's Noah, mom and dad, and they want to have a discussion, and the discussion is coming off like they have not made their decision yet."

 

[PSUFBFAN]

You are very much a negative Nancy.

Not at all ...

There is nobody else I would rather have at PSU than CJF ... and that includes Darth Saban.

I absolutely love the manner in which CJF recruits these kids and the emphasis on football, school, and community.

This year's 9-3 met my pre-season expectations and I believe this year's 9-3 is probably the floor for PSU over the next 4 or 5 years - I expect we will see mostly 10-2 and possibly 11-1 type of years and we will be in contention for conference titles and CFP positions during this time period.

I just get a chuckle when every year on signing date half this board thinks all 25 (or so) signees will be future NFL Pro-Bowlers. I take the more realistic view that 5 years from now we will look back at this signing class and see ...

Several players who become team leaders and multi year starters and go on to have productive NFL careers ...
Several players who will become solid contributors ...
Several players who will become no more than occasional contributors ...
Several players whose skill set won't allow them to see much playing time at all ...
Several players who will remain with the team but never play a down and ...
Several players who will transfer or retire due to injury or other issues ...

I just happen to think that a kid that says the following may be more likely to transfer than someone like Devyn Ford who said he "isn't coming here for the next 4 years, but for the next 40 years.":

"I’m trying to be three (years) and out. It’s not about what the best city is, what the best off-the-field (opportunities are), but on the field — the best decision for me."

Not too much in those quotes about academics, the school, the football family, the community, etc.. It's all about getting to the NFL.

 

[danvillenit]

Not sure if anyone saw the announcement by Sanders, the other RB at IMG. He said he expects to win the Heisman next year at Alabama as a freshman. He seemed totally serious.

 

[blion72]

Just one man's opinion, but this kid gets my vote as "most likely to transfer" within a couple of years. Clearly, he wasn't "all in" as demonstrated by his midnight call to CJF just hours before he was supposed to sign his LOI. In addition, he admits that he was going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap.

A couple of other nagging issues - didn't he visit State College only twice? If so, I would bet that was the fewest visits that any of the class of 19 commits made to State College. I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. One of the biggest strengths of CJF's recruiting efforts is to literally recruit the entire family - the kid, his siblings, his parents, etc. Most of the commentary you hear from the commits is all about the family atmosphere and the total program at PSU - the academics, the community, the atmosphere, etc..

I didn't see much of that from Cain - his comments were more along the lines of "that stuff doesn't matter - its all about what happens on the field" - he's ready to be the next Saquon (nothing wrong with that goal). He's already stated his objective is to be here for 3 years. Again, nothing wrong with that and maybe he will be the next Miles Sanders - somebody who was willing to be patient for 2 years and then get his shot in his 3rd year.

The running back room is pretty crowded with outstanding talent - Sanders (if he returns), Slade, Brown, the transfer from ND, Ford, and Cain. Is he likely to get the playing time he wants to be happy and stay here for 3 years? Will a kid from Louisiana/Texas/FL be willing to sit behind a couple of other talented players for a good part of his first couple of years or will he decide to head back down south?

Certainly, this can play out in a number of ways - he may have a GREAT career at PSU or he may see little time and transfer. Best of luck to him and I hope he has a great college football experience at PSU first of all, or elsewhere if it doesn't work out for him here.

actually crowded is an understatement. we will have the BEST RB room in the country - not even close second. this is an awesome group. and of course only 1 football.

however for the player we can provide PT, carries, results and not wear out their tread. this maximizes their long term career - and provide a nice education along the way. a career of 10-12 touches a game with run and pass can be great. they will get visibility and can market themselves as having plenty of tread left. being "the guy" with 30 touches a game can really be career limiting.

if EGO is involved, then that is not good.

 

[Roar More]

Jeebzus H.

Did someone hit you on the head?


He was “going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap”?
But - oddly enough - he had a PSU announcement video thing (whatever one calls that stuff) all lined up and ready to roll.

Holy Drama Queen, Batman.

It is possible that he had two videos ready to go.

 

[Lane]

actually crowded is an understatement. we will have the BEST RB room in the country - not even close second. this is an awesome group. and of course only 1 football.

however for the player we can provide PT, carries, results and not wear out their tread. this maximizes their long term career - and provide a nice education along the way. a career of 10-12 touches a game with run and pass can be great. they will get visibility and can market themselves as having plenty of tread left. being "the guy" with 30 touches a game can really be career limiting.

if EGO is involved, then that is not good.

Have you looked at Georgia’s depth chart?

 

[jschrantz]

Not sure if anyone saw the announcement by Sanders, the other RB at IMG. He said he expects to win the Heisman next year at Alabama as a freshman. He seemed totally serious.

Tough to win the Heisman while splitting carries, great to be confident though.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Just one man's opinion, but this kid gets my vote as "most likely to transfer" within a couple of years. Clearly, he wasn't "all in" as demonstrated by his midnight call to CJF just hours before he was supposed to sign his LOI. In addition, he admits that he was going to sign with Texas up until the moment he chose the PSU ball cap.

A couple of other nagging issues - didn't he visit State College only twice? If so, I would bet that was the fewest visits that any of the class of 19 commits made to State College. I am sure someone can correct me if I am wrong. One of the biggest strengths of CJF's recruiting efforts is to literally recruit the entire family - the kid, his siblings, his parents, etc. Most of the commentary you hear from the commits is all about the family atmosphere and the total program at PSU - the academics, the community, the atmosphere, etc..

I didn't see much of that from Cain - his comments were more along the lines of "that stuff doesn't matter - its all about what happens on the field" - he's ready to be the next Saquon (nothing wrong with that goal). He's already stated his objective is to be here for 3 years. Again, nothing wrong with that and maybe he will be the next Miles Sanders - somebody who was willing to be patient for 2 years and then get his shot in his 3rd year.

The running back room is pretty crowded with outstanding talent - Sanders (if he returns), Slade, Brown, the transfer from ND, Ford, and Cain. Is he likely to get the playing time he wants to be happy and stay here for 3 years? Will a kid from Louisiana/Texas/FL be willing to sit behind a couple of other talented players for a good part of his first couple of years or will he decide to head back down south?

Certainly, this can play out in a number of ways - he may have a GREAT career at PSU or he may see little time and transfer. Best of luck to him and I hope he has a great college football experience at PSU first of all, or elsewhere if it doesn't work out for him here.

We all want the best possible talent possible, including CJF. If he transfers because he's homesick or because of playing time, so be it. There'll be equal or better talent waiting to take his place. We need to get used to this here.

 

[Agoodnap]

We all want the best possible talent possible, including CJF. If he transfers because he's homesick or because of playing time, so be it. There'll be equal or better talent waiting to take his place. We need to get used to this here.

Well, only if the best possible talent is also a good person who wants to be a student.

 

[PearlSUJam]

Well, only if the best possible talent is also a good person who wants to be a student.

Very true. And if that turns out to be otherwise, as with at least one player in the past few years, that is taken care of as well.

 

[81b&w]

I liked seeing the two back set recently and wonder if we're planning on using it more with the number of quality backs next year?

 

[Thomas1945]

I liked seeing the two back set recently and wonder if we're planning on using it more with the number of quality backs next year?

Well a plus to that is one of the wide receivers who can’t catch a cold are off the field for a few more plays.

 

[sluggo72]

Well a plus to that is one of the wide receivers who can’t catch a cold are off the field for a few more plays.

assuming you take a WR off and not the TE.

 

[Lion8286]

 

[PearlSUJam]

View embedded media

Wow! Cain looks ready to go! Ford may need time at the dinner table and in the weight room.

 

[TheGLOV]

Didn’t read all the posts but the disparity between the Big East and Big West is quite evident.

Led by PSU Michigan and OSU of course.

Who is "she?" sir

 

[psuro]

Who is "she?" sir

The current sig pic?

Geraldine Pinzon.

 

[LurkerLazarus]

Wow! Cain looks ready to go! Ford may need time at the dinner table and in the weight room.

I think that was one of the "negatives" about Cain. His frame is already so developed that he probably won't get a whole lot bigger. Stronger, yes, but not bigger. Ford still has plenty of room to grow.

 

[Ranger Dan]

Our running back recruiting has been insane under James Franklin.

View embedded media

Saquon, then the No. 1 APRB, then the No. 1 APRB, then two Top 5 RBs.

I don’t think SB was number 1 All purpose back, wasn’t he a three star?

 

[TheGLOV]

The current sig pic?

Geraldine Pinzon.

She fine!!

 

[danvillenit]

I don’t think SB was number 1 All purpose back, wasn’t he a three star?

Barkley was a 4 star.