BlueWhiteIllustrated.com - Felder to enroll in June

April 17, 2009

Sean Fitz
BlueWhiteIllustrated.com Recruiting Analyst

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By Sean Fitz
Blue White Illustrated

The play was simple enough, a routine slant that he had run hundreds of times during his high school career, but this one had a far more disastrous outcome for Brandon Felder.

The ball was thrown a shade high, and the star receiver from Oxon Hill, Md., was forced to go airborne to make the grab.

It was just a meaningless scrimmage against Forestville High School in late August, but Felder wasn't one to let a ball get away from him no matter what the situation. He went up to make the catch and came down with a defender draped on his back, landing awkwardly on his right knee.

The diagnosis wasn't good. Felder, an all-county and all-Metro receiver as a junior, would be forced to miss his entire senior year with a ruptured lateral cruciate ligament and partially torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"When I hurt my leg, I was thinking my life was over," said Felder. "I thought that I couldn't do anything else besides play football, so I couldn't do anything. I was real worried."

Felder would undergo surgery on the knee in September, and had a hard time watching his teammates from the sidelines as the Clippers finished a disappointing 6-4 on the year.

"He went through a little bit of depression, and a little denial, because he was that guy who always thought that he could overcome it," said Oxon Hill head coach Kevin Wolfolk. "When he found out that he was going to have the surgery, he was a little depressed, but he had great people around him. His mother is a wonderful woman, and she was there every step of the way for him. The team, they stepped up and made sure that emotionally, he was OK."

Fortunately for the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Felder, he had given a verbal commitment to play at Penn State a few months earlier.

Soon after the injury, Nittany Lions defensive line coach Larry Johnson, who recruited Felder to Penn State, informed him that his scholarship would be available no matter what.

"The thing that helped him was that he committed early, and that was a blessing," said Wolfolk. "Coach Johnson and the receivers coach, Mike McQueary, they were just phenomenal with how they dealt with it. Knowing the coaches in State College and the strong character that they have, and of course, JoePa, knowing what kind of man he is, it just really helped him. They backed him, and I think that and the fact that he loved it from the time he went up there and committed, it helped him."

"Coach Johnson told me that they were going to stick with me, and even though I was kind of depressed, that really brightened things for me," recalled Felder. "He said that it was there no matter what happened. He said, 'you committed to us early, so it showed that you were dedicated to the school,' so he wasn't going to take it back."

Felder burst onto the scene last spring after a standout performance at the State College Nike Camp in May. The tall, fluid wideout was coming off a standout junior year, as he caught 40 balls for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught the eye of recruiters from Boston College, Illinois, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia, all of which came through with scholarship offers.

"He's a big-timer. I've been coaching in Prince George's County for 18 years and he's the best receiver, by far, that I've had the pleasure to coach," he said. "One thing about Brandon is that he's a lot physically tougher than most people think he is. Looking at him, he's tall and kind of looks thin to some people, but he's a tough kid.

"Then, of course, with his speed, it puts him at another level right away. At any level, when you can get someone who is under a 4.4, it automatically stretches defenses and forces a lot of bracket coverages."

On May 27, he decided to end his recruitment and verbally commit to the Nittany Lions.

"When I first went up there, I was walking around the campus with Coach Johnson and it kind of opened things up for me," he said. "I fell in love the campus off the bat. We continued walking around, and they have one of the best business schools, and that's what I want to major in when I go to college. The facilities up there are good. It's not a far distance from my house, about four hours away. The team is good. The staff is stable. Everything is just great."

After a rigorous and lengthy rehab, Felder is now back to running and lifting, with the goal of being ready to go when he gets onto campus this summer. One thing is for sure, after seeing his career nearly crumble, Felder can't wait to get back into pads.

"What am I looking forward to most?" he said. "Playing under JoePa. I want to be under his wing and be able to say that he coached me."

Here's a look at this issue's table of contents:

4 - Mailbag
5--6 - Phil's corner
8 - NFL Draft Previewl
9-11 - Up Close and Personals: Curtis Dukes, Frank Figueroa, Nate Cadogan
12-13 - Feature story: Navorro Bowman
14-15 - Blue-White Game Breakdown
17 - Spring Roster
18-20 - Complete defensive breakdown: Looking at the Nittany Lions' 2009 offense position-by-position
22 - Recruiting Notebook
28-29 - Men's Basketball: Lions capture NIT crown

Plus, as always, don't miss wrestling coverage, Varsity Views, Scorecard and The Tail End!

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