Jamari Buddin to bring unique skillset, perspective to Penn State's LB room
The molds and cookie cutters of high school football prospect analysis don’t fit Jamari Buddin.
Not in his view, anyway. To him, the idea that his game transcends the simplistic approach of labels and projections is what makes him unique.
“My game, it’s a lot different from other linebackers,” Buddin said in a phone interview with BWI. “Personally, I feel like I can check all boxes, as far as speed, coverage, tackling, pass rush. I can do all of it. There’s nothing that I can’t do as far as the checkmarks that come with being a linebacker.
“I have the speed. I’m not like 260 [pounds] to where I’m just in the box and can’t run. I can run, I can cover, I can blitz, pass rush, all that good stuff.”
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Buddin pairs speed with skill, standing at 6-foot-2, 204 pounds. He received 20 offers from Division I schools, including the likes of Michigan, Florida State, Michigan State and Ole Miss.
Like many young athletes, Buddin looks to today’s elite in the NFL like Khalil Mack and former greats like Ray Lewis for lessons and traits he can apply to his craft. He’s also analyzed a pair of former Nittany Lions with the same purpose in mind: Micah Parsons and Cam Brown.
“I watched their high school tapes, I watched their college tapes,” Buddin said. “I just watched what they do during games, little techniques that I could use.”
In Brown and Parsons, specifically, Buddin noticed a distinct ability to disguise their intentions. It’s never obvious what they’re planning to do. That’s a skill that he’s taken and tried to implement into his own game.
“They kind of hide what they do,” Buddin said. “And then, it’s like from 0 to 100 once they do it. It’s not obvious. It’s fast. It’s quick, fast, and right now, it’s why they’re so successful.”
There’s a difference to Buddin between quickness and speed, he explained. He’s confident in his natural speed, but his quickness at the top of the list of skills he wants to hone when he arrives in University Park.
Buddin committed to play for Penn State last July. RIvals.com rates him as a three-star prospect, the No. 15 prospect in the state of Michigan and the No. 34 outside linebacker.
Buddin — a native of Belleville, Mich. — held offers from both Michigan and Michigan State, but chose to sign with James Franklin and his staff.
He respects Franklin’s work ethic and his determination to maximize each day and views that mindset as one that will help him get the best out of his college experience.
More than anything, though, Buddin wanted a family atmosphere to call home for four years, and he found that with Penn State.
“I like to spend a lot of time with my family,” Buddin said. “I think that’s really important. I personally think life’s too short, so I spend most of my free time with them.
“I would always say I need a family environment, and I feel like Penn State was specifically the best family environment that I’ve seen in a football program, no doubt.”
Buddin, as a person, is goal-driven. Many players his age — and especially those of his talent level — hold dreams of playing in the NFL one day, and Buddin is no different.
He has other career accomplishments in mind, though. He wants to receive his master’s degree in kinesiology and hopes to knock as many classes out of the way as quickly as he can to make that vision a reality.
“I believe that people should be able to do stuff after college that they’ll love without focusing on the pay,” he said. “Kinesiology has to do with sports, training, physical therapy, and that’s something that I enjoy.”
When he arrives in State College ahead of the 2021 season, he’ll be focused on delivering Penn State fans something they’ll enjoy, too.
“I’m a hard worker, and I’m never going to stop until we reach the top,” he said. “I know Penn State’s won national championships, so that’s something I’m trying to bring them.”
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