Penn State football lands massive OT recruit Andre Roye
Penn State has picked up its first Class of 2022 commitment since July 31.
Baltimore, Md., three-star offensive tackle Andre Roye picked the Nittany Lions over N.C. State, Maryland, and Rutgers on Thursday.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pound talent kept a low profile prior to announcing his choice, which made predicting it difficult, but in the end, a sustained effort by head coach James Franklin, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, plus one of the team's current starters, helped seal the deal. Roye committed one day after his previously planned announcement date.
"I talk to Coach Traut and Rasheed [Walker], their starting tackle, a lot," Roye told Rivals prior to committing. "We're close. They're preaching to me that that's the place for me.
"The coaches talk to me about how I've been improving since I first got on the scene to right now and now they're saying that I could play a lot if I were to go there. If I do everything right and get in the playbook then I could play early."
Roye plays at St. Frances Academy, which always has at least a few FBS recruits, though most of them do not end up in State College, which makes him unique. He is the 25th player to pick PSU in this cycle and fourth offensive lineman, as he joins Drew Shelton, Maleek McNeil, and J.B. Nelson. The Lions also has an incoming transfer in the trenches, as Harvard tackle Spencer Rolland plans to come to State College after graduating from the Ivy League school.
“I always liked Penn State," Roye told BWI in May. "Ever since I was a kid, their uniforms and stuff like that stood out. I remember when I was first getting offers and stuff, their one coach, Coach [Tyler] Bowen, who’s in the NFL now, he was real excited about me and we just bonded pretty early on.
"I was more excited to see him at the time, but their excitement always kind of stood out to me. They don’t just talk about football with you. They do a good job getting to know you. Their coaches have kept that going since Coach Bowen left.”
While it may seem like the Nittany Lions are full in this cycle with 26 commits - Rolland counts against the Class of 2022 - it's not out of the question that the class could reach 27 or 28 players when all is said and done, and a proposed NCAA rule could actually give them and everyone else in college football up to 32 slots to fill as long as they stay under the 85-man scholarship limit. It's unclear when a vote on that proposed rule will take place, however.
Roye’s teammate, four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham, is one of the Nittany Lions’ top remaining targets, and Penn State continues to pursue others, as well. Barham took an official visit to Penn State this past weekend for the game against Auburn.
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