Penn State picks up first 2020 commitment: OL Grant Toutant
Penn State picked up its first commitment in the Class of 2020 Saturday when Warren, Mich., native Grant Toutant announced his commitment via Twitter.
A 6-foot-6, 292 pound offensive tackle, Toutant emerged last summer when he was spotted at the Wayne State prospect camp. He then camped at Penn State the past two summers, giving offensive line coach Matt Limegrover an up-close look at his potential.
"Even on my first visit, I liked how easy it was to talk to everyone and how friendly they were," Toutant said. "It didn’t seem fake or forced. I really liked the campus and area, too."
He added, "But I had a great camp [this summer] and got to talk to Coach Limegrover a lot. He liked how I moved my feet and fired off the ball. He gave me some great advice on what I had to work on...I worked on what he told me all summer and also did speed and agility workouts, outside of practice, to help with my balance and movement.
"[When he saw my film] from this year he couldn’t believe the difference. Limegrover told me I checked off all the boxes and he then offered me about 10 minutes after he saw my film."
Toutant's scholarship offer came just over a month ago on Oct. 17. While he already knew what to expect from State College and the surrounding area, he had yet to see a game inside Beaver Stadium, so he and his family made the six-hour trip on Oct. 27 to watch Penn State's win over Iowa. By the time that visit was over, Toutant knew where he wanted to go.
However, with his team in the midst of a playoff run, he held off on announcing a commitment. That's when James Franklin and assistant Tyler Bowen reminded him again, just one week later, why Penn State was the school for him.
"Coach Franklin and Coach Bowen came to my game against Oak Park (Nov. 2) while they were in town for the Michigan game," Toutant said. "I was really impressed with that. Not many head coaches come out in the pouring rain to watch a high school game. I felt like they had a real interest in me and really believed in my potential."
The Nittany Lions weren't the only program that believed in that potential, as Duke, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin have also offered in recent months. But by then, it was too late for other programs, as his relationship with PSU's coaching staff was well ahead of the rest.
"I would have to say the relationship with the coaches," said Toutant, when asked what the biggest reason was behind his commitment. "They've been following me since my freshman year. But also, the atmosphere at games and the engineering program. All of that played a big part."
Toutant finished his junior year on a high Friday, as De La Salle defeated Mona Shores to win its second consecutive MHSAA Division II state championship.