Pennridge head coach Cody Muller opens up about 2023 LB Phil Picciotti

The Mid-Atlantic region is incredibly deep at the linebacker position for the Class of 2023, and one player that should to be recognized as one of the best in the area is Pennridge's Phil Picciotti.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, Picciotti projects as a middle linebacker at the college level, but he's doing a little bit over everything for Pennridge currently, playing all three positions. His head coach, Cody Muller, is no stranger to college football either. A graduate of Souderton High School in 2009, Muller went on to play defensive end at the University of New Hampshire. A three-year starter, he totaled 134 tackles, including 20 sacks, over the course of his career, giving Picciotti someone he can lean on when it comes to recruiting and maximizing his potential before he gets to the college level.

BWI's Ryan Snyder was in attendance for Pennridge's 17-7 win over Central Bucks East Friday night. CB East was 6-1 coming into the game, while Picciotti and the Rams were 4-3, needing a win to improve their chances at the playoffs.

They got exactly that, with Picciotti totaling an impressive 14 tackles. Penn State fans can watch highlights Picciotti, as well as read our Q&A with Muller below.

Snyder: What's Phil like in the locker room, in school? I've gotten to know him as a football player, but not so much as a person yet.

Muller: Phil's a great kid overall, whether it's on the field or the class or in the community. He's a kid that you never hear a bad thing about, whether that's from teachers or anybody in the school. So, just having that kind of kid on your team and in the locker room is definitely a huge help to any coach. For me, I have a kid that we can look at and consider a role model for our program and for everybody else. Phil has done a great job in leading. This year, he does a lot by his play, but he's definitely gotten a lot more vocal as well. So, I'm extremely proud of him in terms of what he's doing on the field, but also what he does off the field.

Snyder: You guys move him around a lot. I noticed he basically plays all three linebacker spots for you.

Muller: Yeah, he does a little bit of everything. Depending on the opponent or alignment, he kind of move him around to any of the spots. When we run our 3-4, he's an inside backer, but when we go with a 4-3, we can put him at Mike, put him at Will or Sam. He can play any of those spots.

Snyder: What are his strengths? What comes natural to him?

Muller: He's just a very physical kid. He's one of those downhill football players, but he's also a kid that, field speed-wise, he can cover ground in a very short period of time. Sometimes it looks like he's not in the picture, and then all of a sudden he'll make a big hit at the line of scrimmage. I think he has a lot of tools that you're looking for. He brings a lot of intensity to the defensive side of the football.

Snyder: I don't believe he's done many camps, so do you know any numbers for him? Any 40 times? Bench, squats, power cleans? Anything like that?

Muller: We track everything but 40 times. Bench, squat and power clean are our three main lifts and I'm pretty sure he was right around 1,100 pounds total, between the three, so he's already a very strong kid. I believe his squat is right around 500 pounds currently. I want to say he did close to 300 on the bench. I believe it was 290 or 295, somewhere in there. For power clean, he's one of our heavier ones, too. I believe he's close to 285 or 290 for the power clean.

Snyder: Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry came into the school Friday. He can't meet with Phil extensively yet since he's a junior, so what can you share about your talk with Pry and also just how Penn State has recruited him overall?

Muller: They really like Phil, and rightfully so. He's been up there now a couple times and I know he really enjoys it there. Phil's a very open-minded kid. He just wants to see it all and see what the best fit is for him, but Penn State's definitely one of the ones that he likes a lot. I know Coach Pry really likes his potential and having Nick Tarburton up there as well, a former Pennridge grad, gives Phil someone to talk to and get a feel for things as well.

But Phil's gonna be one of those kids that, whenever he feels ready, he'll end up telling everybody. He's not one of those kids, just from talking to him, that's going to commit on this date or anything like that. He's just taking it all in.

He's really focused on his business on the field, too. I was telling Coach Pry, when he got his first couple offers, I'm telling him congrats and asked how he's feeling, stuff like that. He said, 'It's cool coach, but I gotta get back in there to finish my squats.' It was during our lifting, so I mean, that's just kind of kid that he is. None of this goes to his head, which I know coaches really like about him, too. But Penn State is doing a great job. Coach Pry is doing a great job. They've shown him that he's incredibly important to them.

Snyder: I saw Notre Dame offer recently. Have you been talking to their staff much? Did that offer come out of the blue like some tend to do? Just trying to get a feel for that relationship.

Muller: They've been showing interest throughout. Coach [John] McNulty is recruiting our area here and he's been reaching out to me since the springtime, so that's been going on for a little while now. They've been in touch with Phil then little by little, and then they pulled the trigger on him. [McNulty] actually came in on Friday, just like Pry, just to check out and talk as well. So, they seem to have real interest in him. I think Phil is going to go visit out there are some point this season.

Snyder: Any other schools who maybe haven't offered yet but are showing interest? Just trying to get a feel for what programs could maybe enter his recruitment next.

Muller: It's mainly just the ones who have offered so far. Notre Dame was kind of the only other one that reached out in the spring, was staying in touch, then finally pulled the trigger on him. I will say that most of the Big Ten schools are getting involved. It'll be interesting to see if some of the other ones offer. Wisconsin reached out to me recently. I know they're gonna be in touch with Phil, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. He's playing well, so I think more schools will come calling.

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