Rivals250 OL Ryan Brubaker opens up about his weekend in Happy Valley
Penn State hosted one of its top offensive line targets this weekend in four-star prospect Ryan Brubaker.
Fresh off an official visit to Stanford earlier in the week, the Denver, Pa., native returned home to take his second of five official visits this month. Unlike the other schools he’s considering, which also includes South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, Brubaker went into this visit knowing plenty about the program, as his father, Jeff, played for Joe Paterno’s 1986 national championship team. That meant that James Franklin and his staff could spend less time teaching him the ins and outs and more times building on their relationship.
“Because of my proximity and growing up in South Central Pennsylvania, there wasn’t a whole lot that I learned that I didn’t already know,” Brubaker said. “Things like the size of Beaver Stadium and the history of the program, we already had a great feel for, but I will say this trip was great from a relationship perspective and getting to know everyone more. Our relationships were already good going into the visit and I feel like that was the case while we were there. Everyone was very genuine and open.”
Brubaker, who picked up an offer from Penn State at the end of February, has grown close with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein over the past couple of months. Originally, he was supposed to just take his official visit and go home, but he ended up deciding to stick around for a few more hours to participate in Sunday’s Whiteout Camp. That proved to be a good decision for Brubaker, as he said he learned a lot through that experience.
“I would say the biggest takeaway from my time with Coach Trautwein was working with him during the Whiteout Camp on Sunday,” Brubaker said. “Throughout the process, I would describe his recruiting style as mellow, which is good. I like the way he’s approached it. So, getting out there and working with him on the field really allowed me to see the coach in him and that fire that you love to see from an offensive line coach. For me, just being number 826, or whatever number, just being one of a bunch of guys out there allowed me to learn more about him and really what he’s like. I really enjoyed working with him. He’s a very technical coach and very hands on. That was a big highlight for me.”
Franklin has also played a major role in Brubaker’s recruitment. He said that throughout his stay in State College, the head coach wasn’t just checking up here and there, but rather was with he and his family nearly the entire time.
“Coach Franklin was great. From the moment I got there until I left, there weren’t many times where he wasn’t with us, wasn’t make sure that everything was perfect,” Brubaker said. “I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but he can’t sit still. Obviously, I think that’s a good thing because he really cares about the details and wants to make sure everything is going great for not just myself, but everyone that was there this weekend. He has an incredible staff around him that already made sure that everything was going well, but just seeing how much time he put into my visit was really appreciated. He’s a great guy.”
One key area that distinguished his visit to Penn State over the previous trip to Stanford was his interaction with the current players. Due to Stanford’s schedule, its football players aren’t currently on campus. That’s not the case at University Park, as Brubaker was hosted by redshirt freshman offensive lineman Nick Dawkins.
“The player I was mainly paired with was Nick Dawkins,” he said. “We’re similar in a lot of ways. Our recruitments were very similar. We’re both from Central Pa., so from that perspective, they couldn’t have picked a better person to pair me with. But I spent a lot of time getting to know a bunch of guys. Landon Tengwall was around a good bit of the time. I hung out with Jimmy Christ some and Mike Miranda was around. Whenever you get a group of linemen together, you’re going to have fun. We’re all fun guys that like to take care of business but also joke around and have fun, too. I would definitely say we had a good time and that I enjoyed hanging out with them.”
With three visits remaining, Brubaker still has plenty to think about, but that hasn’t stopped the discussion that many believe Penn State is the team to beat. He said that while the Nittany Lions only helped their chances of earning his commitment down the road, he’s genuinely not leaning towards any school at this time.
“Yeah, like I said, growing up where I did, I know all about the White Outs. I’ve seen all the highlight reels, stuff like that. I grew up around that stuff,” Brubaker said. “I know a lot of people are already picking Penn State as the favorite because of that, but honestly, I really don’t have a favorite right now. I really don’t. I have three more visits to take. I don’t have a favorite yet. Quite honestly, I had never been to any other campus [until Stanford]. So, this is all new for me. This weekend certainly didn’t hurt. I felt comfortable with everyone there and I had a great time. It certainly didn’t hurt, but for me to really know who’s my favorite, I need to see these other schools first.”
Brubaker will resume his visit schedule this upcoming weekend when he goes to South Carolina, June 11-13. Tennessee will then get his fourth visit (June 18-20), followed by a trip to Vanderbilt that final weekend, June 25-27. If all goes to plan, a decision should come next month.
“My parents both said that I’ve earned the right to decide whenever is best for me," he said. "I don’t want to put a deadline and say I have to end this at a certain time, but at the same time, I don’t want this to drag on and be a distraction. So, it’ll probably be July, and if I’m really torn, it could be early August. But most likely, probably 95 percent, it’ll be in July.”
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