Tariq Castro-Fields out to construct legacy using day-to-day discipline
Tariq Castro-Fields is a member of a small group of veteran Penn State players who haven't only welcomed discussion about their legacies this offseason. In some ways, they've initiated it.
It may seem like a unique departure from the Nittany Lions' typical approach — one that strives to shut out the big picture in favor of the here and now. But that's not how Castro-Fields sees it.
"I think how you view it is most important," Castro-Fields told BWI. "Yes, my legacy is important. But if I don't handle what I've got to do today, what I've got to do tomorrow and every day leading up to the season, I've already painted my legacy. It's going to be bad because I wasn't putting in the work every day, so I think that's how we all view it. I feel like it's just going to take care of itself by putting in the work now."
Not a Subscriber? Join us With Our FREE 30-Day Premium Trial
Castro-Fields returned for a fifth and final season at Penn State with the knowledge that he has more to give.
Few athletes of Castro-Fields' caliber will ever admit that they're satisfied, that they're content not to push for more. But Castro-Fields is hungry. Hungry to prove himself, hungry to go out on his terms, hungry to be remembered the right way.
"[Cornerbacks coach Terry] Smith actually preaches and reminds us about legacy, because he left a big legacy here," Castro-Fields said. "Legacy is a lot. I just want to be able to prove — just show everything that I can do, you know what I mean? I always say I got more left in the tank."
A portion of Castro-Fields' determination is born of the frustration a season plagued by injuries can create.
He missed the final six games of Penn State's abbreviated season in 2020, and did not play on his Senior Night — an experience that stuck with him. He was hampered by injury in 2019 as well, playing through pain for much of the season and sitting out the Nittany Lions' matchup with Rutgers entirely.
Castro-Fields' main goal, he said earlier this spring, is staying healthy in 2021. Some of that comes down to fate, but he's doing all he can to build a platform to maximize his availability.
"Treatment, keep getting treatment," he said. "Keep working hard in the weight room. Those two things. I'm not in class right now. Me and Jesse [Luketa], we get here at like 9:30. So, whatever I want to do from 9:30 to until when I work out, which is pretty soon. It's all building toward me staying healthy, me performing at the highest level.
"I'm surely not taking no days off, just me at the crib sleeping. When I wake up, I come straight here. Just treatment and the weight room."
Castro-Fields said he was happy with his showing during Penn State's spring practice sessions. He relished his status as a role model for the younger players, and focused on the minutia of cornerback play rather than devoting swaths of time to a big picture scheme that he understands well by now.
He finished the spring with three takeaways to Kalen King's four. He was admittedly peeved at losing out on the Takeaway King title to a rookie, but it was nonetheless an indication that the work he'd been putting in attacking the football was paying off.
"I think Castro-Fields had a really good spring," Penn State head coach James Franklin said. "But he's also at a point in his career where you expect that from him."
And Castro-Fields expects that from himself — today, tomorrow, and the day after that, until the legacy he wants to leave inside Beaver Stadium has been realized.
"Yeah, we talk about legacy and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, coach Franklin likes us to handle today," Castro-Fields said. "I can't skip over today."
*******
• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated
• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98
• Follow us on Instagram
• Like us on Facebook