Commit #20: Gary Gilliam Is A Very Large Individual

by Run Up The Score on Nov 13, 2008 3:02 PM EST in Recruiting Comment 36 comments

This time, it's a gigantic tight end. Says FightOnState.com:

Penn State received its 20th commitment for the Class of 2009 recently in towering tight end Gary Gilliam from Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pa.
FOS sources confirmed the commitment Thursday.

Gilliam is a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder who is ranked as a three-star prospect by Scout.com. He plays tight end and along the defensive line.

He may be an offensive tackle at the collegiate level, although you can probably assume he'll get a shot at tight end.

Update: More, from the Patriot-News' Bob Flounders:

Gilliam verbally committed to Nittany Lions' head coach Joe Paterno Wednesday, Milton Hershey coach Bob Guyer told The Patriot-News this afternoon.

Gilliam, a 6-7, 260-pound defensive end/tight end prospect, is the 20th verbal for PSU's 2009 class.

"Garry has felt pretty comfortable with Penn State as his choice for about the past week and that's the direction he's been leaning in,'' Guyer said. "He called Coach Paterno yesterday to tell him he was coming.''

Gilliam picked PSU over three schools -- Virginia, Connecticut and Pittsburgh. He was recruited by Lions defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. and also had contact with tight ends coach Bill Kenney.

Gilliam is the second Milton Hershey player to join the PSU fold. Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Abe Koroma is also a Milton Hershey School graduate.

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Indiana preview tomorrow, by the way

Been a rough work week for many of us, myself included.

by Run Up The Score on Nov 13, 2008 3:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hopefully Newsome, McNeal, and Brown commit soon. I’m worried we have too many low-level recruits and we could run out of ’ships for the big guns.

I still can’t figure out how Kuntz (PA, WR) got a scholarship…

by millzners on Nov 13, 2008 3:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe it's his last name...

I mean, what football player wouldn’t want more Kuntz in the locker room?

I bleed Blue and White.

by Horse N Buggy on Nov 14, 2008 9:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

5 Scholarships left

What are we going to do? There are a couple of big targets we still want that are available (Jelani Jenkins, Kevin Newsome, Bryce McNeal, Justin Brown, Tavon Austin)

Do we have to start telling kids they can’t come now….tricky situation now….

PSU Softball

by QBsneak12 on Nov 13, 2008 3:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think Tavon Austin crossed us off his list. We’re too deep at RB right now.

by millzners on Nov 13, 2008 3:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe 7 or 8 scholarships left

A few kids, like Fera and Newsome, are talking about enrolling for Spring semester. If they do that PSU can count their scholarships toward last years class and would not count toward the 25 scholarship limit in this class.

I haven’t looked at the depth chart for next year, but if they coaches think they are looking at a small class next year they may hold a few scholarships for next year too.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Nov 13, 2008 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hold

I don’t think you can hold scholarships. All of them have to be given out. What I don’t know is if that means that walkons can get money one year and none the next.

by psuphiman80 on Nov 13, 2008 4:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sure you can

You’re not obligated to hand out 85 scholarships. They can sit on a scholarship or two and use them the following year if they want to even out their class sizes. You’re correct that typically when they do this they’ll give a one year scholarship to a walk on kid in his senior year as a reward for their loyalty to the program.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Nov 13, 2008 4:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My bad

I thought I read a debate on TAP that concluded you had to use them all.

by psuphiman80 on Nov 13, 2008 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You guys are kind of saying the same thing

you wouldn’t just not use it, but like Mike is saying you just give it to a kid you know only has one year to use it.

Kevin @ Black Shoe Diaries

by Kevin HD on Nov 13, 2008 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

2 things

1) why do you think he’d be more suited for offensive tackle duties at college? Wouldn’t he be a bit undersized for that? Size-wise he seems a good fit for TE (though with his catching ability maybe just a blocking TE…in which case maybe that’s why you said OT?)

2) I wonder if he has the same dealer as Koroma.

by The JuggerNitt on Nov 13, 2008 3:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

His Height

With that type of Height and a redshirt season to put on some weight, he would make a great bookend tackle. Think about it…when he finally gets to focus on one sport he might be a monster.

PSU Softball

by QBsneak12 on Nov 13, 2008 3:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Questions happily answered.

1) Yes, his height and his presumed good footwork would make him an ideal tackle in 2-3 years.

2) If he doesn’t, he soon will.

by Run Up The Score on Nov 13, 2008 3:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

1. Jenkins
2. Newsome
3. Mason
4. Davis
5. Brown
6. McNeal

That’s our top 6 acording to Scout. 3 are LB, so I doubt all will commit. Rumors on the message boards are that Newsome is really leaning our way, as are Brown and McNeal.

But just one more 2 or 3-star verbal means potentially running out of ’ships for one of these guys — and that would be a tragedy.

by millzners on Nov 13, 2008 3:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Mason ain't coming.

Pretty sure that ship sailed a while ago.

by Run Up The Score on Nov 13, 2008 3:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I heard we were 50/50 with Mason recently, are you sure?

I don't know, Mello Yello is pretty awful. What's the worst that could happen?

by psu on Nov 13, 2008 4:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RUTS

has the widely accepted info.

by psuphiman80 on Nov 13, 2008 4:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jenkins, Newsome, Brown, and McNeal…those are the 4 that matter…3 of the 4 will work as well…as long as 2 of the 3 are Jenkins and Newsome

PSU Softball

by QBsneak12 on Nov 13, 2008 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't fret

about scholarships. I don’t know what I can and can’t say but don’t fret.

by psuphiman80 on Nov 13, 2008 4:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You can say anything you like

Bring it! BSD minds want to know.

pax et amor

by jtothep on Nov 14, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What about Ankrah?

by whiteoutonly on Nov 13, 2008 4:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Who knows there

The whole Ankrah thing is bizarre. It sounds to me like he wants to commit, but PSU wants him to wait and see if some other kids we’re looking at pan out. The longer it goes on the less likely we’ll get him. Especially since Hawkins went to Maryland and the two of them have claimed they are a package deal.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Nov 13, 2008 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

2.4 GPA and 790 SAT

Not really a stellar student, and the whole thing may also be related to our recent problems with defensive linemen and their conduct off the field — who knows. I’m just speculating.

by millzners on Nov 13, 2008 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ankrah

I heard he wanted to commit and we slowed on it… I was surprised to hear it but with the problems we have had in the last few years maybe they know something we’re not reading

If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

by TheMightyErik on Nov 14, 2008 2:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Anyone else notice

that Gilliam is getting larger every time someone writes an article about him? A couple more features, and he’ll be one of the top OT prospects in the nation!

by IcersGuy on Nov 13, 2008 4:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs