Adam Breneman, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Stats
Home/HS: Camp Hill (PA)/Cedar Cliff High
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 220
Starz 'n Sheetz
Stars: 5* (Scout), 4* (247Sports, Rivals)
Offer sheet: Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, California, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, Temple, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington, Wisconsin
Cinema
The Tale
If you don't know this young man's recruiting tale by now, even if you don't follow Penn State recruiting, you must be living under a rock. Hailing from Camp Hill, PA, a short two-hour trip to State College, Breneman has been on Penn State's radar for a long time. And being from central Pennsylvania, Penn State has been on his radar for a long time, dating back to his early days in football when he would root for the Nittany Lions on weekends.
Once he started blowing up on the recruiting trail, many thought it was just a forgone conclusion that he would end up at Penn State. Despite the ongoing issues surrounding the name, Penn State always held a top spot for Breneman. He quite literally could have gone anywhere (that is 33 offers above, if you're counting), but held true to his childhood dream, and chose the in-state Lions.
Let alone he's a top two prospect in Pennsylvania, the number one tight end in the country, and a Top 25 national player. His commitment means so much to Penn State because it signals that PSU recruiting under Bill O'Brien is strong, and only getting stronger. Sure, he was already a heavy Penn State lean when O'Brien took over. But with national media pundits claiming that Penn State would suffer adverse recruiting effects from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, this commitment proves those people wrong.
This commitment is still very much about the WHO, as Breneman is a fantastic player with seemingly unlimited upside. But it's also about the WHAT, and that's the fact that five-star players still want to come to Penn State. Additionally, along with Christian Hackenberg, the recruits will turn into the recruiters. Both Hackenberg and Breneman are on the record saying that they want to recruit more top players with them to the school of their choice.
Outlook
All of these outlooks are for high school juniors and seniors; we get that. But Breneman looks and plays the part of a five-star tight end with 33 offers. His ceiling is enormously high and has the potential to be very, very good.
He runs a crisp, clean route, but is also able to find the open seams and settle into the pockets of the defense. He is excellent with his hands, and can use his body well against smaller defenders. Basically, he is what fans will be looking for out of a tight end in the Bill O'Brien offense.
More importantly, at least at this point, is his willingness to be the 11th recruiter for the staff. Breneman is a known commodity around the country, and is good friends with many top recruits in the country. Along with Christian Hackenberg, the Penn State recruiting effort just gained its two best recruiters.
To prove that point in almost immediate fashion, Alex Anzalone told me just moments before The Decision, "[Breneman] said once he commits he's gonna recruit the heck outta me." Adam Breneman, already doing work.
Welcome to Penn State, Adam.
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