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Penn State picks up a commitment from one of the top players in Pennsylvania
Ryan Bates, ladies and gentlemen!
Stats:
Home/HS: Warminster, PA (Archbishop Wood)
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 280 lbs
Recruited By: Bob Shoop
Starz 'n Sheetz:
Stars: 4* 247Sports, Rivals, Scout, ESPN
Offer Sheet: Auburn, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Carolina, Temple, Virginia
Cinema:
Check out Ryan's Hudl highlights right here.
According to @rivalsmike, #PennState has also picked up commitments from OL Ryan Bates and Ath. Kamonte Carter
— Ryan Snyder (@RivalsSnyder) February 15, 2014
Ryan Bates (No. 2) is the highest ranked Pennsylvania prospect Penn State has landed since 2010 w/ Dakota Royer (2), Breneman in '13 (3)
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) February 15, 2014
Meet the first three commitments in PSU's Class of 2015 – DB Jarvis Miller, Ath. Kamonte Carter and OL Ryan Bates pic.twitter.com/TtQ4dUjjzl
— Tim Owen (@Tim_OwenBWI) February 16, 2014
Bates has long been considered a Penn State lock (his Crystal Ball page will tell you no less), but this was still a very important commitment for Franklin to pick up right now. It has been common knowledge for a while now that while Bates was very high on Penn State, he still wanted to make a few other visits. He was very interested in going down south to check out South Carolina, and was also recently quoted as wanting to check out Michigan. However, Franklin and the staff clearly put the full court press on today while Bates was in State College. Ryan is a huge commitment for the staff, and a big first step to fulfilling Franklin's desire to Dominate the State. One of the most sought after commitments, Ryan's commitment will also surely be a welcomed sign to see for all of the highly ranked talent in eastern Pennsylvania for 2015. Huge kudos to the staff for impressing Ryan enough to get the verbal commitment this early on.
Outlook:
Not only is Ryan a great pick up for what he means to Penn State, but he is also a fantastic offensive lineman. For a team that is lacking in offensive line depth, Ryan will have the chance to make a very immediate impact. I have previously noted that the 2015 class will be filled with many highly ranked offensive line recruits, and Ryan is part of that. He is most likely destined to play guard for Penn State, and boy what a guard he looks like he will be. At 6'5" 280 pounds, he is already in great shape to become an overpowering lineman for Penn State. He most recently led Archbishop Wood (along with Penn State offer Jake Cooper) to a State Championship over Andre Robinson's Bishop Mcdevitt.
Ryan will fight for playing time right away upon his entrance into the Penn State program, likely alongside a good number of offensive line recruits in the 2015 cycle. Ryan has good agility and a ton of upside. He still has some work to do with his pass protection but shows good run blocking skill already, which is why he is likely destined to play guard. Once he adds bulk, he could be an absolute mauler on the inside. He shows good aggression in his blocking, which will help him survive early on. With another year of high school experience, and a continue emphasis on bulking up and building muscle, Ryan will have everything he needs to succeed early on for Franklin's Nittany Lions.
You can follow Ryan on twitter at @52batesryan.
Ryan's commitment brings the 2015 Penn State recruiting class to three.
Welcome to Penn State, Ryan!
