Only Zech McPhearson Until Penn State Football

Zech McPhearson came to Penn State from Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, MD as a member of the 2016 recruting class. As a recruit McPhearson had a 4-star composite rating and was also rated the #32 cornerback in his class. Now, after redshirting his freshman year, Zech will be competing for a back-up role behind starting corners Grant Haley and Christian Campbell.

There is some cause for concern with the injury to rising star John Reid over the offseason, but the fact that the talented McPhearson will be fighting just to make the two-deep should signal the type of depth Penn State has at the position this year, albeit untested depth at the collegiate level.

Amani Oruwariye, a redshirt junior, should see the field as the lone veteran among the players vying for time behind Haley and Campbell. However, reports from the coaching staff have praised McPhearson in addition to what appear to be a pair of freshman phenoms in Lamont Wade and Tariq Castro-Fields. The latter of which went to the same school as McPhearson and might have the most hype right now based on his performance in camp.

Zech McPhearson has a combination of speed, size, and physicality that should help him work his way onto the field this year. Versatile, and now with a year of learning the system under his belt, McPhearson may be more of a utility player this year - seeing time at special teams, and getting moved around on defense depending on the situation.

Zech’s older brother Josh is a senior wide receiver at Penn State this year; a former walk-on who earned a scholarship for his final year.