Growing up a Penn State fan, it was no surprise that Charlie Katshir joined good friend Zack Kuntz in committing to the Nittany Lions last February. Since then, Katshir has been a familiar face around the program, visiting multiple times for games and other big recruiting weekends.
LB @ckatshir puts it in ink. ✍ Officially a Nittany Lion!#WeAre18#PSUsigningday pic.twitter.com/ksTIYcYjFn
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 20, 2017
Vitals
Position | Hometown | High School | Height/Weight | 247Composite Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Hometown | High School | Height/Weight | 247Composite Rank |
Linebacker | Mechanicsburg, PA | Cumberland Valley | 6-foot-3, 215 pounds | Three-star (0.8755) |
Highlights
Scouting Report
Katshir was a standout wide receiver and safety at the high school level, but will be playing linebacker at Penn State. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he has the ideal frame for the position, and shouldn’t need all that much time in the weight room to get to 230 pounds. The Nittany Lions have brought in much smaller linebackers previously — Cam Brown, Brailyn Franklin, etc. — so Katshir’s 215-pound starting point isn’t anything out of the ordinary.
While Katshir will need some development in taking on blockers, the potential is there for him to be an outstanding outside linebacker. He’s a really good athlete for his size, and that shouldn’t change too much even as he adds weight. Katshir is already a plus-defender in coverage, something that should help keep him on the field as a three-down backer. We’ll see what his instincts are like once he moves up into the box, but he showed a nice feel for the game at safety, picking off seven passes the past two seasons.
Outlook
Katshir will need a redshirt season, both from a physical and on-field perspective, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a scout team standout next year. Flat out, Katshir is one of the better pure football players in the class, so while there will be an adjustment to linebacker, I’d expect him to catch on relatively quickly.
Although Katshir has the potential to play the Will, I think he is better suited to play at Koa Farmer’s spot, the Sam. Behind Farmer is a lot of unproven players — Jarvis Miller, Brelin Faison-Walden, and Brailyn Franklin — so the opportunity for Katshir to potentially vie for the starting role in 2019 is there.