The Early Birds

As the spring semester is already four weeks in and new year's resolutions are making their last stand, the early enrollees are getting their first taste of collegiate exams. This year alone marks the largest class of early enrollments in Penn State's history, as seven commits have decided to graduate high school early to get a head up on their competition by taking part in spring practice.

The seven players already enrolled include the likes of Kyle Baublitz, Khairi Fortt, Evan Hailes, Kevin Haplea, Paul (PJ) Jones, Silas Redd, and Dakota Royer. Some of you may be suprised to not see Robert Bolden on this list, but to be frank, this does not mean that he doesnt stand a chance to win the starting quarterback position for next fall. So now that you see the early enrollments, you wonder why some players enroll early and why others wait until the summer to enroll. The truth is that the transition that these players have to make coming into college is very challenging and can be exhausting.

Now the challenges these seven players face are not just limited to the field and the depth chart, but to the mid-year adjustment that they have to make from high school seniors to relatively unknown freshman on a big campus. I love the fact that these guys have made this move to graduate early and come to campus, but not simply because I think it is beneficial for the football program. I think that it is a great move for these freshman because they are not launched into a heavy workload, the burden of football practice at full speed, and football season all at once.

I know, you can argue that they start in the summer where they can also ease into the program, but the truth is that a summer on a campus like Penn State is not enough to ease a young man into the true student life. The advantage these guys get in the spring is a true workload, that teaches them and prepares them for managing their schedules in the fall. It also introduces them into the social aspect of college, where they can actually find community beyond the football team and get connected somewhere else on campus. Finally, what every sports fan loves to hear, is that it helps them transition into collegiate level football, adjust to the speed of the game, and learn the system at their respective programs.

Joepa, on the other hand, would completely disagree with me. As he is a firm believer that these kids should be able to finish their time as a "kid". That they should be able to graduate with their friends, have their senior weeks, and attend their prom. Fortunately for most of these students, the spring semester will long be over before their high school graduations, senior weeks, and their prom. So I say let them in early because they still have plenty of time to "walk" with their friends, dance at prom, and enjoy their senior weeks.

Say what you want about early enrollees, but we got seven of them. And expect that trend to continue to grow as competition at the collegiate level gets more and more intense. As for our early enrollments, I am going to start introducing you guys to them each and every week, until the Blue and White game. We will see which commits already possess the abilities and tools to compete at the collegiate level immediately, the commits who will most likely redshirt but have great potential, and where exactly on the field they will most likely contribute.

Next Post will introduce you to Kyle Baublitz............


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