Tariq Castro-Fields was one of only three Penn State true freshmen to see the field last season, showcasing exactly why James Franklin made him such a priority on national signing day 2017.

Castro-Fields, a 6-foot cornerback from Upper Marlboro, MD, picked the Nittany Lions over Maryland and Alabama on Feb. 1 during a ceremony at Riverdale Baptist School, where he was teammates with redshirt sophomore corner Zech McPhearson.

Castro-Fields joined classmates Lamont Wade and Yetur Gross-Matos in making an impact from day one. He came off the bench in 12 games in 2017, with the lone exception being a 42-13 win over Michigan.

Considering the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, which allows players to see action in up to four games and still preserve their redshirt, chances are high Penn State’s heralded 2018 recruiting class will have more than three freshmen contribute.

“It builds your confidence just knowing that you got to play early and they trusted you,” Castro-Fields said at media day. “It’s just getting more comfortable, which I am right now.”

He said Grant Haley and Christian Campbell, who are going through NFL training camp with the Giants and Cardinals, respectively, helped teach him the intricacies of disguising his coverages at the college level.

“In high school, you really didn’t have to disguise your coverages, but here you kind of have to play with the quarterback and play with the receiver so they don’t really guess what you’re doing,” Castro-Fields said. “Right now, I’m trying to pride myself on doing that every snap.”

Castro-Fields, whose first career interception came against Georgia State, spent plenty of time during player-led workouts and on his own this summer refining his self-identified weaknesses. He finished his debut campaign with 10 tackles, three pass breakups, four passes defended, and a forced fumble.

“Using my length at the line,” Castro-Fields mentioned as a focus. “Last year I kind of just used my feet. So now, I’m trying to put hands on people more and be more physical.”

Castro-Fields is competing with veterans John Reid and Amani Oruwariye for starting duties at corner this season, but even if he’s listed on the second team again alongside McPhearson, there’s no doubt the former four-star prospect will take a significant step forward in his development as a sophomore.

“I like the way Amani does his thing at the line, but also how John Reid uses his feet. I try to take everything from everybody and just be a sponge,” Castro-Fields said.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Clifford, who arrived on campus with Castro-Fields last June, said his combination of speed and smarts is proving difficult to handle for the team’s signal callers, himself included, in preseason camp.

“One of my best friends is Tariq Castro-Fields. He’s definitely a problem; for me at least,” Clifford said with a laugh. “It’s just mental and physical. He’s just a freak of nature when it comes to that. He’s just a really good player all around and I’m excited he’s on my team.”