Onward State is not affiliated with Penn State, and it certainly is not the actual Penn State football team.

Sometimes, though, that gets lost in translation on Twitter. Since our page is verified and has a good chunk of followers, sometimes budding football prospects think we are somehow affiliated with the university. Is this a compliment? An indictment on our branding? Hard to say.

Recently, we’ve received an influx of direct messages from football recruits. So, we decided to round up some of the best football brains on our staff to grade the film of these confused prospects and provide some feedback in their quests to join Penn State’s team.

Kevin Dougherty Jr.

Dougherty is a self-reported 6’3″, 235-pound defensive end/tight end and entered our inbox claiming he’s the “top DE in NJ.” He’s a multi-sport athlete and has received first-team all-state honors for lacrosse. Since he doesn’t have a 247Sports profile, it appears the Class of 2022 prospect is yet to receive a collegiate offer. Check out his tape here.

Gabe Angieri: I like what I’m seeing from this Kevin Dougherty fella. I’ll start off by saying he’s definitely a defensive end prospect as opposed to a tight end. At first glance, I see a quick edge rusher with an endless motor. You just love to see that. Another thing I like is the play recognition Dougherty has. In multiple clips, he’s seen staying home on a potential quarterback keeper. That’s smart football, folks. He plays with good pursuit, too. From what I’m seeing, Dougherty doesn’t really give up on plays, which is something that’s important for me.

I do see a few things he could work on, though. He’s got to get bigger if he wants to play for my program at the college level. I need more muscle and body mass from Dougherty, but at the same time, I need him to maintain that quickness he possesses. One concern I have is the late hits. In a few clips, he hits the quarterback way too late. Man, I can’t afford these 15-yard penalties. Need to see some smarter football from Dougherty in that aspect.

Ryan Parsons: Dougherty’s ability to play all over the field and play multiple sports is certainly impressive. Being one of the most versatile athletes on a 13-0, state championship-winning team is even more impressive. As a multi-sport high school athlete myself (sick brag), I know what it takes to dial in different skillsets for different sports.

One thing that sticks out to me about this prospect is his work ethic. That’s something you just absolutely cannot teach. You’re either born with it, or you’re not.

https://twitter.com/bejon21/status/1468209107844927490?s=20

Plus, he’s even wearing a Penn State cutoff in this video. That’s the type of pandering I want to see. His 4.72-second 40-yard dash time does not jump off the page to me, but it’s encouraging to see he’s working to get stronger. While his tape doesn’t show a bulldozing or quick-moving ability you’d like to see from a defensive end, he does have a quick release and makes lots of heads-up plays.

Will Pegler: Kevin is a menace off the edge. Those sacks early on in the highlight reel he made were honestly pretty impressive, and he’s got some serious speed. The strip-sack mixed in there was pretty sick, too.

The speed was also showcased plenty in Dougherty’s ability as a tight end. Along with that, his size makes him pretty tough to bring down in high school football. I’m not sure how that would translate to Big Ten football, but it’s funny to see some high school kids get run over by this dude.

It doesn’t look like he’s on Penn State’s radar, but good luck in your recruiting process, Kevin.

Breylon Wyatt

Next up, we have sophomore Breylon Wyatt, who’s a sophomore linebacker from Texas. The Class of 2024 recruit comes in at 5’10” and boasts an impressive 3.8 GPA. His high school made it all the way to the UIL Texas Football State Championship but could not complete its perfect season.

Here’s what we have to say about Wyatt’s tape:

Gabe Angieri: Speed — that’s the first thing that jumps off the screen when I watch Wyatt’s tape. He’s extremely fast for the linebacker position. From what I’m seeing, he’s pretty decisive out there and knows what he’s doing. You always want your linebackers to be the “captains” of the defense, and with his decisiveness and confidence, he’s fitting that mold. I like that he can cover, too. I want my linebackers to be able to step out into coverage and not let me down.

If he wants to play linebacker at the collegiate level, he NEEDS to get bigger. That’s my No. 1 concern for Wyatt. You see the size of some of the linebackers these days. Let’s take Penn State’s Brandon Smith, for example, who is an absolute monster. I need Wyatt to get bigger and stronger if he wants to compete at this level. I’m also concerned about his ability to shed blocks. Rarely in his tape did I see him shedding blocks. At his size, that worries me a little bit.

Ryan Parsons: I think this kid actually could be a good ballplayer. But, as my colleagues alluded to, he needs to hit a growth spurt here. Coming in at 5’10”, he’s not going to be big enough to play linebacker in college. But putting on a few inches and pounds or maybe a position change could change things for Wyatt.

One thing that sticks out to me about his tape is his fundamentals. He seems to have tackling down and he makes lots of smart plays on the football field. He seems to be decisive and sticks to his assignments, which is valuable. You don’t want someone to try and be a hero out there.

His smaller frame also seems to give him an advantage in pass protection. He’s quick and has shown on tape he can make good decisions when spying on the quarterback. He’s a fundamentally sound player, but I would imagine him running into trouble going against solid pass blockers. But, as a sophomore, he has lots of time and room to grow.

Will Pegler: Breylon’s highlights are pretty fun to watch.

He’s just a sophomore in this clip so I guess that’s why he looks so undersized for a linebacker, but he seems to me to be a pretty good tackler. Along with a couple of sacks and tackles for loss, he also clearly has some talent in pass coverage. Thanks for sending your tape our way, Breylon.

Dyaire Talbert

Last up, we have junior offensive specialist Dyaire Talbert, another New Jersey prospect from Collingswood High School. At 5’10” and 170 pounds, he can play both wide receiver and running back. While his high school didn’t have a great year, he rushed for more than 1,000 yards and won team MVP at Battle At The Beach. You can check his tape out here.

Gabe Angieri: We got a running back here! Talbert’s speed isn’t going to jump off the screen if I’m being honest. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I call it how I see it. He does make up for that with his impressive vision and slippery elusiveness. Talbert finds the hole and hits it hard, and I like that about him. You want your running backs to be decisive and hit the hole, which has been a problem for Penn State’s running backs this season. Talbert’s ability to break tackles also impressed me.

Like I previously mentioned, his speed is my main concern. The game only gets faster at the college level, but if he can keep improving the other areas of his game, I think he can hang. Talbert had some clips of him on defense, but it appears like his main focus is running back. Keep getting better, kid.

Ryan Parsons: At his size, I definitely see Talbert as more of a running back than a receiver. On tape, his running vision and shiftiness definitely stick out to me. He may not be the best or fastest athlete on the field, but he seems to make the most of what he has with efficient route running and hole hitting.

He seems like a tough kid and broke more tackles than I expected. As a junior, he definitely has room to grow. His 6.4 yards per carry mark is impressive and I could see him taking a big jump his senior year if he conditions the right way.

For his size, Talbert’s athleticism is impressive.

Will Pegler: Quite a junior season for Dyaire here. The dude ripped off a couple of huge plays as a running back. Not sure what else to say about that other than he looks pretty fast and can break some tackles. Respect.

On the defensive side, we’ve got some pretty hard hits at the corner and linebacker positions. Good speed and solid tackling? Give this dude a run-on spot, James.