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CAPTIONS
Tavon Austin
Tavon Austin (West Virginia) is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the number eight overall pick to the St. Louis Rams during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports /April 25, 2013)
Tavon Austin (West Virginia) is introduced by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as the number eight overall pick to the St. Louis Rams during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY Sports /April 25, 2013)
Last Saturday, my family and I went to Penn State for its spring game, and I had a great time.
I went with my mother, Cathy, my cousin Aaron, my uncle Charles Green and my grandmother Louann Green. They call their spring game, "The Blue/White Game," and the weather and atmosphere were amazing.
I was up there with about 50 other recruits. I've seen a few of their faces before, but I didn't really recognize many of them. I didn't get to talk to any of them, but I'm more concerned with meeting and talking to some of the current players. I want to know how it really is playing for their school.
When I got there, we went into Beaver Stadium and I love it already. It's huge and holds like 100,000 people (Editor's note: Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 107,282, making it the largest football stadium in the country), and it gets pretty loud in there. The fans were all screaming and it seems like a great place to play.
They took me and the other recruits through the tunnel that the players run through before games, and I have to be honest, I had some butterflies. It almost felt like I was playing.
The entire atmosphere of the weekend was great, too. People were tailgating everywhere, and I was shocked to see how much the students and fans care about their school.
The coaching staff talked to me and introduced themselves to my mother. I talked to coach Joe Paterno, and he always shows me love when I go there. He talks about grades and stresses that I keep them up. They also said that no spots on the team are guaranteed, so if I show up to practice and perform well, I could play early.
Who I really like is (assistant coach-defensive line coach) Larry Johnson Sr. He really talks to my mother and lets me and her know how I fit in. He says that they have effective ways to utilize the way I move and my speed, and he really makes Penn State feel like a home already.
My mother liked the school, too, but she likes it more for the academics. She's much more concerned with a school's academics than its football program.
The big play of the game was when redshirt freshman running back Stephfon Green had a 57-yard touchdown run. It was a good run; he really broke it open and he's really fast. There was some good blocking up front, but he broke a tackle, so I thought that was good. He's smaller too, but he's still a little bit bigger than me (Editor's note: Green is listed at 5 feet 10, 189 pounds; Austin is 5-9, 160).
We left in the third quarter, but the fans showed me love even when I was leaving. A few people even asked for my autograph. It really made me feel like I was "big-time" already.
Oh, and Penn State even has an ice cream named after JoePa, named "Peachy Paterno." Unfortunately, I didn't get to have any on this trip.
I went with my mother, Cathy, my cousin Aaron, my uncle Charles Green and my grandmother Louann Green. They call their spring game, "The Blue/White Game," and the weather and atmosphere were amazing.
I was up there with about 50 other recruits. I've seen a few of their faces before, but I didn't really recognize many of them. I didn't get to talk to any of them, but I'm more concerned with meeting and talking to some of the current players. I want to know how it really is playing for their school.
When I got there, we went into Beaver Stadium and I love it already. It's huge and holds like 100,000 people (Editor's note: Beaver Stadium has a capacity of 107,282, making it the largest football stadium in the country), and it gets pretty loud in there. The fans were all screaming and it seems like a great place to play.
They took me and the other recruits through the tunnel that the players run through before games, and I have to be honest, I had some butterflies. It almost felt like I was playing.
The entire atmosphere of the weekend was great, too. People were tailgating everywhere, and I was shocked to see how much the students and fans care about their school.
The coaching staff talked to me and introduced themselves to my mother. I talked to coach Joe Paterno, and he always shows me love when I go there. He talks about grades and stresses that I keep them up. They also said that no spots on the team are guaranteed, so if I show up to practice and perform well, I could play early.
Who I really like is (assistant coach-defensive line coach) Larry Johnson Sr. He really talks to my mother and lets me and her know how I fit in. He says that they have effective ways to utilize the way I move and my speed, and he really makes Penn State feel like a home already.
My mother liked the school, too, but she likes it more for the academics. She's much more concerned with a school's academics than its football program.
The big play of the game was when redshirt freshman running back Stephfon Green had a 57-yard touchdown run. It was a good run; he really broke it open and he's really fast. There was some good blocking up front, but he broke a tackle, so I thought that was good. He's smaller too, but he's still a little bit bigger than me (Editor's note: Green is listed at 5 feet 10, 189 pounds; Austin is 5-9, 160).
We left in the third quarter, but the fans showed me love even when I was leaving. A few people even asked for my autograph. It really made me feel like I was "big-time" already.
Oh, and Penn State even has an ice cream named after JoePa, named "Peachy Paterno." Unfortunately, I didn't get to have any on this trip.
