What if Penn State Five-Star players Nolan Rucci, Julian Fleming picked the Lions the first time?

[Music] [Music] so our first question today is a what F from Poncho 570 he says a game of what if what if Julian Fleming and Nolan Richie came to Penn State from the get-go would there be would they be where would they be in their development as players what would be the effects of the players currently or no longer on the roster or generally what do you think of this situation if both of those five-star players from Pennsylvania had chosen the nitty Lions originally instead of going elsewhere Nate uh a lot of different ways to go with this what jumps to your mind initially that's tough that is tough I I think it is well first well they play different positions so that's that's your first challenge uh is Nolan Ruchi beating out Kaden Wallace or Olu fashanu either of the past three years no I mean correct me if I'm wrong right like T Frank I don't no no so um I think that it it would have the biggest difference on this year specifically uh where you have Kaden Wallace oh here's okay here's how I I would phrase this Kaden Wallace we had the conversation about him as a guy who had all the talent of the world but needed to seemed like he needed to be pushed a little bit and when Drew Shelton came along finally his last year he put it all together and had a really good year as a tackle if you've got Nolan Ruchi from the class of 2021 does that change the trajectory of Kaden Wallace and then secondarily I guess the thing I would say with Ruchi is you would feel very different about this year 2020 four if Nolan Ruchi had been in the program for as long as he has and would be I think a more comfortable step into the role as opposed to I don't think we say this enough Anthony Dono is a red shirt freshman who they are expecting to step in and man a tackle position and is on trajectory to be the best offensive line on the team from a production standpoint with his talent and what the you know the the curve looks like on his development that is still an absolute speculation so if you had Ruchi you might have a different battle and you might have more of that Ascension we also might not have the conversation about Drew Shelton where everyone kind of is looking with side eyes at Drew Shelton of okay there's another wild card on the team did Drew Shelton have to play initially as a freshman did he have to play last year while injured these are the conversations I guess from a depth perspective it's all about depth it's not necessarily about changing the starting lineup to me I think it's more about what is the effect of depth at tackle on Penn State's roster because Nate they haven't had depth ever at that position yep no I I I agree uh he's he's also a little bit different from I see Fleming as a two State's benefit I mean certainly it hasn't been to Penn State's benefit that they that they haven't had some of what he delivers right they they they very much could have used more enthusiastic and willing blocking receivers over the past couple of years right like that that would have made uh specifically last year that would have been very big for Penn State because that was at times one of the big issues that they had uh in the in the running game yeah I think that the fifth year element brings a a desperation is the wrong word but Ur clock urgency for sure yeah when when the clock runs out and he he has not I feel like we've had this conversation where I'm I'm subtly tempering expectations for him yeah and a lot of Penn State fans who haven't been really paying attention to his career are remembering five stars and you know he's coming to Penn State and he was of of course he was buried at uh Ohio State you're you're dealing with two top 10 picks right on on among those receivers he still started uh but I think it's look there's no way that anyone would say based on what his expectations were coming out of high school that his career has gone as planned that's why he's at Penn State this year y uh is is to maximize this to to to have again just like I was talking about Omari to have this open opportunity and to step through it and produce the types of numbers to stay healthy to to do all of the things that haven't really happened for him with consistency through his career at Ohio State he he gets that chance now and it's on a one-year deal yeah if that's the guy he wants to be if that's the guy he can become yeah we'll do it to me the question is Nate do you believe in fate and predestination when it comes to Nolan Ruchi and I say that I say that in a way to make you laugh but that's the question do you believe that his injuries were predestined because that's the conversation with Nolan Ruchi excuse me with with uh Julian Fleming because those have had a serious effect on his abilities his physical abilities from what I understand not that he was ever going to be a superstar speed receiver but if you are trying to overcome that and you lose that incrementally over time then you're in a real pickle so if he came to Penn State originally with the strength and conditioning program would would fate have smiled more kindly on him and I think that that is something that uh nobody knows no nobody can know that there's a if there's a higher power it is that's that's the being that understands that outside of that we're all guessing um but yeah I I think that there would be conversations about leadership and maturity but then how much leadership and maturity does he gain at Penn State and how much did he learn at Ohio State like what are the those are some of the things we can't know um and it's the same it's the same Kad and Wallace conversation to a certain extent is what how would things have again I mean you can see this line of demarcation post Parker Washington yeah that that okay Parker was there and Mitch Tinsley and H after that there was a vacuum that Keandre was expected to step into and in some ways did but I mean look like C still had over 50 catches last year had5 targets yeah yeah like I I just keep thinking that uh people are uh you know maybe underplaying what the impact is there the product uh the productivity that he had he he was productive and he could have been more productive if there had been better play in certain positions from the first year starting quarterback yeah there also could have been better play from him in a bunch of other situations so like yeah that is a Nate that is going to be a conversation and a show that we could do some other time when discussing the merits of his 85 targets and however many catches he got last year