DeMatha Catholic coach breaks down new Penn State commit KJ Winston's game
DeMatha Catholic's KJ Winston became the 23rd member of Penn State Nittany Lions football's Class of 2022 on Saturday when he announced his verbal commitment.
Winston, listed as an athlete by Rivals, plays on both sides of the ball for DeMatha, but is likely to be a safety at Penn State.
To learn more about the newest Nittany Lion commit, Blue White Illustrated reached out to DeMatha Catholic defensive backs coach Vance Robbs, who's been coaching Winston the past few years.
BWI: Just to start generally, what is KJ like?
Robbs: He's an outstanding kid, that's the very first thing. If I was to describe KJ, his biggest attribute is self-accountability, as well as he doesn't cheat the game — ever. So it doesn't matter if it's the weight room, it doesn't matter if it's in individual drills, it doesn't matter if it's in the last sprint of practice. He's always going to touch the line. So, it's his accountability. That then translates to his teammates' accountability, because him leading by example forces the other kids to follow. He has no issues holding them accountable to the same standard. A lot of times, they're more worried about themselves than the team and KJ believes that his commitment to the team will help his self improvement as well, so he translates that every single day.
BWI: Do you think that is something he had to learn or did you see that with him right away?
Robbs: I saw it right away, but the good thing about it is he had leaders in front of him that he could see it as well. He could see those leaders in front of him and how it translated to their play on the field. He had it, and then he groomed it. Seeing the likes of Chase Young, DeMarcco Hellams, Nick Cross and those guys and the way that they led helped him turn into the leader that he is as well.
BWI: On the field, what kind of role has he been playing for your team?
Robbs: We call him Captain America. One, he looks like it, that's the very first thing, because of how big he is and what his physique is. But the second thing is that he is going to save the day. It doesn't matter if it's on the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball. He plays free safety for me. He's willing to run the alley, and then support the run, and he's also willing to defend the end zone, being the last call for us defensively. So, both sides of the ball, he's going to give that max effort. And then, he also calls all of my coverages. He has to be able to be smart enough to get aligned correctly, know the assignment, know the coverage, make the call and essentially be the coach on the field for us.
Related: KJ Winston opens up about his decision to commit to Penn State
BWI: So it sounds like he's a guy with a pretty good head on his shoulders.
Robbs: That's a lot of stuff to process pre-snap. That's the good thing about KJ is when he gets to the next level, those are the expectations that those coaches are going to have for him. He has to be able to recognize pre-snap what's going on get everybody aligned from a secondary standpoint.
BWI: What would you say his greatest strengths are?
Robbs: It would be his recognition. His ability to analyze the play and react to what he sees. He believes what he sees. He reacts, and he reacts quickly. He's a very confident tackler, and also a very confident end zone defender. All around defensively, I think his best attribute is being that free safety and being that leader and attacking the football, regardless of whether it's a run or a pass.
BWI: Is there an area or two where he might have to progress?
Robbs: Every kid that moves from high school to college, the speed of the game changes for them. What you have to recognize you have to recognize quicker, because, guess what? There's a KJ on the other side of the field. They have athletes as good as you. In high school you've got your superstars, you've got your role players and you've got your guys who just want to play. But when you get to college, they're all Division I athletes. The speed of the game is way faster at the college level, and that's an adjustment every high school kid has to make.
*******
• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated
• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr
• Follow us on Instagram
• Like us on Facebook