Harvard OL Spencer Rolland opens up about commitment to Penn State
Penn State football picked up another commitment Wednesday in graduate transfer Spencer Rolland. An All-Ivy League player at Harvard, Rolland came to Penn State in June for an unofficial visit and workout with the Nittany Lions, and it was clear in the days that followed that there was a real chance he may end up joining the Nittany Lions.
That moment came earlier today, when Rolland announced on his Twitter feed that he'll be coming to Penn State in May 2022, after he graduates from Harvard. BWI's Ryan Snyder caught up with Rolland this afternoon to learn more about his decision.
Snyder: How much did Eric Wilson’s decision to come to Penn State impact your decision?
Rolland: When I was being recruited by Harvard, Eric contacted me throughout that process. During my time here, we got really close. We hung out together a lot and we would hang out together back in Minnesota. We have a strong bond. Having Eric at Penn State, it was nice to have him there. Having him there, it was nice to have him telling me what it’s like from a player’s perspective and what he thought of Penn State. He also kind of went through the same process I went through, so with him being a close friend, and the same thing I went through, his word meant a lot. All of the things he said about Penn State lined up with what the coaches were saying and what I saw when I visited.
But one other thing that really made the difference with Penn State was the coaching staff, from Coach [Phil] Trautwein to Coach [James] Franklin and everyone else. They really stood out to me. There probably wasn’t another coaching staff, especially with Coach Trautwein, that I would like to be under the two years.
Snyder: You came to Penn State last month for an unofficial visit and worked out with Phil Trautwein. How did that experience impact this decision?
Rolland: Yeah, the workout went really well. One thing I really like about Coach Trautwein is that he can take my skills to the next level. He can put me into a position to be where I want to be. I want to be successful in the Big Ten and possibly in the NFL someday. The style that he coaches, both on and off the field, that’s what separates him from a lot of other coaches.
Snyder: James Franklin always takes a big role in recruiting, so what did you like about him? How did he impact this decision?
Rolland: He’s a really personable guy. Just taking to him, it felt comfortable. It felt like he really cared about his players and the success of all the athletes he works with on campus. Fortunately, I was able to watch one of their walk-through kind of practices this summer. Just the way he conducted the practice, the way he set high expectations for everyone on the field was really nice to see. I think that’s the kind of head coach that a university needs to be successful. I really liked seeing that and I’m happy to play with him the next few years.
Snyder: What other programs were showing interest? Who did Penn State beat out?
Rolland: At the moment, there weren’t any other major, Power Five kind of schools showing interest right now. For me, it was more so just thinking through the fact of what could happen in the next few months, when I start playing in September, with the season starting. It was one of those things where, I just couldn't imagine another school coming in and beating out Penn State, just because of the relationships I have there, especially with Eric and his connections, as well as Coach Trautwein and Coach Franklin. Just being there and seeing how it is, I couldn’t see any other school fitting me better than Penn State.
Snyder: You’ll be coming here for graduate school then, so do you know what you want to study? You’re going to receive a degree from Harvard in Mechanical Engineering, so I would assume academics played a part in this decision, too.
Rolland: So, I also have a secondary degree I’m pursuing in astrophysics, so I’m hoping to kind of combine those two. Penn State has an aerospace engineering program, so I’m hoping to be a part of that program during my two years at Penn State.
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