Recruiting Q&A: Catching Up with Rivals100 OL Landon Tengwall

It's been a unique summer for high school football players across the nation. With schools and gyms shutdown in many states, it's been an off-season unlike any other. For the very best players, they've also been forced to find the right school for them without stepping foot on campus.

Fortunately for Rivals100 offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, his commitment at the end of March couldn't have come at a better time, but that's not to say that the COVID-19 pandemic hasn't had an impact. To get a better feel for his summer and where Penn State's Class of 2021 stands, we caught up with Tengwall to discuss a variety of subjects.

Ryan Snyder: There was some big news last week regarding the Big Ten. What are your thoughts on that announcement?

Landon Tengwall: It’s a little bit of a bummer, but the only game they’re really missing out on is Va. Tech. That would’ve been cool to watch. Virginia Tech’s stadium is always bumping, but Big Ten ball is always the most fun. That’s the best ball to watch, so as long as they can still play that, I’m all for it. It would be cool to see them add Wisconsin to the schedule. A Purdue or Illinois would be nice. It would be nice to get some revenge on Minnesota. We got to get revenge on them.

Snyder: What are your thoughts regarding your own season? Have you heard much chatter regarding what the WCAC may do?

Tengwall: As far as what I know, the WCAC commissioner has said that we’re allowed to start camp August 1st. Hopefully there won’t be any spikes in the Maryland/D.C. area. We should be good to go. I am wondering about some of the teams we have to travel to play. We’re supposed to play St. Joseph’s (Montvale) from New Jersey and IMG Academy, but I don’t know if those are going to happen. I think it’s possible that we could see those games get canceled and we just play WCAC ball. That’s only a few games though, so hopefully we figure something out. Maybe we can play St. Frances? We’ll see what happens.

Snyder: What’s your training schedule been like? How are you guys preparing for the season currently?

Tengwall: So, right now, we’re actually one of only two schools back right now. We have a really good training staff and everything has gone smooth for us. We’re working in pods right now. There’s only nine guys per pod and you have to train with masks on in the weight room. It’s tough training with masks, but it is what it is. I’d rather be doing that then not. We’re there everyday but Wednesday and over the weekend. We’re there at 10 a.m. and we stay for a few hours. Then, we get a little break. I go over to a friend’s house, then we come back from 4 to 6. So, we’re running basically two-a-days right now. I love it.

Snyder: There’s been a lot of chatter lately regarding Nolan Rucci and where he’s leaning. Do you talk to him much? He’s kind of a quiet guy.

Tengwall: I really don’t talk to him or Derrick [Davis] much. I text Rucci every once and awhile, but as most people know, he keeps to himself. I don’t get the chance to talk to either of them that much. It’s the same with Derrick. I’ve reached out to him a few times, but both of those guys are doing their own thing, which I respect. Everyone handles it differently.

Snyder: Do you have a relationship with Jamari Buddin? It sounds like he may be coming to Penn State. What are you hearing?

Tengwall: Yeah, I’ve gotten to know Jamari a little bit. I’m not going to lie though, the Michigan guys know him better than I do. He’s a good guy though. He’s cool, he’s funny. He went dark on social media for a little while. He kind of shut things down a little bit, about a month ago. I like that because it shows me that he’s taking this serious. He’s not just picking schools to pick schools. I respect that a lot. He seems like a really mature guy and I love seeing that.

Snyder: Are there a few recruits that you’re speaking with the most? Is there anyone under the radar right now that people like myself need to be talking about more?

Tengwall: It’s still pretty much the same names as always. Someone I talk with a lot is Diego Pounds. I really hope he comes. If he comes, we’ll probably be roommates. We’ve become pretty good friends now. We play video games together a lot and have a lot in common. I know he’d be down for late-night workouts, late-night trips to get food. He’d be a great roommate, so hopefully he ends up coming to Penn State. I know he really likes Penn State, but he just hasn’t been able to really visit. I know he’s trying to come up there to see the town, but really being able to visit and walk into the building, all that, that’s what I want him to see. Seeing all the blue and white when you walk in and having the whole staff waiting there to greet you, I love that. It sucks he can’t get that experience right now. Lord knows I miss that. Coming in for those visits, that’s my favorite thing about the process.

Snyder: Anyone in the class that you’ve become close with in recent months?

Tengwall: I talk to Jay Reed all the time. He has that spunky, outgoing kind of personality. He’s always up, always energetic. I’m excited to play with him. He has a fun attitude. Liam [Clifford] is a good guy, too. We talk a lot. We’e always talking about the future and how excited we are. Those two would be the guys I talk with the most, but we have a group chat that’s pretty active.

Snyder: How happy are you that you wrapped up your recruitment when you did?

Tengwall: So happy. I think anyone that’s still waiting to take visits and wants to sign in December isn’t going to get another visit in. It sucks for those guys. But yeah, I’m really happy with the way my recruitment went. I could’ve committed last year. I think I’ve been ready to commit to Penn State for three years now. I knew I was going to Penn State for a long time. A big reason why I kept everything open was just to keep building connections, building relationships. Coaches move around all the time. Also, just seeing places and meeting people. That’s what it’s all about for me.

Snyder: Have there been any schools trying to reach out to you?

Tengwall: Not really. It’s been real quiet. I think schools know that I’ve been set on Penn State for a long time now. I’m solid. I’ll get an occasional text from other coaches, but it’s been pretty quiet for me.

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