PSU a serious player with Rouse
Penn State hosted offensive tackle Walter Rouse this past Saturday for its Whiteout Camp.
A three-star prospect from Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C., Rouse earned an offer from the staff at the end of May and also visited University Park for the Blue-White Game in April. Since then, he knew that he had to return as soon as possible.
“I was really looking forward to getting back to Penn State,” said Rouse. “This was my second visit there. I was up there for the spring game and I just loved the atmosphere. I could really see myself playing in that stadium, so I told myself that I had to get back up there as soon as I got the chance.
“So, I went up to the camp and it was great to see Coach Bowen and Coach Limegrover again. I just had an excellent time. I know I got better at that camp. Coach Limegrover coached me and gave me pointers after every rep. He told me what he liked, what I could improve on and everything like that. I loved the way he was getting after it. He’s not screaming like a drill sergeant or anything like that, but he gets after it and is intense in his own way. He made sure that we were always fired up. I loved the way that he coached, so I just had a great time. I think I did pretty well, too.”
Following the camp, Rouse and his mother met with Limegrover and head coach James Franklin. They stressed that they’d like to get him back on campus once the dead period ends, as they’d like show his family everything the school can offer academically.
“I met with Coach Franklin and Coach Limegrover. Coach Franklin told me that I had some freakish numbers for someone my size,” Rouse said. “During that meeting, Coach Franklin was telling my mother and I that they really want us to come back up there again when we can. We’ve seen a lot of the football stuff now, but they want to give us a better look at the academic side. I think that’s important as well, so when we were leaving, I told my mom that I really like Penn State and that I have to get back there.
“I actually have some other visits planned for July, but I need to see more of Penn State. I really love everything there, so I may have to move some things around to get back up there and learn more about their academics. I just had an awesome time there. I could really see that family atmosphere that Coach Franklin emphasizes.”
As of now, Rouse said that the one school he knows he’ll visit at the end of July is Ohio State. However, there are a handful of other programs that he’d like to see.
“I’m definitely going to Ohio State, but I’d also like to see Stanford, Duke, North Carolina and Oklahoma,” he said. “I only have like seven days or so to fit these all in come July, so I think I’m going to have to squeeze Penn State in there.”
So, when might he make a commitment?
“My mom wanted me to make a decision before my season,” Rouse said. “She wants me to enjoy my senior year, but after talking to her about it more, I may have to make that decision during my season. Things get hectic with the amount of calls and all of that, so I don’t want it to drag out too long, but this is a major decision and I won’t rush it. I’ll make sure I take my time and go through everything the right way.”
In addition to multiple Ivy League grants, Rouse has earned roughly 30 Division I scholarship offers. Some addiitonal schools include Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Virginia.
Rouse is currently the 39th-ranked offensive tackle and the eighth-ranked prospect in Maryland for the Class of 2019.