PSU Offers 2019 QB

Avon Old Farms prospect Taisun Phommachanh became the latest Class of 2019 quarterback to earn a scholarship offer from Penn State.

Despite the fact that the Lions already hold a commitment from DePaul Catholic QB TaQuan Roberson, James Franklin and his staff are still aggressively pursuing a second quarterback in 2019. Phommachanh, who stands at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, grabbed the staff’s attention this summer when he worked out for Ricky Rahne and then offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead during a camp. He then returned for the game against Pitt in September.

“Penn State is a great academic school and there’s a lot of history behind it,” Phommachanh said. “What stood out when I visited there was how the coaches and players carry themselves. They were real in tune with each other. They’re a close group.

“I also saw the locker rooms, the weight room, basically the entire building for the football program. Everything was real nice. Also, the atmosphere inside the stadium was crazy.”

Phommachanh may have just earned an offer from the Lions the other day, but he’s been regularly speaking with the Nittany Lions since September. In fact, he said he already feels comfortable with his potential position coach.

“I’ve been talking with their QB coach, Coach Rahne,” Phommachanh said. “It’s mainly just been about football and about life. We’re just trying to get to know each other better and we have. We talk at least twice a week and he’s been real with everything.

“I’m looking to go to a place that fits me and is a family-oriented team. I get great vibes when I talk to their coaching staff.”

Penn State isn’t the only program to offer Phommachanh recently, as he’s seen his scholarship count more than double during the January contact period. Florida State offered just hours after the Nittany Lions, while Iowa, Kentucky, TCU and Virginia are just a few of the schools that have offered in the past few weeks. Michigan was the first elite program to offer, as Jim Harbaugh and his staff made the move back in November.

With that said, Phommachanh hasn’t been able to visit many schools. That should change in the coming months, but he’s still working on his schedule.

“Me and my family have visited Maryland and Miami, but we’re still trying to figure out which schools I’m going to visit this spring. I am planning to visit a few schools but I’m just not exactly sure which dates yet.”

In 2017, Phommachanh completed 134 of 190 pass attempts (70.5%) for 2,402 yards and 26 touchdowns. Maybe most impressive is the fact that he threw just one interception.

He also made plays with his feet, rushing for 469 yards and 13 touchdowns, all while leading Avon Old Farms to an 8-1 record.