Q&A: 2017 CB Tariq Castro-Fields

Snyder: To start it off, why Penn State? Between the football program, the university, the social life, what were some of the key points that sold you on the Nittany Lions?

Castro-Fields: Well, there was a lot that I liked. I feel like I really went with my gut on this decision. Obviously, it was such a big decision and I really liked the coaches at every school. That’s why I had to push it back. I had a pretty good idea that PSU was the right school for me, but I wanted to make sure of that. One thing that I really liked was the distance from home. I think it’s a good distance for me. It’s not too far that I have to fly home, but it is outside of Maryland. I wanted to get out of my home state. I wanted to get out there and meet new people. I think that’ll make me a better man in the long run. Their football program was also a big plus. The team had an amazing season. Everyone knows that this team is on the rise right now. I wanted to be a part of something special and I believe PSU is about to do that. Also, I fit in well with all the players and the coaches. I relate with all of them. But maybe one of the main things was that I could see myself going to Penn State even if I didn’t play football. When I took football out of the equation, I felt like Penn State was a school that I would’ve attended, even as a regular student. I love the town and the campus, so there was a lot that just felt right for me.

Snyder: You kind of hit on this already, but I have to clarify: Was there any specific reason or two that forced you to postpone your decision? Anything with Maryland’s in-home visit or Penn State’s in-home visit? Or did you just want to think about it for a few more days?

Castro-Fields: I didn’t have to rush it, so I wasn’t going to rush it. I wasn’t 100 percent sure. That’s all it really was. I was pretty sure, like 90 percent sure, but that wasn’t good enough for me. I still had time to think it over for a little bit, so I decided to do that. I think that also showed people how serious I took this. I loved all the coaches and all of the schools I was considering at the end. They all had a lot that I liked, but even when I postponed my decision, I was still pretty sure that Penn State was the right school for me. I just wanted to think about it a little bit more. That’s all it really was. I wanted to make sure I could sleep at night, knowing that I was 100-percent correct with my decision. It’s one of the biggest decisions, maybe the biggest decision, I’ll ever make.

Snyder: How important was your relationship with not just your position coach, but the entire coaching staff? In the past, you’ve told me that you liked the fact that you felt comfortable with a bunch of Penn State’s coaches. How important was that?

Castro-Fields: I felt like I talked to almost the whole coaching staff. Coach Huff was my main coach, but Coach Franklin, Coach Smith and Coach Pry all talked to me regularly. I got to know the other coaches, too. Penn State was right up there with Maryland. Both of their coaching staffs communicated with me constantly. I felt comfortable with both schools. Coach Huff talked to me about a lot of general stuff at PSU. He was my main recruiting coordinator. Coach Smith talked to me more about how they’d use me and how he saw me fitting in. He loves my size at cornerback. I know some people think I’d be better at safety, but I’m going there to play cornerback. They really like my reach and athleticism. So, I talked about that with Coach Smith a lot. He also thinks that I can break into their rotation and make an early impact. Coach Franklin and Coach Pry were always in the mix, too. They really made my family feel comfortable about the decision. They were always there to clarify anything that we weren't sure about.

Snyder: I know you’ve been close friends with Zech McPhearson for years now, but in the 2017 class, who are the guys that you’ve become close with? How often do you talk with your future teammates?

Castro-Fields: Well, we have a group text, so we’re always communicating. We all talk to each other regularly. Before I committed, I would say that Sean Clifford was someone that I became friends with. He was the first guy that I told before my commitment. He was always working on me to be part of this team. He’s a good a guy and a great quarterback. He'll be our leader on offense someday. Later in the process, I became closer with the other defensive backs. D.J. Brown hit me up a lot and I’ve since been talking with all the other DBs. They’re all going to be my brothers at the end of the day. I know they’re going to go to battle for me, just like I’ll go to war from them. I love that we have one of the best groups of defensive backs. For some guys, that may have pushed them towards other schools, but that was actually something that I really liked. I want to play with and practice against other great players. That's how you become great. It's not just about the games.

Snyder: Growing up, what was Penn State to you? Was there one or two teams that you followed growing up? Was Penn State a school that you always pulled for or did they just come into the picture over the past two years?

Castro-Fields: Well, growing up, my favorite team was Florida, but that was mainly because of Tim Tebow. I enjoyed following him and everything he stands for. He was a great leader and he had a great team, so I mainly followed them when I was younger. But I always watched PSU. I'll never forget when they played Alabama. That was like seven or eight years ago. I forget exactly when, but I’ll never forget watching that game and seeing all the support from their fans. The atmosphere was crazy. Over the years, I’ve continued to watch them. I’ll never forget Allen Robinson and the catch he made against Michigan. So, as I’ve become older, I’ve watched Penn State a lot. They’ve always been a team that I admired.

Snyder: I want to ask about some strengths and weaknesses. What are maybe one or two things that come natural to you? Also, what are maybe one or two things that you’d like to improve on between now and when you enroll this summer?

Castro-Fields: Well, one thing that I believe has separated me from other guys ever since I was little was just my mindset. I’ve always wanted to prove myself. I never thought I was good enough already or anything like that. I feel like some recruits that can play at this level don’t always push themselves the absolute hardest that they can, mainly because they’re already really good. I’m always going to have a chip on my shoulder. I’m always going to want to show people that I can keep improving. I really believe that I have a different mentality than some other players and that’ll never be something I shy away from. I think that’s a big reason why I’m now in this position. As far as what I want to improve on, I’d probably say my transitions. I want to improve on everything, no doubt, but staying lower and improving on my transitions, that’s something that I can always improve on. In high school, my speed and size allowed me to catch up to people and make plays, but in college, everyone is gifted. Also, I’ve been working a lot on my lower-body. I want to work on getting my legs stronger. I think that separates a lot of corners. I’m already tall. I have the frame and reach, so if I can improve my lower-body strength, I think that’ll really help.

Snyder: Take me through your workout schedule these next couple of months and into the spring? Do you just workout with your school? Do you have any personal trainers for things like lifting or speed training? I want to learn more about how you’ll be training these next couple of months.

Castro-Fields: I workout with a personal trainer. We work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We skip Friday and then workout again on Saturday. Sunday is another rest day, so I get two days of rest. He helps me with everything, from flexibility to lifting to speed training. We work on everything. On Saturday, we always focus on explosive drills that really benefit me at corner. Basically, my goal this offseason is to get bigger, stronger, faster, but I also want to put on solid weight before I get there. I’m around 188 (pounds) right now and I want to be around 193 when I go up there. I feel like that’ll be a solid weight for me. I think that’ll put me in the best position to play early. I know Penn State is also supposed to be sending me a workout schedule. Once I get that, I’ll focus on the drills that they send me.

Snyder: I know you mentioned the explosive training on Saturday, but are there any specific drills that you work on specifically for cornerback? Also, are you running track or playing any other sports this year? I know you used to run track your freshman, sophomore and junior year. Are you still doing that or just focusing on football from here on out?

Castro-Fields: Yeah, I used to run track and play football, but I decided to not do that this year. I know where I want to be in a few years. I know where I need to be if I want to be the best player I can be. Playing other sports is a good thing in high school, but I felt like once I got to this point, it was best for me to just focus on football. With my trainer, we don’t miss a beat. I know a lot of guys just focus on lifting, but we have a turf field where I work at, so we’ll focus on a lot of change of direction drills. I’ll put the (resistance) bands on to work on my backpedal and first steps. We do a lot of drills that are specific to me.

Snyder: Academically, how did that impact your decision? Did that have a major impact on you choosing Penn State? Also, do you have any idea what you want to major in yet?

Castro-Fields: Academics were always important. I love the three-and-a-half year program that Penn State has. Since I’ll be there in the summer, I should be able to graduate before my eligibility is up. That could allow me to pursue a master's degree or different minors. I know my family really liked that. But at the same time, I always looked at this differently than some others. Academics are very important, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want people to think I don’t take that seriously, but I feel like I could’ve went to Alabama or Maryland and graduated with a great degree at either of those schools. Academics are what you make of it. Unless you’re going to Harvard or Yale or a school like that, a lot of this is about how hard you push yourself, how hard you pursue different internships or whatever. So, it was always something that was very important to me, but I also believe that it depends on what you major in and how hard you push yourself.

As far as my major, I’m not really sure just yet. I like psychology a lot. I also like some things with family sciences. I would love to start a summer camp or a foundation some day to help give back to younger kids in my area or wherever. I would love to help kids reach their dreams. I know Penn State offers a few majors that could put me in the right direction. I’m just not exactly sure what I’m going to focus on yet.

Snyder: For my last question, I like to give you guys an opportunity to say something to the Penn State fans. Is there anything you’d like people to know about you? Is there anything you’d like to tell them about what this opportunity means to you? What comes to mind if you could say something to thousands of Penn State fans?

Castro-Fields: Well, first, I’d like to thank them for all the support throughout my recruitment. I’m so excited to be part of this family and to see all 107,000 of you guys during Saturdays in the fall. I’m the kind of guy that’s strong-minded and will give the team everything that I can. I’m so excited to be part of this program, to grow with them and have a chance to compete on the biggest stage. I can’t wait to challenge myself against so many great Big Ten playmakers.