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Q&A: Devin Willock

Penn State added its fifth offensive lineman to the Class of 2020 when Devin Willock of Paramus, N.J., announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Sept. 1. Although it was known that James Franklin and his staff were interested in the 6-foot-7, 350-pound tackle prospect from Paramus Catholic, the timing of his decision came as a surprise to many.

BWI’s Ryan Snyder recently caught up with Willock to learn about his recruitment and why he decided to end it a bit earlier than originally expected.

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RYAN SNYDER When did you really start talking to Penn State? Were you talking to them much before they extended that verbal offer at the end of June?

DEVIN WILLOCK I started talking to them more at the end of May. It was still pretty casual then. They always told me that they had a lot of interest in me but wanted to see more film or have me come to their camp. They really wanted to get an eye on me and see what I could do.Coach [Gerad] Parker did come to my school at the end of May. He saw me work out then, but they really wanted to see how I move. That was the main thing. But yeah, it was around that time that Coach [Matt] Limegrover and the other coaches who recruit New Jersey started coming around more and contacting me more. They were getting to know me for like a whole month before they offered me.

SNYDER The offer came in late June. How big was that for you? What do you remember from that talk with the staff?

WILLOCK Penn State is a big-time school, so if I’m being honest, I was a little shocked. I was also real hyped, too. To get an offer from Penn State is a big deal. But I did kind of get a feeling that they were considering it. In the days leading up to that, I was talking to the all of their coaches. They had all of their coaches texting me and talking to me whenever I could. I was feeling more love from them than ever before, so I had a feeling that something was coming. But still, the offer meant a lot. All I wanted to do after that was get on campus as soon as I could.BWI The offer came at the start of the dead period, so you couldn’t visit for basically an entire month. You also previously set a commitment date for the beginning of July. From what I understood, you wanted to commit to Penn State anyway, without visiting. Is that correct? Take me through your talk with James Franklin.

SNYDER The offer came at the start of the dead period, so you couldn’t visit for basically an entire month. You also previously set a commitment date for the beginning of July. From what I understood, you wanted to commit to Penn State anyway, without visiting. Is that correct? Take me through your talk with James Franklin.

WILLOCK Yeah, I wanted to commit without even taking a visit. I just wanted to get it done with. But after talking to their coaches, it made more sense to hold off. Just getting a feel for the place and not going off of pictures is important. It was smart to really get a feeling for their system, their program and just how they do things up there. Being there and actually seeing how I fit was smart. They also wanted me to camp, too. They still wanted to see how I moved, so all of that played into me holding off.

SNYDER You came up to the Lasch Bash at the end of July. What did you take away from that event?

WILLOCK There was a lot that I remember from that day, but one of things that I really remember is seeing their athletic facilities and how impressed I was with everything. Just seeing their weight room, their position rooms, all of that stuff. I remember being really impressed with their football building. I went and saw a lot of schools, too. I took a lot of visits. Their player lounge and all the updates they’ve made in there are outstanding. So that’s something I really took away from the Lasch Bash.

I also just remember being up there in State College and seeing the whole area. Everyone supports the football program. It’s a big deal. Everyone at the college and in town wants to see us play. I like that atmosphere. But I also liked hanging out with the guys. I knew Nick Dawkins from Rivals camp, but getting to hang out with him that day was fun. I wasn’t committed then, but he knew I had a lot of interest in them, so we talked about everything. He introduced me to a bunch of other guys.

SNYDER I thought there was a possibility that you would commit that weekend. What did you talk to the coaching staff about? Did they want to see some of your film from the beginning of the season first?

WILLOCK I was supposed to camp at Penn State the day before the Lasch Bash, but I couldn’t make it. I was visiting and camping at Georgia two days before [July 25] and just didn’t get back home in time to camp at Penn State. So they decided that they wanted to see my first couple of games. Honestly, I came up to Penn State looking kind of sloppy. I had some extra weight on me at the time, so we talked about looking at my film from the first three games and then going from there. Originally, the plan was for me to ball out through Sept. 21 and then see where I stand, but after sending them my film from the first game, I heard from basically their whole staff. They were all saying that they were really impressed. They said they really noticed the work I put in and the changes I made to my body during camp. I really felt that way, too. I’ve never been more motivated in my life to work as hard as I did during camp. So when they ended up officially offering me after seeing my film from my first game, it meant a lot. I haven’t stopped working though. I feel like I’m improving more this season.

SNYDER What are some of your strengths and weaknesses? What do you really excel at, and what are you still trying to improve on before you get to Penn State?

WILLOCK Well, I still have a lot to improve on. I need to improve on everything, so I don’t really have what I would consider a true strength. Going into the season, I would have said that one of my weaknesses was my pass set. It just doesn’t come very natural for me. I’ve always been better at driving guys downfield. But for my first couple games this year, I’ve actually been pretty good in passing sets. Switching from right tackle to left tackle has helped me with that. I’m feeling more comfortable in passing sets than I ever have before, but still, I need to work on it and get better. I need to get better with everything. I’m also working hard to finish my blocks. I get a good first push, but I’m working to stick with guys longer on a more consistent basis.

SNYDER You mentioned Nick Dawkins earlier as a player you’ve gotten to know. Have you become friendly with any of the other committed players over the past few weeks?

WILLOCK I haven’t been able to talk to too many of them yet. I talk to Nick and I started talking to Amin Vanover since he’s a Jersey guy. We actually play each other later this season. So we spar a little bit about that, but I’ve just been getting to know him a little bit. I know that I’m going to come up there for more visits, so I’m looking forward to getting to know some of the other guys.

SNYDER Penn State has interest in adding another offensive lineman, Ibrahim Traore, to its class. Have you talked to him much?

WILLOCK Yeah, I know Ibrahim. I saw him at Rivals camp and I actually knew him prior to that. I was talking to him before he blew up. But yeah, he’s definitely in the mix with Penn State. I think we already have a good class and he would be a great player to add. I don’t bug him too much about Penn State, but I do hit up his line every now and then. I just let him know that Penn State is the place to be.

SNYDER Any idea on what you want to major in? Also, how important was a Penn State education in making this decision?

WILLOCK That was very important. No doubt. Just knowing that you’re going to go to a school that will give you a great education and a great degree is huge for me and my family. We know it’s going to mean something when football comes to an end. I know I’m going to study either architectural or civil engineering. I haven’t decided which one yet, but I know that Penn State is one of the best schools for that.

SNYDER To finish, I want to give you an opportunity to say something to Penn State fans. It can be anything that comes to mind. Is there anything you would like to say to all the Nittany Lion fans reading this?

WILLOCK I would just say that I haven’t reached my full potential yet. I’m far from a finished project. I’m working harder than I ever have before. I put in a lot of work this off-season and during camp. I’m really working hard to show people in my film that I’m a new player. I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been before and I’m excited to reach my potential at Penn State.

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