Penn State Football: Adam Breneman’s Commitment to Nittany Lions is a Done Deal

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Jim Cantafio wanted to be sure his prized tight end Adam Breneman was sure of the decision he was going to announce to the audience and the college football world Friday night inside Cedar Cliff High School’s gymnasium.

After going through the recruiting process with numerous high school All-Americans, the most recent being Chad Henne, the Cedar Cliff High School football coach knows the rigors and ins-and-outs of the recruiting game all too well.

So when Breneman, wearing a dark black sweater and purple undershirt, looked under the podium he stood before and pulled out a Penn State hat, it was clear his intentions to join Bill O’Brien and his staff at Penn state in the fall of 2013 were genuine, and for sure.

‘After much prayer and continuous discussion with my family and coaches, I am now 100 percent sure where I want to become a student-athlete come 2013,’ Breneman said, a half-filled side of the gym hanging on his every word. ‘The bottom line is that I’m going to get a great education that will give me opportunities in life just football alone will not.

‘I’m going to play for coaches that I truly trust and believe in. I’m going to find a program that will allow me to reach my full potential as an athlete. And, I’m going to do it less than two hours from my home at Penn State University.’

With that, a crowd in blue and white, some in support of the hometown Colts, some in support of Penn State and some in support of both, erupted with loud cheers on the heels of a ‘We Are . . . Penn State’ chant, as Breneman provides a much-needed addition to the tight end position at Penn State.

With his decision narrowed to four schools — Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Maryland — the question became, why Penn State? 

‘I think it was Coach O’Brien, and the experience he has in the NFL and what he’s done with his tight ends at the NFL level, with [Rob] Gronkowski and [Aaron] Hernandez,’ Breneman said. ‘That was the ultimate thing I was looking for, a coach who knows how to use the tight end.’

A QUICK DECISION

After announcing his decision, Breneman was asked when he had decided he was going to choose Penn State out of the 34 college scholarships that came across his plate.

‘I had a good feeling after I visited Penn State that it was for me, but I also wanted to visit Ohio State and Coach Meyer as well,’ Breneman said.

The Cedar Cliff junior said he was a fan of Penn State growing up but said he wasn’t 100 percent sure he was going to commit to the Nittany Lions when he announced he was ready to release his decision.

‘Once I visited Penn State, I was high on them, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure,’ Breneman said. ‘When I announced I was going to make my decision I was 99.5 percent sure, but I’m the type of guy that once I make a commitment, I don’t want to switch. I wanted to be 100 percent sure before I told Coach O’Brien, and that’s why I waited a little bit. But I knew I wanted to go to Penn State.’

So what made up that extra 0.5 percent? It was a phone call with O’Brien and coaches John Strollo, Charlie Fisher and his recruiter, Larry Johnson Sr., that sold Breneman for good.

‘I talked to all of the coaches, and after talking to them, I called my dad and told him I want to go to Penn State,’ Breneman said. ‘And then I called Coach Cantafio and he said to sleep on it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow. We showed up the next day, and I called Coach O’Brien and told him I was coming to Penn State.’

TWO RECRUITS, ONE RESTAURANT

During his remarks, Cantafio recounted his trip to Penn State with Henne, where he and Henne ate with former coach Joe Paterno at the Allen Street Grill. Cantafio said that during Breneman’s visit, he, Breneman and O’Brien also ate at the Allen Street Grill.

In fact, they ate at the same table that he had eaten at with Henne a few years prior.

However, it’s visits like that one: staged, scheduled and manicured perfectly that Cantafio finds inferior to the unofficial visits recruits are allowed to take.

‘Adam was up there once in the summer, and once in February, and those are the important visits when you are at your leisure because there is no pressure on those visits,’ Cantafio said. ‘You see the school for what they really are.

‘When you go up there unofficial, you get to meet the people for what they really are; they have their hair down, they’re not in three-piece suits, they’re casual. It’s very important to have those types of visits.’

PERFECT POSITION

Breneman said that he will play the F-tight end in O’Brien system, which is designed to be the mobile, pass catching tight end as opposed to the blocking oriented Y tight end.

‘Coach O’Brien told me I’ll be able to compete right away and play the role Hernandez played, or the F tight end,’ Breneman said. ‘And once I fill out and develop more, I’ll be able to probably move up to the Y tight-end.’

But what exactly does the F tight end do differently from the Y tight end? Breneman already has a pretty good idea.

‘The F tight end is more of a move tight end,’ he said. ‘You aren’t blocking as much so you’re more of a spilt tight end and going out and running routes.

‘And the Y tight end is supposed to be the leading receiver, but you see with a guy like Gronkowski that isn’t always the case.’

Related coverage:

• Pennsylvania High School Coaches Say O’Brien Brings Fresh Look to Happy Valley

• StateCollege.com’s Penn State football page

• Penn State Football: Five-Star Recruit Adam Breneman Chooses Nittany Lions