The early signing period for football prospects in the Class of 2020 is upon us, and Penn State is expected to bring in a larger-than-usual class throughout the day. On the Penn State blog today, I’ll be breaking down each of the signees. Here is my scouting report on intriguing defensive line prospect Bryce Mostella.
Penn State DL prospect Bryce Mostella. PHOTO BY PENN STATE ATHLETICS
Height: 6-6
Weight: 235
School: East Kentwood (Mich.) HS
Projected position: Defensive end
Rating: Three stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other offers: Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse.
Projection: Mostella is probably the highest-ceiling, lowest-floor player in that boom-or-bust category in this class for Penn State. His father, Marcellus, was a star linebacker at Auburn in the mid-1990s, and like him, Bryce plays hard. Mostella looks a lot like Yetur Gross-Matos did, in pads, as a prep prospect, with the long arms and slender frame. Mostella will benefit from adding weight, which he can do since he looks almost too skinny, even at more than 230 pounds. He’s a workout warrior, but he doesn’t explode at you on film as a guy who is overtaking a game athletically; he almost looks as though he’s reaching for ballcarriers and quarterbacks at times, and not powering through them. If he can start to use his gifts better and cleans up some technical issues, he has star potential. But he’s going to have to spend a good season or two focusing on the weight room before he becomes a potential every-down competitor.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT