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 offensive line prospect Golden Israel-Achumba.
Penn State OL prospect Golden Israel-Achumba. PHOTO BY PENN STATE ATHLETICS
Height: 6-4
Weight: 334
School: DeMatha Catholic (Md.)
Projected position: Offensive guard
Rating: Four stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other offers: Boston College, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia.
Projection: Achumba is a lot like current Penn State guard CJ Thorpe was as a prep prospect. He is big, strong, plays hard, plays to the hollow of the whistle and has an attitude. A true guard, he has tremendous strength, and he combines that with excellent leg drive and leverage to move defenders inside in the run game. He shows solid technique as a pass blocker, as well. His footwork needs to improve to become a better pass protector, though, and that should come as his athleticism improves in the strength program. He’ll likely be a 2020 redshirt, but Achumba is a good bet to be a multi-year starter for the Nittany Lions.
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