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The fastest player on Penn State is not who you think it is
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One thing is for sure: James Franklin can recruit.
Look back at the last few recruiting classes that Franklin has put together at Penn State and you can see that he has an eye for talent. What he also has an eye for is blazing speed.
Penn State has a number of incredibly fast players that are play-makers on the football field. Franklin typically recruits guys like this when he believes it makes sense for his team.
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However, the fastest player on Penn State’s roster probably isn’t who you think it is. It’s not K.J. Hamler or Journey Brown.
It’s actually former walk-on safety Drew Hartlaub.
According to a piece by The Evening Sun, Hartlaub ran a 4.25 40-yard dash. That is absurdly quick, and that time at an official NFL combine would be the fastest time recorded probably 95 percent of the time.
“I was always a quick burst, no one could beat me in 60 yards,” he said. “The longer I go, the slower I get. I’m good for like 80 yards and the last 20 in track I kind of dip off a little bit.”
Hartlaub is currently known for being a gunner at Penn State.
“He’s positioned himself where we talk about Drew Hartlaub now,” said defensive coordinator Brent Pry . “He’s brought up in our staff meetings a lot. … Freshman year, you didn’t really notice him. Then sophomore year, all of a sudden he’s doing some pretty good things. He’s on the right track.”
Another teammate on Hartlaub:””He’s a special teams guru,” defensive tackle Aeneas Hawkins said with a smile. “Every special teams, you see Drew Hartlaub out there hustling. I love Drew Hartlaub.”
Again, Hartlaub may not be making game-changing plays at safety for Penn State this season, but he will absolutely make a difference in special teams. You do have to start somewhere.
If he can utilize his speed into making himself a better safety down the line, we may be seeing a lot more of Hartlaub soon.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.