Bates proud to represent PSU
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By Ryan Snyder
Special to Rivals.com
Rivals250 offensive lineman and Warminster, Pa., native Ryan Bates became the first of four Penn State commits to receive their jersey for the 2015 Under Armour All-American Game on Wednesday.
Along with quarterback Brandon Wimbush, defensive tackle Adam McLean and fellow offensive lineman Sterling Jenkins, Bates is set to participate in this year's game, which will once again take place in Tampa on Jan. 2.
"I'm excited for the game," Bates said. "Getting the chance to play with my future teammates is probably what I'm looking forward to the most. Getting to spend time with those guys is probably what I'm looking forward to the most.
"But also, just the chance to not only represent Penn State, but also represent my high school and everyone that's helped me get to this point over the years, that's really important to me, too. There have been a lot of people that have helped me get to this point. So, doing all that and having a lot of fun. That's what will really stand out to me about this whole experience."
Since 2008, the Under Armour All-American Game has been the marquee event in high school football. Over the years, current NFL stars like defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, running back Isaiah Crowell and defensive tackle Dominique Easley have been just a few of the players that have made a name for themselves in this game.
However, for Bates, who plays his high school ball at Archbishop Wood, he remembers watching another player perform well in this game a few years back.
"I started watching the game two years ago," he said. "I didn't really know about it until 2011. That year, my team won the state championship and one of the key players was Colin Thompson, who ended up going to Florida and is now at Temple. Colin ended up playing in the Under Armour game. From then on, I've been watching this game every year. Knowing that I'm going to get a chance to play in it now is really cool."
James Franklin and his staff currently have six players on the active roster that took part in the game. Last year, quarterback Michael O'Connor and wide receivers DeAndre Thompkins and Chris Godwin all participated, while current starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg had his breakout moment in the 2013 game, which also would've featured tight end Adam Breneman had he not been injured. Before that, current redshirt junior offensive lineman Angelo Mangiro was Penn State's lone representative in 2011, while senior offensive lineman Miles Diffenbach played in the 2010 game.
Bates noted that he is looking forward to living up to the standard set by those before him. In fact, that's part of the reason he's put so much effort into improving his overall game throughout the first two months of the season.
"There are a couple things that I've really been focusing on lately. One is my pass blocking. I've really been working on that and I feel as if I've definitely improved there. Also, just getting low and drive blocking guys. I've been working to get even lower on guys to get momentum. So, doing that, keeping my head up and driving guys off the ball. That's another thing I've been working on."
Along with high school teammate and fellow future Penn Stater Jake Cooper, Bates plans to visit State College this weekend for the game against Northwestern. Like every player that's currently committed, he would like to see as many games as possible during the season, but for this week in particular, there's another reason he's looking forward to the trip.
"I know Jordan Whitehead is taking his official visit this weekend, so that's big," Bates said, referring to the four-star defensive back from outside of Pittsburgh. "He'll be a guy I try to spend a lot of time with. I really want to see where he stands. I think we have a chance, but I know he's also supposed to be committing here soon. We definitely want to get him on board, so I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen this weekend."
Rivals.com ranks Bates as a four-star prospect, coming in at No. 227 overall in the nation. He's also the 23rd ranked offensive guard and the fifth ranked prospect in the state of Pennsylvania.
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