OT Ryan Brubaker (6-6 280) of Stevens, PA is one of the top players in the country at his position in the 2022 class. He’s got a four-star rating in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked the #30 offensive tackle in the country. He quickly became a target for USC coach Shane Beamer when he took over the program, and area recruiter Pete Lembo and offensive line coach Greg Adkins have jumped right in as well..
“When they first started recruiting me they did a an offensive staff Zoom with me and my family so we got to meet Coach Beamer, and by that point I had already Coach Lembo, who recruits my area, and then also Coach Adkins,” Brubaker said. “I also got to meet some other people from the academic area and nutritionists, and got to meet Coach Daye, the strength coach. South Carolina started off giving us a very good idea of what their staff makeup is. Since then I’ve been in touch with Coach Beamer, Coach Adkins, Coach Lembo and a few other coaches every now and then.”
Brubaker said he and Adkins have hit it off and are building a strong relationship, and that has more to do than with just football.
“Coach Adkins, he and I connected in our personal lives,” Brubaker said. “He’s experienced some things that I can understand and have experienced similar things. Outside of football, there’s that common understanding of other experiences. In a football sense, he’s relayed to me a big focus of theirs in recruiting is going to be to recruit a lot of character kids, obviously kids who can play in the SEC and play well. But for them, recruiting isn’t going to simply be determined by the number of stars and who is the biggest hit. It’s going to be a lot of who is going to bring solid character to our meeting rooms and who is going to be motivated, and really bring in kids who are likeminded and share values of hard work and discipline and want to play good football.”
Brubaker has other major offers from the likes of Penn State, where his father played, Michigan, Auburn, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Nebraska, Virginia and Ole Miss. He’s also got several Ivy League teams on his list. Beamer and company are coming at him from the standpoint of a brand new program seeking a new identity. That’s connected with him.
“They are not trying to reinvent the wheel, they are trying to revitalize a program that struggled,” he said. “It’s not an easy task, the energy and enthusiasm and the approach of one day at a time. What’s appealing especially for me in a program like that, and really in any program, is the underlying emotional and spiritual support that Coach Beamer has brought in on his staff. Any school that’s going to offer that underlying support thru coaches and support staff is really desirable to me because football can be just a game of knocking heads, but after a while, without counsel, that takes a toll. I think Coach Beamer and his staff have started off on the right foot and are on a good trajectory for reinvigorating the team and really giving them a chance this year to show off.”
Brubaker has four official visits set for June…Penn State on the 4th followed in consecutive weekends by USC, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Those visits will go a long way in determining his decision.
“I think it’s going to put a lot of things into perspective,” Brubaker said. “Up till now it’s been one of those pinch me I’m dreaming type deals. It’s hard to fathom all this is real without being able to see these campuses. That reality is really going to sink in once these official visits start happening.”
And when it comes down to the decision, football will be just a part of the equation.
“One really big thing is is the school going to give me academic fulfillment,” Brubaker said. “Am I going to graduate with a degree after football, is that time going to mean anything? Am I going to graduate with a solid degree? Someday football is going to be done with me. I doubt it’s going to be on my terms when I decide to step away from it. When that day is, I want to have a degree where I can step forward into the next chapter of life and not take a step back. That’s huge. The second thing that’s huge is there’s got to be a good, positive growth culture, teammate to teammate, player to coach. There just has to be that energy, because some programs don’t have that energy and it shows. They are constantly talking, they don’t mesh with teammates, there’s no respect for coaches. That’s not a good, healthy environment. I want to avoid those environments that won’t lead to growth. And my last big thing is, am I wanted by the full staff. Are they trying to bring me in as a roster spot or is the school that I’m interested in looking at me as a potential starter and a valuable member of the team and wanted by everybody from top down.”
After taking the June visits, and possibly a fifth later in the summer, Brubaker is hoping to make his decision before the start of his season.
Other notes from Thursday:
Clemson offered 4-star SAF Sherrod Covil (6-0 185) of Chesapeake, VA. Some of his other offers are Michigan, Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Southern Cal, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, NC State, Tennessee, Arkansas, Pitt, North Carolina and Maryland. He’s ranked the #10 safety nationally in the 247Sports Composite.
USC offered LB Abdul Carter (6-4 235) of Glenside, PA per 247Sports. He’s rated a four star and ranked #21 nationally among outside linebackers. Some other offers are Penn State, Pitt, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Maryland, Michigan, LSU and Syracuse.
USC offered 2023 DE Monteque Rhames (6-6 240) of Sumter. He also has offers from Arizona State, NC State, Virginia Tech and Louisiana-Monroe.
According to Stockrisers, 6-7 CJ Felder of Sumter, who is transferring from Boston College, has heard from Clemson, USC, UConn, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Clemson, Xavier, Florida, Texas A&M, Murray State, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, LSU, and Virginia.
5-10 Jalen Breazeale of Dorman committed to USC-Upstate.
