Valley View linebacker Nyeem Wartman Commits to Penn State
“This is not only a decision I made for myself,” Wartman told The Times. “I’m happy that I can do this for my family and for my mom. I really liked the fact that players at Penn State, no matter what grade they were in, went out of their way to get to know me and talk with me. They made it feel like a family.”
The two-way recruit helped lead the Cougars to an Eastern Conference AAA football title last season earning Times-Tribune All Region honors. Wartman caught 13 passes for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns at the tight end position. On the other side of the ball, he racked up 115 tackles, including 70 solo and 10 for losses, an interception and 3 fumble recoveries predominantly as an outside linebacker, a position Wartman is expected to play at the next level. He is considered the #30 recruit at the position by Scout, #31 by Rivals.
Not only is Wartman a 3-year starter for the Valley View football team, he is also a sprinter on the school’s District 2 Class AA championship track and field team where he managed to post a sub-11 second time in the 100 meters.
Speed his football coach, George Howanitz raves about,
“We’re probably doing an injustice to him. Because he’s so fast and all he’s able to do, we move him around a lot. If he just stayed in and played middle linebacker for us, his stats would probably be a lot better… One play, we played Abington Heights. They had a tight end going to Villanova, probably 6-3, 240 or 250. He tried to block down on Nyeem. Nyeem put him on his back and then tackled the ball carrier in the backfield, snapping his head back.”
Scout also had this to say about the 3-star recruit,
Wartman plays a lot of roles for the Valley View defense. You’ll see him inside or outside, sometimes he’ll be covering the slot receiver. More times than not he is in the middle and we see him as more of an outside linebacker. He doesn’t have the quickest first step and when he has to sit back and read it really hinders his skills as an athlete. Wartman needs to be out in space where he can use his athleticism to his advantage.
The 6-foot-3, 226 lb standout held more than a dozen offers from the likes of Boston College, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Pitt, but it ultimately came down to a decision between the Nittany Lions and the Scarlet Knights.
“I was planning for one more go-round visiting Penn State and visiting Rutgers, but, when I got to Penn State, everything was great, I was comfortable with the players. Everything happened that I wanted to happen,”
Wartman joins Camren Williams as the 2nd linebacker in the 2012 class.
The timing of his commitment comes as no surprise, the Scranton area star was in attendance to support Penn State’s Lift for Life Challenge on Friday. He spent the day talking to current Penn State players while being escorted by linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden. It was just a matter of time before he would feel right at home in Holuba Hall.
“I literally felt like I was on the team now. When [incoming freshman] Kyle [Carter] said he had to get home, go to sleep and get up for lifting, it felt I had to get up for lifting, and I went home and went to sleep, too,”
Welcome aboard, Nyeem Wartman!
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