Imhotep Charter cornerback and 2024 Penn State commit Kenny Woseley II stands six feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. It’s a perfectly reasonable size for a high school corner, but Woseley told Nittany Sports Now he still feels like he needs to play with a physical edge to make himself stand out against bigger receivers.
“Me being a smaller corner, I think playing more physical makes college teams want to recruit me. You don’t get too many small guys who can actually be as physical as those 6’3” 6’2” corners and DBs,” Woseley said. “You have to have another edge against your opponent, especially if you’re undersized.”
Woseley said that beyond the edge he gains from his physicality, he also focuses on the little things: elements of technique like footwork and hip fluidity play a crucial role as he shadows top receivers.
“I think my physicality, my IQ and my technique. I think that those three things at corner are the biggest because you have to react to certain things, and if you don’t react on time, bad stuff can happen,” Woseley said. “Just watching a lot of film, watching stuff that happens in college football and the NFL. Being a student of the game.”
FRIENDLY COMPETITION
Fellow Penn State football recruit and Imhotep teammate Tyseer Denmark praised Woseley for his mature approach to the game. Denmark said Woseley listens to his coaches in a manner one might not expect out of a young, supremely talented player, and that he has a short term memory that helps him succeed at a challenging position like cornerback.
“He’s super versatile. Also, he’s very coachable. There’s not a lot of kids in this game, at this young age, that are coachable,” Denmark said. “Kenny is the type of player who can make a mistake and forget about it. It’s on to the next play, the next play he’ll be greater than the last… and he’s a leader.”
Denmark transferred to Imhotep ahead of this season, but Woseley said the two have been facing off for years, helping one another improve. Because Denmark plays wide receiver, they’re natural rivals on the gridiron, even if they keep the competition uplifting in nature.
“Man, we’ve been matching up since before he even got to Imhotep. Especially when it’s a receiver on your team that you can go up against every day, iron sharpens iron,” Woseley said. “That’s why I’m the best corner in the state, because I have the best receiver going up against me every day in practice.”
Talking Ball With Penn State Coaches
Even though Penn State’s coaching staff prioritizes building relationships with their incoming recruits, Woseley said he’s already trying to gain an edge at the next level, talking with associate head coach and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith about Penn State’s defensive sets.
Woseley also said he’d talk football with head coach James Franklin, breaking down his upcoming opponents during Imhotep’s season.
“Conversations with James Franklin, he’s always checking up on us every week. Just seeing how the week is going, who we played that week. During the season he was looking at who we played and what they were running, asking us football questions,” Woseley said. “James Franklin is a nice coach, I like following him. Going up there so many times, Penn State is a family oriented program. That’s what I like the most about them. They make sure that their players aren’t only good on the field, but off the field as well.”
