Dan Connor gave a direct answer when asked what current Penn State linebacker reminds him the most of himself.
It would be unfair to expect any Penn State linebacker to replicate what Connor did in Happy Valley.
Simply put, Connor is one of the best linebackers to ever do it at the place christened “Linebacker University.”
He was a two-time first-team All-American, the 2007 recipient of the Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year) and holds the Penn State record for career tackles (nobody who started their career after Connor graduated is within 125 tackles of this mark).
But as far as how they approach the game, true freshman Alex Tatsch is the guy who reminds Connor the most of himself.
MIND STRONG, BODY STRONG
Connor started to speak highly of Tastch before I asked him which player reminded him the most of himself.
When asked about Penn State’s depth at linebacker behind starters Amare Campbell, Tony Rojas and Dom DeLuca, Tatsch was the only true freshman Connor mentioned.
“Alex Tatsch hopefully can get some reps these coming weeks,” Connor said.
Later on in the Zoom call, Connor reflected on what impressed him about Tatsch, dating back to when he first started recruiting him out of Latrobe High School in the Pittsburgh Area.
“Alex was a really impressive high school player,” he said. “I mean, the first time I saw his film, he was an under-the-radar guy early in his junior year, and it just jumped out to me how physical he is, how athletic he is, and how big and strong.”
But more so than the physical aspect, it’s the mental game that sticks out to Connor about Tatsch.
“What’s impressive about him is the mental aspect and how much he cares to learn,” Connor said. “He’s almost like Tony, very hard on himself, has a really high standard for himself and pushes himself to learn it. So going through the kinks, through spring, summer, training camp, you’re starting to see it click for a lot of these younger guys. But Tatsch, in particular, he’s starting to click mentally. Once it clicks mentally, then they can play free. They can play similar to how they played in high school, where you’re watching him just use his instincts and react instead of having to think through assignments.”
Overall, Tatsch is a guy Connor feels has it all.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“He is big, he’s strong, he’s powerful and he can run,” Connor said. “So he has pretty much all the tools and he’s sharp and he continues to learn. So I’m really excited with his progress, and just like everyone else, we’re striving to get better, and if we can improve a little bit every day, we’re going to be happy.”
THIS IS HOW YOU REMIND ME
So how does Tatsch remind Connor of his younger self?
Well, for one, Tatsch did a spot-on impersonation of Connor at Penn State’s “rookie show,” which is probably exactly how it sounds.
But for Connor, the similarities go beyond mannerisms.
“He’s wired the same way I was at that age,” Connor said. “He’s probably a lot more mature than I was, but it’s similar wiring to what Tony has. I was incredibly hard on myself. I was highly competitive. I wanted to be not just the best on the team. I wanted to be the best linebacker in the country, and that was the goal through my whole process. It’s nothing I would say out loud or talk about, but I had my mind set on that. A lot of the guys have that similar trait, but there’s something with Tatsch that does remind me of a younger version of me, aside from the fact he looks like me and acts like me somehow. It’s kinda creepy. But he has some of the traits where it’s similar.
Obviously, he’s significantly more athletic, bigger, stronger, faster and better at football,” Connor said. “But similar to me.”
If Tatsch or any other LB ends up being “significantly better at football” than Dan Connor, Penn State fans are in for a treat.
In any case, it sounds like we might be seeing more of Tatsch quite soon.
No. 2 Penn State hosts Villanova this Saturday at 3:30 on FS1.
