'09 VA OL Frank Figueroa (Penn State Verbal)

[wadc45]

Rivals Profile
Scout Profile

Alexandria (VA) Thomas A Edison

Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 282 lbs
Forty: 5.2 secs
Bench max: 275 pounds
Squat max: 410 pounds
GPA: 3.9

Rivals $

5/15

Committed to PSU. Was recruited by Larry Johnson, Sr.

Scout $

5/15

Committed to PSU. Frank's coach talks a little about his player. Was also hearing from Michigan State, Maryland, Virginia and William & Mary.

[immikefazz]

Wow. You guys are fast...

[FrankBooth]

WOW! Talk about off the radar -- no profiles at all yet.

I guess LJ Sr was down there beating the bushes and talking to coaches about who he should be looking at. I'll bet they know something the recruiting services don't.

[wadc45]

Black Shoe Diaries - Honoring Tradition Since 2008

Poor Frank Figueroa. The 6'4" 275 lb offensive lineman from Alexandria, VA had the Penn State message boards buzzing for about thirty minutes this morning when it was learned he committed to Penn State. Who is he? Where did he come from? Nobody knew he had an offer. Heck, nobody even knew he existed since Penn State appears to be his only offer. But his moment in the sun had come, and after about 30 minutes it was over as a bombshell hit the message boards. Eric Shrive is coming to Penn State.

Before we get to Shrive, let's give Mr. Figueroa his due. He was selected to his All Conference Team as a junior and his coach has a lot of great things to say about him.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

5/15

By Farrell...committed yesterday...talks about what went in to his decision and talks about where he projects at the next level.

Updated the first post in this thread as well...

[AustinScottistheone]

Offensive line receives boost | Altoona Mirror

The son of a U.S. Army officer who spent 26 years in the service, Figueroa didn’t take up tackle football until ninth grade because his family was always moving around or living abroad in countries where football wasn’t played.

He is a 6-4, 275-pound guard that Edison coach Vaughn Lewis said is equally adept at pass and run blocking in the Eagles’ spread offense and carries a 3.9 GPA in his core courses.

‘‘With his work ethic and ability, he’s going to be an outstanding college football player,’’ Lewis said. ‘‘He has a lot of potential.’’

Figueroa is entering his third year as a starter. Originally a tackle, Lewis said Figueroa’s intelligence would allow him to play any position on the line, but Figueroa told the Mirror Penn State has him ticketed to play guard.

“When you think of Penn State, you always think of academics and of its tradition, football-wise,’’ Figueroa said. “I always loved football.’’

[PSU42Fan]

Looks like a great offer and a kid who can really play. The OL is pretty much set, unless we can grab one more OT (which we might be looking to do).

[immikefazz]

Originally Posted by PSU42Fan

Looks like a great offer and a kid who can really play. The OL is pretty much set, unless we can grab one more OT (which we might be looking to do).

I agree. If they can score someone like Xavier Nixon or another super prospect, they should grab him. If not, this OL class is pretty solid as it stands.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

8/20

From BWI...talks about two-a-days and preparing for his senior season...says he is 100% after suffering a concussion during practice and keeps in touch with LJ, Sr.

[panther10]

http://bwi.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=872822
Team made playoffs....won all district honors for the second year in a row...but hyperextended his elbow...he has to miss the next game

[AustinScottistheone]

Morelli OnLion: Race for Reserve

Frank Figureroa could be an underrated member of the Class of 2009.
(Photo courtesy of Blue White Illustrated).

Class of 2009: Frank Figueroa
Sometimes, being an unkown is a good thing.

Frank Figueroa was a literal unknown when he committed to Penn State last spring. There’s no getting around it, the Nittany Lions’ newest verbal wasn’t even a part of the Rivals.com database on May 15.

But the 6-foot-4, 282-pound prospect had held a written offer in hand for about two months before making his decision, and he quickly made a name for himself as the Nittany Lions’ sixth verbal commitment.

“I went up to a junior day up there on March 1, I believe, and that is where coach Johnson gave me the offer,” Figueroa said in his post-commitment interview. “Then, after that, I got to go up there for a spring practice, and I got to talk to coach Paterno more, and spent a lot of time with coach Anderson looking at the offensive guard position and centers. I went ahead and committed.”

Figueroa had offers from North Carolina and William and Mary, and also was picking up interest from Rutgers and Virginia, but decided to go ahead and commit before his recruitment could go any further.

He said that a Penn State degree was too tough to pass up.

“The main thing was definitely education. Their education is definitely top of the line,” Figueroa said. “They had what I want to study, which was a big thing. I either want to study business or criminal justice, and both of their departments are really good in both aspects. I know that education is just as important, actually more important, than football.

“The other thing was the coaching staff. It felt like a family — everyone knows everyone at Penn State. The coaches were real nice, and it just felt right. I had that feeling that it was where I wanted to go.”

He was selected first team All-National District for the second year in a row, and was a Washington Post all-Metro honorable mention. As a junior, he also earned Washington Post all-league honors.

In addition to lining up at right guard for the 12-1 Eagles, Figueroa carried the ball twice for 8 yards this season, including a touchdown run.