'09 PA TE Garry Gilliam (Penn State Verbal)

[GoRU]

'09 PA TE Garry Gilliam



Tight end
Hershey (PA) Milton Hershey School

Ht: 6-foot-7
Wt: 245 lbs
Bench max: 250 pounds
Squat max: 500 pounds
Vertical: 37 inches
Class: 2009 (High School)

Rivals $

5/29

Picked up offers from UConn, UVA, Akron, and Villanova. Visiting Penn State this weekend, and also planning to visit Pitt, Rutgers, UConn, and UVA.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

6/26

From BWI...camped at PSU and came back with an offer. Also picked up an offer from Pitt to go with offers from Connecticut, Virginia, Villanova, Temple and Akron.

[wadc45]

Rivals $

8/13

From BWI...made stops at Pitt, Penn State, Virginia and UConn this summer. has offers from Connecticut, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple and Virginia and wants to stay nearby, meaning he is focused on Virginia, Penn State and Pitt.

[GoRU]

PennLive.com's Printer-Friendly Page

Thanks to his third growth spurt in as many years, Gilliam is now 6-7 and weighs 260 pounds. Last year, he weighed 220.

And he's been clocked with 4.7 speed on that monster frame. No wonder he's so fast, considering his shoe size is a 17.

"I just keep filling out," said Gilliam, who was originally from Harrisburg but now lives in Chambersburg with his mother and has attended Milton Hershey for 10 years.

"Last year, Coach [Bob Guyer] sent out some tapes of me, and that's when it all started. It's not been that bad [the recruiting process]. I don't mind it."

A laid-back kid who is very quiet and humble, Gilliam doesn't fully understand the tremendous upside harnessed inside his massive frame.

That's probably because sports -- Gilliam also plays basketball, track and pitched for the baseball team a couple of years ago -- is something he does for fun.

"He's very raw as a football player, but it's his potential and versatility that strikes the college coaches when they see him," Guyer said.

"What I love about him is he's such a good kid and doesn't like to talk about himself that much. And he's an excellent student."

School is the real pilot light that ignites Gilliam's fire.

He's not too bad on the football field, either. Last season, he registered 70 tackles, 10 sacks and had a pair of interceptions from his defensive end position.

But when pressed on whether academics or athletics was his top priority, it didn't take him long to say "school" was more important.

That's probably why when the college football recruiting train started to gain steam after last season, Gilliam was mildly surprised.

"At first, it blindsided me. I didn't expect to get recruited," said Gilliam, a distinguished honors student who wants to study business and says science is probably his favorite subject.

"I just want to make sure I pick a school that fits me. Academics is my No. 1 priority."

Over the summer, Gilliam and his mom visited four schools -- Pittsburgh, Penn State, Connecticut and Virginia.

"He's such a physical specimen, but he could probably get an academic scholarship if he didn't play sports," Guyer said. "There plenty of offers, so he can pick a school that suits all his needs. That's a great luxury."

Gilliam grew up playing football -- he started at age 7. And it's always been his favorite sport. But at Milton Hershey, he had to wait until ninth grade to get back on the field. And since freshmen don't play at the varsity level, Gilliam really only has two years of experience.

"He's a very good football player, I know that," said Trinity coach Jeff Boger, who has a pair of Division I recruits on his roster and sent two others to the highest level in the past half-decade.

"You have to know where he was on the field at all times. He plays defensive end, so it's a little different than when they had [Penn State defensive lineman Abe Koroma].

"[Koroma] would just blow things up. With Gilliam, you just run away from him as much as possible. That's what we did. Plus, that kid can catch. With that frame and speed, there's no doubt about it, somebody is going to snatch him up."

[AustinScottistheone]

September 3rd, 2008:
ESPN.com - Paterno's age a non-factor for Smith, Gilliam

The 6-7, 260-pound Gilliam registered ten sacks during his junior season. He is playing both defensive end and tight end this season and has about ten scholarship offers.

"Penn State, Pitt, Virginia and Connecticut, I'm mostly looking at those four. I'll take official visits after the season, but I haven't scheduled any of them yet." When Gilliam makes an official visit to Penn State it will mark his third time there. "I liked it. Penn State is a good school."

[panther10]

Rivals $

11/10

Claims that his top remains the same with: Penn State, Pitt, Virginia, and Connecticut.....he wants to visit Penn State on Nov. 22 but has to check his schedule....his football season is over.

[PSU42Fan]

There are rumblings here...

[AustinScottistheone]

COMMIT. YAY...

Milton Hershey's Gilliam commits to PSU - Bob Flounders: On Penn State football - PennLive.com

Gilliam, a 6-7, 260-pound defensive end/tight end prospect, is the 20th verbal for PSU's 2009 class.

"Garry has felt pretty comfortable with Penn State as his choice for about the past week and that's the direction he's been leaning in,'' Guyer said. "He called Coach Paterno yesterday to tell him he was coming.''

[wadc45]

Thread title changed...

[AustinScottistheone]

Penn State has its 20th commitment in 6-foot-6, 250-pound Garry Gilliam of Milton Hersey.

He told Bucknuts.com's Bill Kurelic, "It was a hard decision. But it all came down to Penn State being the best fit for me and my family. I just felt most comfortable there. I like how the coaching staff runs the program and I like their morals."

[panther10]

http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com...asp?CID=876533
Q&A from BWI

[AustinScottistheone]

All-USA honors split between Florida, Texas and Hawaii - USATODAY.com

2nd team TE.

[AustinScottistheone]

Nittany Lion recruit named Class AA player of the year - Sports | Centre Daily

Associated Press Class AA first team all-state selection.

[AustinScottistheone]

Final PA Top 50 Signing Week Special: The state’s top prospects
By Chris Dokish

As always, this list was compiled after extensive interviews with college and high school coaches, as well as scouts and players. Special thanks to Joe Butler, founder of Metro Index Scouting and originator of the NFL scouting service, BLESTO, for his input.

This is not a list of the 50 best high school players in the state this year; it is a list of the 50 best college prospects in the state.

Very Good Prospect

19. Gary Gilliam, HersheySchool (Harrisburg) TE/DE- Came out of nowhere over the summer and raised eyebrows with his 6'7" 245 pound frame and very good athleticism. Has a very high ceiling and if it ever comes together for him, look out. Projects equally well at either position, but a 6'7" defensive end is a gift from God, so wherever he ends up, look for the school to definitely give him a look there. Also a good basketball player. Chose PENN STATE over Pitt, Virginia, UConn and Temple, among others. Bottom line: Doesn't get a lot of publicity, but a 6'7" 245 pound athlete is the kind of player you want to try to develop.

[AustinScottistheone]

Gilliam scores 42 as Milton Hershey advances - The Sports Blog with The Patriot-News

Garry Gilliam scored 42 points for Milton Hershey as the Spartans defeated Elco 84-76 in the District 3-AAA boys basketball preliminary round at Elco High School on Thursday night.

Milton Hershey will play Eastern York, the No. 2 seed, in Tuesday's Round of 16 at Dover High School at 6:30 p.m.

CONTINUED...