Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
2 6 M A R C H 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / On July 15, Birchmeier decided he didn't have to wait around any longer and committed to James Franklin and the Penn State staff. Sometimes, that's not the last word. Birchmeier was still a rising junior at the time, and there were plenty of op- portunities for schools to swoop in if the window was open. Birchmeier and his family made sure that wasn't the case. "It's like anything else in life. You can make the process as simple as you want to make it, or you can make it as dif- ficult as you want to make it," Franklin said after receiving Birchmeier's signa- ture this past December. "Alex Birchmeier was one of the most highly recruited guys in our class, and I've literally never had a kid and the parents say, 'Do not come and see us at the school, do not come to games. We're good, we're solid, we're commit- ted. You don't have to worry about us. Go recruit other players.' "We still did it, because we thought it was the right thing to do. But he made his decision. He stuck to his process. He never wavered. … At the end of the day, we're very, very happy and very, very pleased that he's committed to Penn State." Birchmeier was seemingly born for this. His father, Matt, played football at Ohio University. His uncle Mark played at Michigan State, and cousin Drew played for Vanderbilt. His older brother John wrestled at Navy and was an NCAA Tournament qualifier in 2021. Alex could have taken the wrestling route as well. He was a two-time state champion in Virginia and could have gone for a third title at 285 pounds as a senior but instead opted to enroll at Penn State for the spring semester. His 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame makes him suitable for any of the five positions on the offensive line, and his athletic background made him an easy choice as a top-100 prospect by all four major recruiting services. He also has a personality that leads him to seek out challenges. "I love competition," Birchmeier said. "If you put anything into a com- petition format, it'll probably make me work twice as hard. I don't know what it is, but whenever workouts become competitive, it just takes things up a notch for me." While he finished as the No. 3 inte- rior offensive line prospect in the On3 Consensus for the class of 2023, Birch- meier will start his Penn State career at tackle. He's been joined on campus this spring by fellow offensive line recruits J'ven Williams and Anthony Donkoh, and Williams is expected to get a look at tackle, too. "I think Birchmeier could play cen- ter, guard or tackle based on where our roster is right now," Franklin said. "I'd love to be able to start Birchmeier and J'ven at tackle to see if they can do it. Tackles are the hardest guys to find. They both have the length and athleti- cism to do it." Early feedback on Birchmeier has been overwhelmingly positive from the Penn State staff. While the Nittany Lions are returning three tackles with starting experience from 2022 in junior Olumuyiwa Fashanu, redshirt senior Caedan Wallace and sophomore Drew Shelton, Birchmeier could be the rare true freshman who makes an appear- ance in the rotation. ■ OL | 6-5 | 285 Broad Run High Ashburn, Va. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Consensus HHHH 56 3 1 On3 HHHH 74 4 2 ESPN HHHH 76 4 1 Rivals HHHH 40 2 1 247Sports HHHH 83 3 2 Statistics • Helped pave the way for a 13-2 record and a state runner-up finish as a junior in 2021 Notable • Named a two-time team captain • Was a first-team Class 4 all-state choice as a junior and senior • Washington Post All-Metro and all-region selection as a junior in 2021, and honorable mention All-Metro as a senior • Invited to the Under Armour All-American Game and the All-American Bowl • Wrestled for three years at Broad Run and won two Class 4 state championships at 285 Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on July 15, 2021 • Recruited by running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein • Picked Penn State over Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State • Officially visited on June 17, 2022 2023 Projection Birchmeier enrolled in January and imme- diately impressed the coaching staff with his athletic testing numbers and work ethic. Penn State will start him out at offensive tackle in the spring and see if he can make a dent in the two-deep right away. Birchmeier is one of those rare offensive linemen with the ability to play as a true freshman. They Said It Former Broad Run head coach Matt Griffis: "On the field, he's just a real explosive, physical kid with a mean streak to him, and he finishes blocks really well. He's exactly what you want in an O-lineman. During the work- week, he's a really hard worker, he pushes himself, he pushes his teammates, and he's always striving to get better. He's a blue-collar kid. He's a special kid. When it comes to high school, he's phenomenal, but when he gets to college, the bar will rise, and he'll rise to the occasion." BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "When he latches onto players, he can maul them. It's not just that he's strong; he wants to finish opposing players. You can see the raw power and strength in his frame. He's big, fast and physical, with no deficiencies that are appar- ent on film. "One of the areas where this all comes to- gether is with his ability to pull block. You can see just how athletic he is as a guard and how well he moves for his size." T H E B I R C H M E I E R F I L E "I love competition. If you put anything into a competition format, it'll probably make me work twice as hard." B I R C H M E I E R