Penn State Football Recruiting: DB Tariq Castro-Fields Signs With Nittany Lions
By Marty Leap
Four-star defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields has signed with Penn State
Penn State head coach James Franklin has to be thrilled at finally receiving the letter of defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields. Expected to commit to the Nittany Lions a few weeks ago, Castro-Fields decided to postpone his decision until National Signing Day.
Castro-Fields is one of five defensive backs in Penn State’s 2017 recruiting class. Cornerback Lamont Wade was an early enorllee and is already on campus. Safety Jonathan Sutherland and cornerbacks D.J. Brown and Donovan Johnson will enroll with Castro-Fields in June.
Penn State won the battle for Castro-Fields over the likes of Alabama and Maryland. He also held offers from Michigan State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin, among others. In the end, his decision came down to Penn State and Maryland.
Tariq Castro-Fields is a native of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and attends Riverdale Baptist High School. Nittany Lion redshirt freshman cornerback Zech McPhearson is a former high school teammate of Castro-Fields.
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One thing that Penn State fans should have learned from their heartbreaking defeat in the Rose Bowl is that one area this team needs to improve in order to take the next step is in the secondary. While the Nittany Lions have talent in the secondary, they still lack the talent needed to stop quarterbacks like Sam Darnold. Castro-Fields is the type of defensive back needed to defeat elite quarterbacks like Darnold.
Tariq Castro-Fields will bring a unique skill set to Happy Valley. At six-foot-one, 180 pounds he possesses great size. This will allow him to play either cornerback or safety in Brent Pry’s defense.
Castro-Fields does a great job of popping his hips to turn and run in coverage with receivers. He also has the speed and athleticism to be able to cover just about any wide receiver he will face at the collegiate level.
He also has great ball skills and moves extremely smoothly in his backpedal. And this should only continue to improve with time as he becomes more comfortable in his backpedal.
One area he needs to work at is jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. Due to his size, this is something that Castro-Fields should excel at with time. When a defensive back possesses the size and strength of Castro-Fields it should be extremely difficult for wide receivers to get off the line of scrimmage against them.
Penn State’s 2017 defensive back haul is one of the best I have ever seen. Each of their five defensive backs bring a different skill set to the equation. Additionally, wide receiver Cameron Sullivan-Brown could end up at safety as well.
Next: Penn State National Signing Day 2017 Tracker
With Castro-Fields on board, Penn State’s class finishes with 21 commitments. It checks in as the 14th best in the country according to the composite rankings of 247 Sports. You can watch his film of Castro-Fields here. Welcome to Happy Valley, Tariq!