Interview: Massive 2018 Iowa OT Sean Boles Gives Insight to Penn Verbal Commitment
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
A big recruiting mistake was made at the Division-I level among the Power Five and Group of Five Conference programs highlighted by an announcement on Wednesday seeing Class of 2018 offensive tackle Sean Boles verbally commit to the University of Pennsylvania. As life goes on the recruiting trail, the Quakers win is everyone else’s loss.
Boles played his junior season at 6-6, 305 pounds, punishing Iowa competition on the strong-side helping Van Meter High School to an 11-1 record. The Bulldogs get their anchor on the line back for his senior season, but perhaps with a bigger chip on his shoulder. Boles has muscled up over the off-season adding 10 pounds to his frame taking his dedication in the weight room to another level. Already a road-grader on the line, Boles has also pushed his overall blocking abilities to another level working intently on fine-tuning his craft leading into his senior season.
In early January, Boles had already secured offers from Dartmouth, Penn, and Yale with interest coming in from Stanford along with in-state programs Iowa State, Iowa, and Northern Iowa among others. The offer sheet grew to eight adding Brown, Cornell, Colombia, Princeton, and the University of Virginia. The curious and hopeful programs are now in the backseat with UPenn leading the way on Boles.
In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I sat down with one of the top recruits in the state of Iowa getting insight to how Penn won his verbal commitment.
Interview
Sean, congratulations on your commitment to Penn.
“Thank you.”
Ahead of your commitment, which college camps did you attend this summer?
“I competed at a Stanford camp (June 22-23) and watched camps at Penn, Princeton and Yale. I had a nagging ankle injury kept me from performing at the Ivy League camps.”
How did the Stanford camp go for you?
“It went alright. The ankle injury limited me. I injured it at an Under Armour Camp. It was good to catch up with Ivy League coaches at the Stanford camp. It was a conducive camp for me.”
You visited Penn, Yale, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Minnesota this off-season, what set Penn apart from the other programs?
“I think the coaching staff is excellent at Penn. I could not speak any higher of them. They put a lot of time into me and showed genuine care. Their head coach, Coach (Ray) Priore, called me multiple times to find out what information I wanted from them to help make my decision. All the coaches are very friendly people. I felt comfortable around them. The Wharton School of Business, that is a fantastic program. They are the only Ivy League school to offer an under graduate business program.”
You had a slew of interest this spring and summer, which teams were showing interest in you before your commitment?
“Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, Air Force, Notre Dame, Miami of Ohio, UNI, NIU, and Mizzou (Missouri) along with all the Ivy Leagues.”
You touched on the staff and the business program, were there any other deciding factors that led you to commit to Penn?
“I felt like I would have to work for my playing time. That is something I wanted. I like their strength program. I did not get to meet their trainer, he was training Seal Team 6. That was pretty cool. He knows his stuff. The food at Penn was another factor. Food – that is important for a lineman.
When it came down to it – Penn has a fantastic coaching staff. I feel that they can help develop me to be the player I want to be in college. I really connected with Coach Priore. I like his attention to detail. That stuck with me.”
When did you notify the staff of your commitment?
“Sunday afternoon (July 16).”
Was there anything with the timing of your commitment?
“The process was exciting but it was also stressful. It took up a lot of time. I called all the programs that were recruiting me on Sunday out of curtesy letting them know about my decision. The reason to commit now, so I can focus on having a really good senior season and provide a better leadership role to my team during the season.”
Which Penn coach did you notify first?
“My recruiting coach, Coach Jeff Smart (outside linebackers). I thought it fair to let him know first. He was 70 to 80 percent of their recruiting effort with me. Then I called the head coach, Coach Priore, to tell him.”
How did Coach Smart respond to your commitment?
“He was very excited. There was a lot of relief. It was a good time on the phone between us. I wasn’t very obvious with what I was thinking ahead of my commitment. I did not want to lead any schools along. It was a big surprise for Penn when I committed.”
Which position are they looking at trying you out at first?
“Their offensive line coach, Coach (Joe) Johnson, explained it to me as modular process. It is most convenient as a freshman to start off playing guard and then develop into a tackle. Guard is more mental, tackle is more technical. Ultimately tackle is the position they want me to play.”
Are you going to start recruiting guys to join you at Penn?
“Actually, I’ve been going around looking at players that are interested in the Ivy League. I feel that is a productive use of time. I smile when they say they are a business major. There is a lot I can talk about with the Ivy Leagues, I know the schools well.”
Did any other Class of 2018 recruits help push you to commit to Penn?
“To be honest, I did reach out to commits from each school before I committed. I wanted to see how their process went. I was trying to get a feel for it. In short, I felt the UPenn commits had an experience that aligned with mine. Ultimately, I feel I made the right decision. I spoke with guys on the team as well. The actual players will tell the truth.”
Have you set your official visit date to Penn yet?
“No, not yet.”
What are you going to do to celebrate your commitment if you haven’t celebrated already?
“I think we are going to have a nice dinner. Today (Wednesday) it is mostly a family thing. Tomorrow I might go out with my friends. I’m going to take a little break to recoup from the recruiting process.”
Sean, thanks for your time today and good luck with the upcoming season.
“Thank you.”
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Photo credit: recruitingnewsguru.com Sean Boles (Jan. 2017)