Wendy Laurent, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Stats
Home/HS: Princeton, NJ/The Hun School
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 285
Starz 'n Sheetz
Stars: 3* (247Sports, Scout), NR (Rivals)
Offer sheet: UMass, Navy, Buffalo, Delaware
Cinema
The Tale
Coach Mac McWhorter is wasting no time in trying to keep his offensive line as stocked as possible, as he extended an offer to Laurent in mid-January, prompting Laurent's visit the weekend of January 21. He doesn't have the offer sheet that most would prefer, but again, given the circumstances surrounding this year's recruitment, Laurent will be a great addition this late in the game.
Outlook
Promised a look on either side of the ball, Laurent is being targeted for McWhorter's o-line (though, let's be honest, what LJ wants, LJ gets). He could go inside or outside at this point, but putting on some mass in a collegiate weight program is priority number one. At a listed 6'4", he really is a versatile lineman, sitting right on the cusp of a tall guard and a short tackle. Whether or not he actually stands that tall is another story.
As we've covered many times here, projecting linemen is the hardest thing to do when it comes to recruiting. So Laurent could end up being the next three-year starter for Penn State. Until he gets into camp and starts playing some smashmouth football with DaQuan Jones and others, we'll just have to say...Welcome to Penn State, Wendy!
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1 recs | 40 comments
He's certainly tearing it up in the highlight vid.
I like!!
linuxdood - January 25, 2012
Welcome to PSU Mr. Laurent!
PSUkool-aidRAGE - January 25, 2012
Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid
But the meanest thing that he ever did
Was before he left, he went and named me
SueWendy.jman07 - January 25, 2012
He seems to move a lot quicker than a 6'4" 284 lbs young man.
emccomb1 - January 25, 2012
Agree...
His speed jumped out… to my untrained eye, he looks more like a DL then a OL even tho he had a bunch of pancake blocks.
PSU_Ovaltine68 - January 25, 2012 via mobile
He'll get a look on both sides.
I’m pretty sure McWhorter is targeting him for the interior OL, and I"m not sure where LJSr. is looking at him, if anywhere, as of yet.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
perhaps a solid pulling guard?
Two things stuck out to me: he seemed very smart and situationally aware (highlighted by the handoff/pitch to his teammate while running back a fumble) and he had a very high motor. Drove through guys and put them on the ground on offense and defense. The level of competition probably wasn’t as good as others, but those two things can always help a guy improve and play at a high level.
skarocksoi - January 25, 2012
He played all three offensive line positions in high school.
So he’s got that going for him. The knock that I’m hearing, which is the same with most recruits coming out of less populated areas, is that he needs to work on technique. In high school, he was likely able to get by with pushing people around. At Penn State, that isn’t going to be good enough against a complex blitz package from Ohio State or Wisconsin.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
yeah
though thats most Oline kids that come in I think. A lot of them are just big kids who can push the smaller kids around. With a reshirt year and maybe a couple more on the bench, I would think he’d be ready to come in and start, and the smarts and drive will certainly help make that sooner rather than later.
skarocksoi - January 25, 2012
Good, then he will have no problem when he switches positions 42 times during his tenure
/old regime’d
jrock4 - January 25, 2012
He looks really quick off the snap on defense.
icavalera - January 25, 2012
Welcome!
FB6244 - January 25, 2012
Wendy?
This is a Boy Named Sue sort of thing, right?
WFY - January 25, 2012
Wow, usually highlight videos dont rile me up very much
but i think I watched the first play where he broke up the option by basically intercepting the pitch like 5 times. At 0:49 he blocks some kid like Michael Oher in the Blind Side. and I dont mean the way Oher actually blocked him, I mean like the movie version block, the one that comedically overemphasized for effect. at 2:50 he basically blocks two guys to the ground and then just stands there while the QB runs by cause there is no one left.
My favorite play is at (ironically) 0:55 when he rips the ball out of the RBs hand, “sprints” down the field, and hands it off to a faster DB for the touchdown. That play shows to me that he may not only be a manchild beast, but also has awareness of the field and the game around him.
I dont know how good the football is in that area of Jersey, but color me impressed.
I know its jumping the gun but I hope one day i get to yell at the screen “WENDY SMASH!!!”
swiggy04 - January 25, 2012
I thought this exact same thing the first time I wathed the video.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
Mmmmm
I want a number 6 with a small chili to dip the sandwich in.
Then again, that first play for the touchdown also makes me want a baconator.
May even have to splurge on a frosty.
FB_Dive_or_Bust - January 25, 2012
I bet HBeach really likes this recruit
skarocksoi - January 25, 2012
is it possible that wendy is short for wendall?
jrock4 - January 25, 2012
I've never seen it anywhere as anything other than Wendy.
I suppose it’s possible, but unfortunately I don’t have access to his W-2.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
Then what are we paying you for?!?
jrock4 - January 25, 2012
Eye candy.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
Wow
Compare this to the Jarron Jones/Tommy Schutt videos of them in the interior. I understand those guys are playing tougher competition, but he looks like he’s playing against eight graders.
Great speed for a big man too.
jls83 - January 25, 2012
Wendy? Does he have a brother named Lisa?
icavalera - January 25, 2012
Not sure if this was intentional because you list him as an OL,
but Rivals does list him as a two star, but as a DT.
PSUinBOSSton - January 25, 2012
Coach McWhorter recruited him, and is targeting him on the interior.
Is it possible he ends up a DT? Yes. But for now, he’s an OL recruit.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
No, I understand that.
I was just talking about how you listed him as NR on Rivals. I wasn’t sure if that is because Rivals lists him as a DT, or you just missed it.
PSUinBOSSton - January 25, 2012
Oh, that refers to his star rating.
NR = Not Rated, unless he’s since been assessed a rating and I missed it.
Jeff Junstrom - January 25, 2012
i think hes saying he is a 2 star recruit on rivals
but as a DT. So your listing as NR is accurate from a OL standpoint, but that could be because he is only rated as a DT.
swiggy04 - January 25, 2012
Wendy - from our friends at Wikipedia...
In Britain, Wendy appeared as a boy’s name in the 1881 census of England.
However, its popularity as a girl’s name is attributed to the character Wendy Darling from the 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy by J. M. Barrie.123 The name was inspired by young Margaret Henley, daughter of Barrie’s friend W. E. Henley. With the common childhood difficulty pronouncing Rs, Margaret reportedly used to call him ‘my fwiendy-wendy’.
Various Chinese rulers have held the name and title Emperor Wen, which in Chinese is read Wen(-)di (文帝).
rahpsu92 - January 25, 2012
I have a sister named Wendy
jman07 - January 25, 2012
i have a stomach full of Wendys
swiggy04 - January 25, 2012
Holy crap that statement has never been more gross.
WorldBFat - January 25, 2012
or gratifying
swiggy04 - January 25, 2012
for Wendy
WorldBFat - January 25, 2012
I never had to ask "Wheres the Beef?"
swiggy04 - January 25, 2012
I like that Navy recruited him
Shows that they think he’s quick and has good academics and discipline. I can’t blame him for not wanting to join the navy.
reedjohnmiller - January 25, 2012
Welcome Wendy!
Well, now the Chick-Filet Bowl will have another reason to boycott PSU for the next 4-5 years; but that’s fine with me — there’s already enough chicken on the BoT!
OlderBudweiser - January 25, 2012
Both Bench and he
I have been impressed in terms of their tape. I think both of these guys are a bit under the radar we will see in time
ReddWhitenBlue - January 25, 2012
this kid looks like a gamer
welcome aboard
tlrpsu - January 25, 2012
Did I read somewhere
that Laurent wasn’t born in the USA?
Possibly in the Caribbean somewhere? That might explain his unique first name.
I
VoiceOfTheNavigators - January 27, 2012
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