Penn State commit Conrad Hussey: T-Frank's Film Room

Penn State got a welcome surprise at the end of April in a commitment from safety Conrad Hussey. The three-star St. Thomas Aquinas product chose the Nittany Lions after an official visit at the beginning of the month in a rapid recruitment. So what are the Nittany Lions getting in the 6-0, 190-pound defensive back? Finally, we’ll discuss where he might fit with the Nittany Lions at the next level. 

Conrad Hussey: Strengths

Movement Skills: It’s not just one area of athleticism that Hussey shows on tape. It’s all of them. Burst, straight-line speed, mobility, and agility are all present in his movement skills. Hussey uses them to jet around the field in the St. Thomas defense, which is similar to Penn State’s under new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. 

In this defense, Hussey plays in the slot, in a deep half, free safety, and at the edge of the box. He shows great range in each position to stay with receivers in and has the burst to cover ground in a deep zone. This versatility makes him an excellent prospect for the Nittany Lions. 

More on Hussey: Three things we learned about Penn State recruiting in April

Hands and Body Control: Hussey doesn’t just have a nose for the ball; he has a flair for the dramatic. His body control and hands at the catch point produce some jaw-dropping interceptions. As long as his physical skills continue to progress on their current path, Hussey can be a defensive weapon in the secondary that plays more like a receiver than a defensive back.

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Coverage instincts: When you roll the movement and ball skills together, you have a player with great ability. Yet, while hands and movement skills are great, defenders still need the vision and confidence to break on passes. Hussey showed that routinely for St. Thomas. While you can’t predict that a player will do the same in the future because turnovers are unpredictable, Hussey has something that makes it seem like he’s going to be around the ball quite a bit.

Areas of Development

Tackling: Unfortunately, as a junior, Hussey doesn’t play like a safety that is close to 200 pounds. His tackling ranges from adequate to downright bad in certain games. It’s actually to the point that there’s a possibility that Hussey was playing with some injury last season. He did go down for a series or two in St. Thomas’s first game against St. Frances with lower-body injury. He also misses large stretches of games throughout the season. While the evidence is there, it’s important not to speculate. 

Either way, Hussey wasn’t a great tackler at any point on film. He doesn’t seem interested in contact and seemingly looks for reasons not to engage the ball carrier. To play safety at the next level, especially in Diaz’s defense, safeties have to play bigger than their size at all times. A lack of tenacity will not work. 

Man coverage: There’s something that is an unknown more than a flaw in every evaluation. St. Thomas runs almost exclusively zone coverage, so Hussey wasn’t asked to stay with a single receiver long enough to evaluate. That’s almost impressive given how much he lined up as a slot corner. Again, playing safety for Manny Diaz means playing a lot of single coverage against slot receivers. His movement skills should make this a no-brainer. 

Pursuit angles: Makeup speed is excellent, but using it to chase down a player that got free because of a poor angle is less than ideal. There are times on film that Hussey doesn’t take great angles to the football in support from the slot or deep coverage. While this isn’t a huge problem, it is notable.  

Projection at Penn State

Boundary Corner: Hussey’s movement and ball skills are more corner-like than safety. While there’s not a verified 40-time, his unofficial 4.40 isn’t outlandish. He may not have elite speed on that level, but his game speed is excellent. Hussey is an outstanding athlete and is already big enough to play on the boundary in Penn State’s defense. His ball skills are something you want near the football at all times, and playing outside gives him a chance to make plays. He might be a rare conversion for Penn State to move inside out instead of the other way around. 

Field Safety: There’s not much difference between a slot corner and a field safety in Diaz’s defense. Players that line up in the secondary need to be able to play multiple roles for the defense, including single coverage in off-man situations. Hussey already plays in a defense with a similar structure, down to how the coverage rotates pre and post-snap. His tackling, physicality, and pursuit angles will need to improve no matter where he lines up. 

But really, when it comes down to it, you want a defender that can take the ball away from the offense. So far, that’s Hussey’s calling card, and it’s a skill you love to have on your team.