Recruit rewind: Bulked-up Vaboue Toure hopes to impress in his first Penn State spring practice

Blue-White Illustrated’s recruit rewind series continues with a look at another Class of 2024 Penn State early enrollee, Vaboue Toure. He arrived at 200 pounds and is already up to 209 as his first set of spring practices continue.

Vaboue Toure
Safety
6-1, 209
Irvington High School
Pleasantville, N.J

Rankings	Stars	National	Position	State
On3 Industry	****	332	27	5
On3	****	275	24	5
ESPN	****	245	24	4
Rivals	***	NR	63	9
247Sports	***	NR	46	5

High school resume and recruiting process

Statistics

–Recorded 90 tackles, a punt return touchdown and eight rushing touchdowns as a senior.
–Had 89 tackles, four interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, both returned for  touchdowns, as a junior. 
–Posted 40 tackles, a sack, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries as a sophomore.
–Made 20 tackles and threw a touchdown as a freshman. 

Notable

–Won conference championship, sectional championship and regional championship as a  sophomore. 
–Led Irvington to a record of 33-12 over four seasons.
–Was a captain as a senior. 

Recruitment

–Committed to Penn State on July 16, 2023
–Recruited by Anthony Poindexter
–Picked Penn State over Kentucky and Rutgers. 
–Officially visited on June 9, 2023

Penn State projection and T-Frank film room analysis

Projection

Toure was a productive high school player who is getting a jump start on his college career after enrolling early. His versatility at the prep level, where he played offense and defense, should help him in the Big Ten. But, despite arriving in January, Toure still needs to add weight and refine his technique, which will lead to a redshirt season in year one, in all likelihood. 

They Said It

Irvington Head Coach Smoke Pierre: “Vaboue is a young man that brings physicality and toughness to  anyone’s defense. He prides himself on leading by example on and off the field. Vaboue enjoys being  coached tough and enjoys the process of becoming a better person. Penn State is getting a humble  human being that enjoys conquering everything the world has to offer. He has gained those traits from  his hard-working parents who have showed Vaboue the value of resilience, hard work and dedication,  which he carries with him every day.”

T-Frank evaluation

Toure has the skills and potential to play both the field and boundary safety positions within the Penn State defense. Once he gets in the system and learns to play in single coverage, his game should open up. With great burst and potential as a coverage defender, Toure should see some time at field safety. He’s got some technique and speed work to do before you’d put him in single coverage against a slot receiver or receiving tight end. But with work, he can be the versatile defender to play wherever you want him.

Recapping Vaboue Toure’s path to Penn State

Vaboue Toure followed the path of many high school recruits who came before him to Penn State. The Nittany Lions like big-bodied defenders in the secondary who have plenty of speed and showed they are capable of playing both sides of the ball at the prep level.

The Pleasantville, N.J., native put all of that on tape and more at Irvington High School. While there, he scored touchdowns via a pass, a run, a punt return, and fumble recoveries. He was a pest for opponents to guard on offense and always in their face on defense, which led to 240 tackles, six interceptions, and multiple forced turnovers over four years. Now fourth-year Penn State safeties coach and co-defensive Anthony Poindexter realized early on that Toure would be one of his top targets in the Class of 2024. The Lions offered in March of 2022.

By then, Toure had numerous Power Five offers after picking up his first one from Pittsburgh in April of 2021. The nearly year-long delay in joining the race for Toure’s services did not hinder Penn State’s chances of landing the 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive back. He would go on to visit campus eight times, four times before committing and four times afterward. No other school hosted him more than four times, and that was in-state Rutgers. And, only Kentucky also welcomed him for an official visit. Thus, the signs were long pointing toward Toure eventually pulling the trigger and committing to head coach James Franklin’s program long before he finally did in June of 2023. His official visit during that same month helped seal the deal.

More: Penn State football spring practice primer: Cornerbacks

“Me and family loved the way Coach [James] Franklin and the staff respected us in a great manner and really made it hard for us to not enjoy the experience,” Toure told BWI. “My parents and I loved the way Coach Franklin prioritized education and graduating with a degree. 

“What I enjoyed most about the visit was getting to sit down and chop up my film and some game film with Coach Poindexter. One thing that stood out to me was the new weight room, simply because I had never seen it before. It amazed me.”

Much about Penn State amazed Toure, and vice versa. The defensive back is an outlet in the On3 Industry Rankings for his class. While he carries a four-star ranking overall, the industry sees him as the nation’s No. 332 player and No. 27 player in the cycle. On3, however, has him inside of the top 300 at No. 275 nationally and as the No. 25 safety.

More: Recapping a busy PSU Pro Day

“What impressed me about Vaboue Toure, was just the physicality he played with as a senior,” On3 director of scouting Charles Power told BWI. “He was very active. He’s a striker. When you’re watching DBs, especially in this cycle, I found myself wanting to see more guys who play with a physical edge and Toure certainly did that. I think he closes quickly. He’s really effective playing downhill. He’s tough and physical, and a guy who plays fast. 

“I could see him making an impact on special teams early in his career, at the minimum, and then kind of seeing where he settles into Penn State’s secondary. But I really like the attitude and physicality he plays with.”

Toure is one of 16 players who came to Penn State in January. It will speed his development but still may not lead to a role this fall. But, enough talent exists for him to have one before long.

“At his best, [Toure will] be a difference-making run defender as a safety with the potential range to play as a split-field defender,” BWI film analyst Thomas Frank Carr writes. “But make no mistake, Toure is a downhill menace in the run game and beware if you cross his zone as a recevier.”