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Watch: Was Blake Belin the best pass rusher at the Penn State White Out camp?

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•06/28/23•

ThomasFrankCarr

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Defensive lineman Blake Belin from Cardinal Hayes in New York. (Credit: Ryan Snyder/Blue White Illustrated)

While the focus is on the Penn State recruiting Class of 2024, it’s never too early to look for new talent in the years ahead. Today we look at the work Cardinal Hayes defensive tackle Blake Belin put together at the Penn State White Out Camp. The 6-1, 275-pound rising junior from the Bronx doesn’t have an offer from the Nittany Lions yet, but he has seven scholarship offers. He’s also drawn interest from Penn State and Notre Dame so far. 

Check out how his highlights from Saturday’s camp in Happy Valley. If you haven’t yet, subscribe to Blue White Illustrated on YouTube.

Belin stands out as best interior defensive lineman at Penn State camp

Here’s BWI’s assessment of Belin after the event.

Belin put in a lot of good work during the individual pass-rushing drills, getting the best of Carroll and Brewer several times. He’s not the biggest body in the world, but at 6-1, he still has good reach and uses his hands well. The 2025 Cardinal Hayes defensive lineman is another to keep your eye on for the next recruiting cycle.

Belin actually performed better than this initial assessment upon review. He was the hardest defensive lineman to block for the top linemen at the camp. He even got the best of Penn State commit Cooper Cousins on a few pass rushes. 

The up-and-coming defensive tackle was the primary defender of choice by the Penn State coaching staff to challenge the interior offensive lineman at the camp on Saturday. He drew praise from defensive line coach Deion Barnes for his hand usage and technique during the one-on-one drills. 

As with several Penn State defensive tackle prospects in the region for 2024, Belin’s biggest drawback is his height. At 6-1, does he have the size to hold up on the interior of a Big Ten defensive line? Does he have the frame to grow into the proper proportions for a penn State defensive tackle? While his pass-rushing skills were evident on Saturday, his run-defense skills and overall game are also necessary to understand. 

Currently, Belin is unranked in the Class of 2025. Right now, Temple leads the RPM calculation with a 19.5% chance to land Belin, followed by UConn at 17.1%, Syracuse at 14.6%, and Maryland at 12.2%. 

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