Cain’s parents visited Penn State over the summer
Noah Cain made it official on the first day of the Early Signing Period: he’s headed to Penn State.
Cain is one of the top backs in the nation. The 5-foot-10 Baton Rouge native plays for Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, and is ranked the No. 7 running back and No. 104 overall player in the nation by 247Sports. Cain is a part of IMG Academy’s strong running back core that features the nation’s best running back Trey Sanders.
Cain said that he only visited Penn State twice, but that coaches Jauan Seider and James Franklin were transparent with him throughout the process. He also liked how Penn State uses running backs its offense.
He was very impressed with what Penn State was selling over the summer. So were his parents. This quote was from my interview with Cain in July.
“We from Baton Rouge so it’s different,” Cain said. “If my mom is going and she really don’t go no where, she been blown away by what they had to say.”
Cain also paid close attention to Penn State’s offensive line, which should be good in the coming years.
Original interview from July 2018, when Cain was looking at Texas, LSU, and Penn State.
Cain has been picking up with schools like Clemson, Texas, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida State and Auburn contacting him the most. However, Cain, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, hasn’t decided which schools he’s planning to take official visits to in the near future.
“Right now it’s hard. A lot of schools been telling me the same thing,” Cain said. “I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I will drop a top list soon.”
One of the biggest things Cain looks for is offensive line production.
That’s why he pays attention to the type of linemen a school brings in. Cain wants to be apart of a team that has a offensive line that fits his running style, while allowing him to be successful on the field.
“You want a o-line that fits your style of running,” Cain said. “I think a pro-style linemen is my best fit instead of no-huddle type. That’s why schools like Georgia, LSU and Penn State stay in the mix so much. They run a pro-style type.”
Offensive line production has played a major factor in Cain’s recruitment with Texas.
Cain wants to see how the Longhorns offensive line develops under new offensive line coach Herb Hand.
“I told coach [Tom] Herman and [Stan] Drayton I want to see how the o-line develops,” Cain said. “Coach Drayton has a good track record of putting top backs into the league. But, at the same time, you got to have great offensive linemen in front of you.”
Texas’ offensive line struggled to find consistency during the 2017 season.
Penn State has recently made a serious push for Cain.
The Nittany Lions has recently jumped into the mix with Texas, Ohio State and LSU, the hometown school.
“They made a big jump on me when they offered me in January,” Cain said. “Coach [James] Franklin and coach [Ja’Juan] Seider have been making a real big push.”
Cain’s mom and dad are set to visit Penn State this weekend. According to Cain, his mom really had to like what Penn State said for her to leave home and travel to Pennsylvania.
“We from Baton Rouge so it’s different,” Cain said. “If my mom is going and she really don’t go no where, she been blown away by what they had to say.”
LSU is still in the mix
Cain mentioned LSU as a school he could see him taking an official visit to. The Tigers are also recruiting Sanders and five-star running back John Emery Jr.
Emery has expressed his interest in going to LSU, but that hasn’t changed the way Cain feels about the school.
“It won’t impact my recruiting at all,” Cain said. “Me and John love competing and we got to know each other a lot. There’s ties up there already so it won’t affect my recruitment to LSU at all.”