UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- LaVar Arrington was back on Penn State's campus this week, but this time he wore a visor and sweatshirt, and he answered to 'Mr. LaVar.'
Instead of dishing out hits in his iconic No. 11 jersey, he was dishing out advice and cracking jokes with an audience that isn't always the easiest to captivate: A group of 70 eighth-grade boys.
"Mr. LaVar, you have to get in on one," one kid joked as Arrington huddled up the teens in Holuba Hall following a practice and informed them they would conduct rookie skits later that night, a talent show of sorts for their new teammates. Of course they'd all go bowling, too.
"Hey coach, don't be too good to show up," another kid cracked as they used Arrington's own advice against him in hopes the charismatic former Penn State star would take part in their talent show.
Arrington took it all in stride, laughing right along with them before delivering a message about building their brands on social media and making sure they'd all attend study hall in the hotel that night. In a brave undertaking, Arrington and members of his A11 Stars Bowl scoured the country to identify the top 8th grade football prospects and then brought them to Happy Valley where they held four practices in Holuba Hall, listened to James Franklin lecture them about social media and visited campus.
Today, these 8th graders will run out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium at 10 a.m. and play a football game before the Nittany Lions' spring game kicks off at 3 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. It's one way to show just how far the process of football recruiting has come as these players at 13 and 14 years old have already been identified as the best of the best. Of course, some of them who jogged around the field with plenty of dance breaks in between -- another sign of the growing divide as popular songs from the early 2000s failed to resonate with this group -- already hold college scholarship offers. Of course, one kid already holds an offer from Alabama.
A young quarterback rifled one tight spiral after the next while another parent live-streamed the entire workout on her phone for all back home to see. Some moms chaperoned while schools signed off on the trip under the promise that the schoolwork would still get done, hence the mandatory study hall that Arrington kept mentioning.
"I'm just super-excited to be back and always excited to be back here and amongst Penn Staters. Having the opportunity to bring such an amazing event to the campus and these young kids being able to experience it at such a young age," Arrington said. "Our whole thought process is 8th grade is the last grade that 'doesn't count.' So, if that's the last grade that 'doesn't count' let's get to them at that grade and make them understand that it counts and moving forward to be inspired and to be empowered by the experience that will ultimately kind of set the tone for how they approach 9th grade and on."
It's a tone-setter for the players, but it also gives a glimpse into the next phase of Arrington's life, where he'll be the head coach at Maranatha High, a Christian academy in Pasadena, Calif. Arrington accepted the position in February and while it's his first formal head coaching gig, he's been involved with mentorship programs and numerous All-Star showcases for years.
Saturday's game with the 8th graders is just another way for Arrington to show everyone else what Mr. LaVar the coach plans to do this fall.
That part he can't wait to showcase.
"There's a lot of people who don't think I'm experienced enough to do it or whatever people may be thinking, but we'll see what happens," Arrington said of his new head coaching gig. "People will say being a head coach is much different because the spotlight is right on you, but I've never been shy about being able to handle adverse situations. I've never been one to shy away from accepting a challenge, so I felt as though it was the right time. I'm motivated to be as good as I possibly can be and I really believe in my heart that, for what it's worth, what I'm doing is truly a reflection of all the hard work that I had been putting in over the years and learning the ins and the outs."
For years Arrington has held coaching and mentorship roles that extend beyond the talent-rich DMV. He's worked at the Under Armour All-America game as a mentor and even Penn State defensive end Shane Simmons had a part in helping Arrington get ready for his coaching career. Simmons trained with Arrington since the defensive end was in 8th grade and it was Arrington who helped sell Penn State to the four-star prospect who initially had his heart set on Florida State.
In fact, Arrington -- who never lacked confidence -- is sure this head coaching career is the right fit for him.
"I'm a better teacher than I ever was player," he said. "I think that's probably my one secret weapon that I have over anything else is that I'm a better teacher than I was a player."
That could be scary for the opposition. How did the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft come to this conclusion?
"I came to the realization when Aaron Maybin went No. 11 in the NFL Draft and Shawne Merriman became a perennial All-Pro and NaVorro Bowman had a pretty good career and Shane Simmons is here," he said. "My realization is in my results. Shawne Merriman probably had a better NFL career than I did. I'd like to believe my influence helped that. Aaron Maybin had an amazing run to get as high as he did in the draft and I feel like I helped play a part in that. The list goes on. We've brought kids here from Africa who have never played football before in their life and they're in Division I colleges based off of what they've been taught by me and others within our group. It's in the proof. There's tangible evidence."
But before Arrington can show the evidence to other high schools in California this fall, there's a whole group of giddy 8th grade boys who Mr. LaVar has to remind to pick up after themselves and oh yeah, please shower after practice, too.
"If you said which one was more difficult, I probably wouldn't know which one to tell you," he said. "Is it putting on an event where you get it at Penn State to this capacity or is it coaching a high school football team? Is it getting 70 of the most elite 8th graders in one place and managing that or is it coaching a football team?"
Come September he'll find out.
• There's always so much buildup that goes into any spring football game. The marching bands, fan festivities, pageantry will all be on display but then there's that total buzzkill moment where no opponent comes pouring out of the visiting locker room and instead at least half the stadium remains empty. Spring games are the ultimate tease for football fans and even us scribes, too. Much of my coverage all week has felt like a game week, yet come Saturday afternoon I'm covering nothing more than a glorified practice. Oh well. I've learned not to wish away the offseason.
• The narrative surrounding former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen always seems to include the fact that Rosen doesn't shy away from expressing his thoughts on social issues. He didn't in college, so why would that change now? Apparently that's something that has turned off some NFL executives.
"The last thing we need is the face of our team tweeting about the president when we're on a losing streak," one anonymous NFL executive said in a story published this week by Bleacher Report.
I get it in the sense that politics and religion are often the two things we're all told to keep out of sports, the workplace and those awkward Thanksgiving dinners with that distant relative you're not supposed to agitate. Sports are supposed to be this escape of sorts for everyone. It's entertainment.
But, why is it that the NFL time and time again seems to lag behind the NBA in this regard? The biggest NBA stars don't avoid these topics and neither do their coaches. It doesn't look like it's hurting their league right now.
• I, like many of you, find the NFL schedule release worthwhile for at least 2 minutes and then I close out of it and won't look at it again for months. Every game will be analyzed and tough stretches will be pointed out, but it means absolutely nothing. The hot team in September rarely stays that way come December. Momentum is so very real and that part we can't predict, no matter how many miles your favorite team has to travel for some wacky Thursday night game.
• Pat Chambers is in line for a contract extension and the reason is really simple: He took the team to the NIT. While some may laugh at it -- and I completely understand how, to basketball-crazed folks, this might sound crazy -- that's a step forward for this program. Winning the NIT was the bonus. His job was secure for just getting there. Twenty-six wins and being competitive into March is enough for job security around here. That's reality and that's progress.
• Bet you didn't expect to see two NBA entries today! But, these last few weeks have reminded me of the joy and agony that comes with being a fan of a particular team. As we've written about in this space so many times before we're sports journalists and not fans of the teams we cover.
I, of course, do have my favorite teams just like everyone reading here, they just have nothing to do with Penn State or really any college team in general.
You might know about my Green Bay Packers obsession, but the only team that my entire family likes just so happens to be the once lovable losers turned process-trusting 76ers. I swear it's the only Philadelphia team I root for. It's always been that way. Like so many people my age growing up where I did Allen Iverson and that 2001 NBA Finals team helped get us all hooked on the Sixers. My parents loved the team forever and are now spending part of their retirement as 76ers season ticket holders.
I've thoroughly enjoyed screaming at my TV the last week, the frantic family group messages during the games and shuffling my schedule to watch it all. Yes, even today I'll be glued in from the Beaver Stadium press box for the 2 p.m. tip, somehow.
• Throughout my sports fandom I've realized this: Sports might be the only thing that makes us mad and frustrated 99 percent of the time yet we always come back time and time again hoping to find that one percent of satisfaction with the end result. If we apply that same logic to anything else in life we'd be considered crazy.