Welcome to National Signing Day for the 2021 recruiting class here at Roar Lions Roar. Make sure to check out all of our other coverage today and in the coming days, and make sure to check out each profile of the newest Nittany Lions as they sign their letters of intent. (All photos you see below are courtesy of 247Sports)
Harrisburg native Nate Bruce got the ball rolling for the 2021 recruiting class, committing to his hometown Nittany Lions all the back in October of last year. The guard is exactly the type of ball of clay player Phil Trautwein can develop into a bruising offensive lineman.
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| Nate Bruce |
| Position: Offensive Guard |
| Height/Weight: 6'4/320 lbs. |
| High School: Harrisburg (Harrisburg, PA) |
| 247Composite Rank: ★★★(0.8653) |
| Positional Rank: No. 695 Overall, No. 33 Offensive Guard, No. 17 in Pennsylvania |
| Commitment Date: October 19, 2019 |
From Harrisburg to Happy Valley... Welcome home, Nate Bruce (@nathanial_152)! #WeAre21 #PSUSigningDay @PennStateAlums pic.twitter.com/2KC4pS1A19
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 16, 2020
RLR's Take
Nate Bruce looks like a grown man on film, constantly bullying poor defensive tackles who really can't do anything to get by him. He plays low and wants to finish dudes into the ground, but also shows good restraint on some plays which will help him avoid stupid penalties throughout his career.
He's not the fastest guy pulling and didn't pass block nearly as much as he run blocked in high school, but that's to be expected from a young player. Phil Trautwein can easily coach those kinds of things up while polishing the things Bruce already has down. It's also worth noting that while he's a three-star on the Composite, 247Sports itself has Bruce ranked as a four-star prospect.
Moving Forward
An expected early enrollee, Bruce is going to benefit greatly from the extra work with Galt and his crew. He's not going to crack the lineup right away, few linemen do, but he will be one of the most physical players on the team from the moment he arrives on campus.
With Mike Miranda, Juice Scruggs, CJ Thorpe, Des Holmes, and the massive 2019 signing class all expected to be back next year, the staff can take their time developing Bruce. He has a lot to learn, but the natural ability is there. It probably will be a few years before he battles for a starting spot, but he could find his way into some late-game situations as early as 2022.
Highlights
| Seniors | Juniors | Sophomores | Freshmen |
| Des Holmes* | Bryce Effner* | Caedan Wallace* | Golden Israel-Achumba* |
| Mike Miranda* | Juice Scruggs* | Sal Wormley* | Jimmy Christ* |
| CJ Thorpe* | Rasheed Walker* | Nick Dawkins* | |
| Anthony Whigan* | Olu Fashanu* | ||
| Ibrahim Traore* | |||
| Landon Tengwall | |||
| Nate Bruce |
* denotes redshirt season taken
