State College OL Robert Nachtman commits to Delaware football team
State College senior Robert Nachtman could’ve opted to run through the south tunnel of Beaver Stadium as a preferred Penn State walk-on. He could’ve played on scholarship with two FBS teams in the Mid-American Conference.
But, in the end, the local offensive lineman couldn’t resist the academics and staff connection at FCS-school Delaware. He called the Blue Hens’ staff on Thursday evening — just four days after his last visit — to let them know he was committing and enrolling in January.
“My whole goal wasn’t to play at the biggest place that offered me,” said Nachtman, who boasted eight Division I scholarship offers from the likes of Buffalo, Kent State and Towson. “It was to find the place that felt right.”
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound product toured the Delaware campus and facilities two weeks ago and felt an immediate connection with the staff. When he drove down again Sunday with his family, those feelings only became magnified. When he entered the players’ lounge, two home and away jerseys hung with his number — as his high school highlights played in the background while knick-knacks sat nearby.
Even a box of doughnuts was made available, with each snack drizzled with his number (70) in icing. “No one else has shown me that kind of personalization,” Nachtman said with a laugh.
The Blue Hens badly wanted the State College senior — Nachtman said he was the only OL commit so far in the class — and he felt Delaware checked off all his boxes. It not only had his major in physical therapy, but U.S. News & World Report ranked it as the top program in the country (tied with three others including Washington, Pitt and USC). If he was ever injured, Delaware’s staff told him they would still honor his scholarship. And he felt, with a new coach in Danny Rocco, that the Blue Hens could once again return to national prominence.
State College coach Matt Lintal said Thursday night that Delaware was getting a solid prospect in Nachtman.
“He’s a very flexible 300-pound kid,” the Little Lions coach said. “He’s a very good pass blocker, but he’s a very exceptional drive blocker. He’s been dominant.”
Nachtman played defensive line as a sophomore and only transitioned to offensive line last year. That’s all most colleges needed to see — he played his way on the recruiting radar by December 2016.
He had other options to play football. But he felt on Sunday as if Newark, Del., was the best place for his future — and that feeling never went away.
“I know of all the places that offered me,” Nachtman added, “this was the place for me.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 9:55 PM with the headline "State College OL Robert Nachtman commits to Delaware football team."