Heartbreak report: Malick Meiga is suspended due to the serious catastrophic…
On Saturday afternoon, redshirt freshman Malick Meiga created quite a stir on the Penn State sideline when he broke loose for his first score of the season.
When the young wideout returned to the sidelines, James Franklin made sure to celebrate with him. However, he claims that after a little too much celebration, he almost strangled the player.
Franklin stated, “He raised his arms and celebrated at about the five-yard line. They could have thrown a flag, and it wouldn’t have been a touchdown.” In addition to giving him a hug and expressing my happiness for him, I also told him that he could have left the tunnel immediately if he had received the penalty. since he wouldn’t have desired to return to the sidelines.
As he scored on the pass from fellow rookie Christian Veilleux, Meiga was obviously excited. However, the native of Quebec is providing plenty of cause for excitement among the rest of his team and coaching staff.
The third reception of his brief college career, the 67-yard grab that put the Nittany Lions ahead by three scores versus Rutgers, marked the 6’4′′, 200-pound wide receiver’s debut. Meiga had made catches against Michigan and Maryland up to that time.
Although he’s only recently started to get more involved in Penn State’s offense, his potential appears to be endless. Franklin mentioned that Meiga will provide a fresh kind of threat for Mike Yurcich’s offense because of his real 40-yard sprint time of 4.3 seconds.
“Given his physique, it appears that you are discussing one of our taller receivers.Among our team’s fastest players,” Franklin remarked. “I believe he has the potential to grow into a true vertical threat—possibly the best one we’ve seen in a while. That’s what we require.
Naturally, Jahan brought it, and KeAndre is capable of doing it. Parker also exhibits flashes. However, Franklin continued, “I think he has a chance to be a real vertical threat up the field.”
Franklin added that Meiga has practiced his ball handling techniques with Washington, a sophomore and one of the team’s closest pals.
Meiga is good friends with the rookie who found him the touchdown pass, even though he spends a lot of time with Washington and the other wideouts. The two Canadians arrived in Happy Valley and trained together first.
We returned quite a distance. We’ve been exercising together back home for almost two years now, Meiga remarked. “Watching everyone from Canada perform admirably over the previous weekend was absolutely fantastic. We endure a great deal just to travel to the United States. It’s so wonderful to watch all of the effort pay off.
Like many of the Canadian players at Penn State, Meiga’s journey to Happy Valley wasn’t the typical one. In August 2019, he committed to Penn State’s class of 2020, having been ranked as the best player from Quebec and a three-star recruit.
Meiga remarked, “You don’t have many opportunities just because you’re from Canada.” “You have to make every effort to visit Penn State, participating in events like camps and such. You already have the opportunity to interact with Americans who will attend your games and check you out because you’re from the United States. You don’t have that opportunity because you’re from Canada.
Meiga has received additional assistance with the adjustment from fellow Canadians Jesse Luketa and Jonathan Sutherland since coming to Penn State.
Meiga stated, “That really influenced my choice, especially Jesse Luketa.” He is also fluent in French. French is my first language. I’m still learning English; therefore, I’m not very great at it. Having someone with whom you can communicate in your native tongue is wonderful.
That undoubtedly played a big part in my decision to attend Penn State. They’ve been excellent mentors to me ever since I came here, Meiga continued.
Meiga was a prominent recruit from his home province and got offers from a number of schools, including Cincinnati and Baylor. Although the star wide receiver didn’t play football until the eighth grade, he began to garner attention as a high school athlete. But as he got more involved in football camps and competitive games, he realized he could play at a higher level.
Following a lack of playing time as a true freshman in 2020 and a rather sluggish start to 2021 due to an offseason injury, Meiga’s ultimate goal was undoubtedly accomplished with his score on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
