Jerry Cross 'got better' despite injury setback as buzz grows
Before Jerry Cross arrived at Penn State, he was already 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. A receiver out of Rufus King High in Milwaukee, he understood that the work of his true freshman season as a Nittany Lion would be significant.
But, prepared for that challenge, Cross brought with him an attitude poised to handle it.
“Coming from high school is always a transition because you gotta get stronger,” Cross said. “Playing tight end in college, you have to be strong because you have to block D-ends and linebackers.
“So I just needed to get stronger and learn the mental aspects of the game, the playbook, being more dialed in on coverages, and everything like that.”
First-year setback
A big enough task on its own, Cross was dealt an extra hurdle when he suffered an injury in his first summer on campus.
Acknowledged by head coach James Franklin as having “missed a bunch of time” between preseason camp and deep into the regular season, the unspecified setback didn’t derail Cross from his pursuit, though.
Instead, despite his absence from game action for the totality of the season, Cross focused on the things that were within his control and wanted to maximize the time he had to work on them.
“Honestly, I just look at it as not a setback for me. It helped me, and honestly, I got better,” Cross said. “I got bigger, faster, and I got stronger. So I’m just taking it day by day.
“At first it was difficult, but I got through it. It’s just working every day, just continuing to learn and focus on the mental aspect of the game. It has helped me out a lot.”
Next steps
Maintaining his positive attitude, Cross continued to work diligently and, in the process, became a darling of the Penn State strength staff and transformed his body.
What’d been 255 pounds before his arrival is virtually the same now at his listed 254 pounds. But, as Cross recently reported, his dedication to nutrition and weight training delivered marked dividends in the BodPod.
“I have changed my eating habits. It’s something that I had to work on when I first got here,” Cross said. “I came in here with 20 percent body fat, I’m down to about nine or 10 percent body fat right now.
“I’m real proud of that. It’s something I had to do for me to stay in shape and get better. So, I’m proud of that.”
Winter workout warrior
His teammates and coaches have noticed, too.
Already making an impression behind the scenes, that progress took its most visible shape Thursday. Cross was named the Competitor of the Day among the tight ends in the fourth Penn State winter workout. Cited by position coach Ty Howle for his high energy and great effort, the praise matches that of his teammates and behind the scenes buzz coming out of the program’s offseason conditioning.
“I feel like he’s stepped it up. He’s been really good this offseason working,” said running back Nick Singleton. “He’s working his butt off. His winter workouts, he’s been working his butt off, so I feel great about him.”
