Penn State QB Christian Veilluex speaks with the media: video
Penn State redshirt freshman quarterback Christian Veilleux has been the object of fans’ interest since he led the Nittany Lions to a win over Rutgers in the final month of the 2021 regular season. He met with the media for the first time on Wednesday to talk about that game, and much more.
Veilleux’s journey to Penn State
One of the main focuses of the day was about Veilleux’s journey to Penn State. The four-star quarterback migrated to the United States at 16 to play football in Buffalo before transferring to the Bullis School in Maryland his junior year. After that, the COVID-19 Pandemic wiped out his senior season before heading to Penn State.
“It’s been a cool journey. I’ve learned a lot, matured a lot grown up a lot. Going to Buffalo, being in Maryland, being in Canada for quarantine and the pandemic, it brings a lot of value. You get to learn a lot of things being away from home, especially me moving away at 16. I learned a lot just being by myself and being self-governing, I guess. Just being my own person. I definitely think it helped me get to here, being away from family. I feel like I’ve been doing this since I was 16,” he said.
As for his physical presence, he says that he’s been working in the weight room at Penn State for the last two cycles to get to a good place.
What he wants to work on
“I came in at 197 [or] 196 and right now I’m weighing 208, all good weight.”
While he’s happy with where he is right now, his ultimate goal is to play at a higher level of physical presence,
“I want to weigh more than 210. I think around 215 would be good for me. I want to get my numbers up, squat, and bench. I definitely want to get my 50 down to a 4.6, high 4.5’s. I’m running in the 4.70’s now, so that is a big goal of mine.”
From a mental aspect, he’s worked on learning the game more in-depth and being better about anticipating what the defense is about to do and not just reacting post-snap. He also talked about how things are faster at Penn State than in high school
“I think my biggest improvement is being able to control the pre-snap and not just play post-snap. So in terms of identifying coverages, protections, [and] setting ourselves up for a good play against certain blitzes. I think that’s where I’ve definitely improved.
What stands out about Veilleux is his quiet poise and confidence. He talked about learning how to be self-possessed, the importance of maturity, and his drive to succeed at Penn State.
