Just like any athlete, Bobby Mears ‘23 had a swirl of emotions during his recruitment process. His main motivation was his flexibility to find time to visit all the schools of his interest. 

Mears stated, “The commitment process is a very fun but also a stressful time. It takes a lot of resilience to go through it and not be successful. At the end of it, when you have your decisions, you realize all the stress was worth it.” 

Mears parental guidance and support from Malvern’s football head coach, Dave Gueriera were the main advocators behind his recruitment process. 

“My parents and Coach Gueriera were the main pushers behind me throughout the whole thing. My parents were more on the side of taking me to visit schools and helping me decide what schools I like. Then Coach Gueriera was pushing coaches to look at me and get me noticed. I wouldn’t be where I am without his support,” Mears said. 

Mearsability to further his education and football career close to home at Penn State was the deciding factor. 

“I chose Penn State for a few reasons. State is close enough to the point where my parents will be able to come to visit me. This was a crucial factor in my search because I want my parents to be able to visit me. Secondly, I’ve always been a Penn State fan. Them being so close and so good for as longI can remember made it more appealing to go there, Bobby said.”

One of Bobby’s main goals moving forward in college is to have to start the year with a certain standard. Bobby also inspires to build solid friendships over the course of his college career. 

“Going forward into college, some of the goals I will have will be getting to a certain physical standard first. If I don’t get to a certain spot physically then I won’t be able to achieve any goals on the field. One of my other goals is just to build more life-long relationships and memories because those are things you remember.” Mears stated.”

Bobby’s ultimate advice to younger athletes is to find their interests in life and pursue whatever passions fit them. Working hard draws the line between a good and a great player. 

Bobby exclaimed, “some advice I have for younger athletes is to just work when the lights are out and no one’s watching. Also to be resilient in everything you do. If you work when no one is watching, the results will show when people are watching. You have to love the grind, you can’t be half-invested. You have to go all in if you really want to reach your goals!”