Advanced Scouting: Penn State stays on brand with Vaboue Toure

One position group that has been exceptionally quiet through the 2024 cycle so far is safety. Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter has put together a deep and talented room at Penn State, so there’s no reason to sound any alarm bells before the summer months.

But let’s shed some light on the position today by looking at one of Penn State’s top targets at the position, Vaboue Toure. The New Jersey native is an On3 favorite, coming in at 132nd nationally, and is the tenth-ranked player at his position according to On3’s rankings. So let’s see what skills he brings and do some advanced scouting.

Poindexter targeting big safeties at Penn State

While Toure isn’t necessarily big, he plays big at just under 6-1. The 190-pound defensive back flies across the field, making collision-style tackles with the ball carrier and wrecking offensive schemes with his hard-hitting approach. His best asset is his tackling. Toure has great technique and squares up his target on the run, delivering hard, clean strikes. He also shows a positive tendency to take good angles to the football and not miscalculate his opponent’s speed. Of course, that’s easier when you’re always one of the fastest players on the field.

Toure is primarily used in and around the box with sometimes eyebrow-raising speed to the ball. His diagnosis at the snap, combined with his explosiveness, makes him a standout safety that can play the run from almost any position. In that way he resembles current Penn State safety KJ Winston

Beyond that, Toure shows enough coverage skills and ability to play the ball in flight that he has plus coverage abilities. While his tape is leaner on single coverage plays, he does show good range and burst to the football in zone responsibilities.

Questions remain

Toure’s film is pretty cut and dried. The only holes left are figuring out the extent of his current coverage skills and determining his speed. With no track or testing numbers, we’re left with “looks fast on film”, which can always be misleading for big players that dominate their level of competition. However, Poindexter and Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz have recruited players that can cross between the field and boundary positions with fairly complete skill sets. It’ll be informative to dive deeper into Toure’s film to see if he’s a player that can do that too.

Toure is an obvious fit

It’s hard to find an on-field reason that Toure doesn’t fit with Penn State. He’s got a great frame, is fast, and has great strengths that are apparent even on highlight film. All indications point towards Toure being able to meet the standard set in the Penn State safety room.

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