Forget about football, let’s talk urban planning.
“As long as they keep like the main places on College and Allen, those are kind of staples,” Penn State safety and State College native Keaton Ellis said the other day, remarking on downtown State College’s new affinity for high rise buildings. “So as long as they keep those intact. I understand why they’re doing it. You gotta build up, especially with all the students.”
Ellis is ready to talk football now though, laughing as he tries to unpack the finer points of corporate America.
In any case, it feels just like yesterday that Ellis was making the trip from Memorial Field to Beaver Stadium. Then again it seems just like yesterday that The Diner, let alone more than a few other places, didn’t have to close their doors. Change is part of any town’s life and part of any person’s life, but it’s unique to grow up somewhere and then go to college in that same place, let alone watch it change right before your eyes. Most college football players head off somewhere else. For Ellis, college has been in some ways an extension of high school. The relationships that might have fallen by the wayside are still part of his daily routine.
If anything, it’s kind of neat. There you are playing at Beaver Stadium, some of your former high school teammates in the stands, or even the sidelines, still cheering you on.
“It’s actually pretty cool,” Ellis said. “Just being able to keep some relationships steady, throughout my years here it has been awesome to have that extra support system for me and just being able to check in on people and see how they’re doing when otherwise I might not be able to. To be able to see friends and students that I knew in high school is amazing. Just to keep those connections and relationships with those people and check in and they’ve always, everywhere I go, if I see someone that I went school with they always show their support. It’s been cool.”
Of course as Ellis opted to use one final year of eligibility there was a unique dynamic to that choice. Sure, he wants to improve his draft stock. Sure, he wants to further his education and continue to experience college. You don’t let those things go easily. But he has been in State College for a long time. Many a townie has grown up loving Happy Valley, but most everyone likely feels that pull to go settle down somewhere else. Set out on your own path.
So to leave the nest? Well, it’s not like Ellis lives at home with his family. But a guy might want to move on at some point.
“It was most definitely a thought,” Ellis said with a smile and a laugh. “I’ve obviously traveled places and visited places but to call a different place home base, you know, is something that I’ve been looking at doing – I love State College but you know it’s always going to get to that point. I’m sure a lot of people can understand that. A lot of friends who just told me “I just had to get out of here” … whether they chose not to go to Penn State or whether [they were] at Penn State and graduating… So yeah, there was definitely a thought.”
For now, though, Ellis isn’t quite ready to leave and returning to Penn State for another season gives the Nittany Lions all the more experience in a defensive backs room looking to replace veteran experience. Of course, with the departures of the likes of Jonathan Sutherland and Ji’Ayir Brown, Ellis will have to step into even more of a leadership role.
And that’s fine by him.
“I want to be a leader for this team,” Ellis said. “Talking to the coaches about just setting a standard for what leading is. Everybody’s different, so it doesn’t have to look like somebody else and how they lead you. It’s you and I feel like I’ll set the standard and lead by example by how I’m working on my business. I’m just trying to gain the respect of everybody in the program and just care for care for everybody. Make sure everybody is taken care of and holding people accountable. In order to do that, you have to hold yourself accountable.”
On the field, this is Ellis’s last chance to make good on a lifelong dream. Maybe growing up in State College makes you ever-so-ready to finally set out on your own, but for a kid that grew up in the shadow of Beaver Stadium, it’s hard to ignore the feeling of walking out on that field wearing that blue and white. One day you’re in the stands, the next you’re on the field. In a blink, it comes and goes.
So sure, maybe you’re ready for whatever might be next, but that doesn’t make letting go any easier.
Not to mention there’s that whole deal of trying to make football your full-time (paying) job.
“I feel like last year I was playing really good ball,” Ellis said of a 2022 campaign in which he set career highs in tackles and passes defended. “It’s only up from here, so I really want to show my big play ability, making game changing plays. That’s the biggest thing. I’ve been consistent my whole career and I just wanted to prove to the world I can make the big play and change the game. At the end of the day, I’ll do whatever it takes for our team to win football games. That’s really a big thing for me. I want to win football games.”
No matter how long Ellis extends his career, he knows the days are numbered at Penn State. Somewhere there’s a younger Keaton Ellis, and he’s growing up in the shadow of Beaver Stadium, wondering what it might be like to play on that field.
And one day that kid will do exactly what Ellis did and turn that dream into reality.
“I just try to cherish every moment,” Ellis said.
