T.J. Wiley is so used to answering questions about his star lineman, Luke Graham, that he's beginning to develop stock answers.

Did you hear the one about the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Penn State recruit and the Gatorade cooler?

"The joke I've been telling to reporters is, you know how with big-time players they like to say, 'He does everything. He drives the bus to the game, he fills the water bottles...' " the Penn-Trafford football coach said. "Well, Luke literally carries the water jug in everyday after practice. He likes to do it, and that's just one sign of how unselfish he is and what kind of leadership he shows. I just can't say enough about the kid."

Graham, an offensive tackle, committed in May to Penn State, choosing the Nittany Lions over Pitt, Virginia and Stanford.

Wiley said that Graham, one of the top linemen last season in the WPIAL, hasn't let the verbal commitment go to his head. There's no case of "senioritis" on the horizon.

"I've worked with him every day since January when I got the job," Wiley said. "You want to talk about a kid who's everything you want in a football player: The size, the strength, the athleticism, and, most of all, you would have never guessed the kid has a full ride to Penn State with the way he's working right now.

"That shows you the work ethic and character of the kid. He's a good kid, a good student, a good teammate."

A tackle for Penn-Trafford, Graham will move inside for the Nittany Lions, likely to guard. Along with playing football, he figures to make an impact academically in Happy Valley. Graham has 4.1 cumulative grade-point average.

Although he hasn't decided yet on a major field of study (Graham mentioned he has strong interests in psychology and business management), it seems likely he will be earning a degree from Penn State.

It has become more and more commonplace in recent years for high school kids who make verbal commitments to renege on those before signing their official letters of intent. Graham said he won't be part of that trend.

"As far as I'm concerned, once I give somebody my word, that's my word," Graham said. "That's definitely where I want to see myself four or five years from now. I'm very happy about my decision."

But as much as Graham is looking forward to Penn State, he isn't willing to look past Penn-Trafford. While the recruiting process could be distracting at times, now that it's over, Graham doesn't want an impending college career to overshadow what he hopes to accomplish in high school.

"I've felt a lot of the stress of the decision-making process is gone, and it allows me to focus better on the Penn-Trafford Warriors," he said. "This is my last year, and now I can give all that attention to my team.

"Right now, I'm just concerned with Penn-Trafford as much as I can be. I'll still be making it up to State College for games on Saturdays, but right now, it's all Penn-Trafford football."

The admiration Graham is receiving from his new coach is a two-way street. Graham said he "couldn't have asked for anything better" in terms of a coaching staff for his senior year.

"We're strictly business," Graham said. "We go in there and get the job done. There's no messing around, no down time. We focus on football the whole time we're there.

"The style of coach that was brought in allows for better teamwork and more unity. It keeps everybody positive and motivated to get better and go win games in the fall."

If the Warriors are to win more games than they did last season -- Penn-Trafford went 4-6 (4-3 in the Foothills Conference) and lost, 42-0, to Central Catholic in the first round of the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs -- it will be due partially to Graham and the other seniors leading the way.

"It's obviously a lot easier to lead when you've been around longer," Graham said. "Being a senior, it's even a lot easier than it was last year.

"The big thing for us, the motto on our shirts, says, 'RYFP' -- reach your full potential. That's the team goal, and we believe in that. As leaders, we're trying to echo it."