Tim and I are in the process of reaching out to prospects. There are a bunch of guys staying overnight, so most of the updates will come tomorrow, but hopefully we'll have more soon.
A couple quick notes...
- No Shows - 2017 WR Josh Ball made the trip, but he had to get back home for a family matter, so he wasn't able to watch practice and meet with the staff after the photo shoot.
- Offers - 2017 DE PJ Mustipher both picked up an offer from the staff today.
- 2016 LB Brenden Ferns and his father had dinner with James Franklin, Brent Pry and Herb Hand on Saturday evening, They'll be staying overnight then and will get breakfast with Franklin tomorrow, possibly a few assistants as well. I'll reach out to them tomorrow then.
- Prospects that stayed overnight...
RB FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Woodland Hills - 2016
DE FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Central Catholic - 2016
DB FILM - Mckeesport, Pa. - Mckeesport - 2016
Ath. FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Seton La Salle - 2017
OL FILM - Monroeville, Pa. - Gateway - 2017
ADDED: Sunday - 2 PM - Additional Visitors to note.
I spoke with a few contacts not that long ago. Below are some additional prospects that I didn't have on the original list. As I mentioned yesterday, I had the core of elite prospects listed. I have also added all of these prospects to the spring visit thread. Click Here to access that thread.
Out of this list, the most notable prospects are TE PJ Mustipher.
TE FILM - Marshfield, Mass. - Marshfield - 2016
WR FILM - Bethlehem, Pa. - Bethlehem Catholic - 2016
WR FILM - Arlington, Va. - Bishop O'Connell - 2016
RB FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
DB FILM - Ridgeway, Va. - Magna Vista - 2016
Saf. FILM - Bethlehem, Pa. - Bethlehem Catholic - 2016
LB/DE Trey Wilson - FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
QB FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
DT FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
QB Andrew Hartlaub - FILM - Hanover, Pa. - Southwestern - 2017
WR FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
LB FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady Of Mt Carmel - 2017
DL FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
Ath. FILM - Olney, Md. - Good Counsel - 2017
DT FILM - Owings Mills, Md. - McDonogh - 2018
Recruit Reactions
OT FILM - Washington, D.C. - Archbishop Carroll - 2016[/B]
- Williams was at the photo shoot, watched practice and then got to talk to Herb Hand afterward.
"He’s more of one of my favorite coaches, so it was good," Williams said of his conversation with Hand. "I think of my relationship with those guys very highly."
Williams said he has been in contact with Penn State as often as he has been with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and Ohio State. "Everyday and consistently," he said.
That continued today. A month ago or so Williams told me that Penn State was on the outside looking in on those top schools, and I still think Williams ultimately ends up elsewhere, but after today's visit he said things can always change.
“They were saying how they like how I project up there and how they’re trying to build something new, building a foundation and stuff like that," he said. "A lot of things can change. They seem like that they want a versatile class, and their graduation rate has also gone up.
OL FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Central Catholic - 2017[/B]
- A legacy prospect, this is 2017 four-star second time visiting Penn State within the past month. A couple days after last visit, James Franklin came through with an offer. With an offer in hand this time, he got to further talk with Franklin and Herb Hand, learning that he'd be a priority in the 2017 cycle.
"It went well, talked to Franklin and Hand some, so it was really good," Thorpe said. "(Franklin) was pretty much saying you know that your family, come up anytime. Can't wait to you see - all that kind of stuff."
LB FILM - Wilmington, Del. - Concord - 2017
The 2017 standout took his second unofficial visit to Penn State this winter. He said "Practice is what really stood out to me. The fast pace that they run and the intensity of the coaches was great to see."
Roberts also got to sit down and meet with James Franklin, Brent Pry and Josh Gattis at different points throughout the day.
"When I got there, Coach Franklin came over and hugged me. (Laughs) I also got to meet with Coach Gattis and Coach Pry. They all just let me know they were happy to see me and excited that I made a second trip up to school."
Roberts added that he's trying to get back to Penn State for the Blue-White Game, but as of now, he's still not 100 percent sure if he'll be able to make it. He is set to go to Nebraska on April 11. He'll also likely go down to South Carolina and Virginia Tech in May or June.
Long way to go with Roberts, but I feel confident in saying that Penn State is the early leader.
DE FILM - Bradenton, Fla. - IMG Academy - 2017
[/B]
The former Gilman prospect recently made the decision to attend IMG Academy in Florida following his season. However, while on break, he decided to come up to Penn State today. It was his third trip to Penn State, his first since last summer.
"I enjoyed the visit. Coach Franklin is really talking some good stuff about his football philosophy, as well as the academic side of things. He's very energetic and shows a lot of passion and energy when coaching. That is something I really like in a coach. He also treated me like I am already apart of the family. I am really impressed with PSU."
When I asked about practice, Spence said, "I liked their up-tempo (approach). The players were full of energy. They were excited to compete. They looked focused. I loved it."
Spence also got to sit down and have an extended conversation with Coach Spencer. He said this was one of the highlights of the trip.
"Coach Spencer is my dog man. (laughs) I really enjoy talking with him and I like his coaching style. He lets his players play and he has been successful at it for awhile.
Spence is in no rush, but I do believe PSU should make his first cut. He's expected to go to Ohio State next Thursday, April 2.
P FILM - Doylestown, Pa. - Central Bucks West - 2016
Metzer tweeted today that he's committed to Penn State to punt. He was on campus today as a visitor. Metzer will walk-on.
You can watch his film, HERE.
Click here for Kohl's Football Kicking Profile.
LB FILM - Stephens City, Va. - Sherando - 2017
[/B]
Rivers made his second trip to Penn State this winter. Since he just toured all the facilities back on Jan. 31, he ended up leaving before most, but he was able to check out practice.
"I really liked how intense their practice was. It was very fast. Guys weren't standing around. Everyone was getting reps. I really liked that. Actually, I loved everything about it."
Rivers didn't have an extended conversation with the coaches today, but he did speak with both Pry and Franklin briefly throughout the day.
"Coach Franklin came up to me a couple times. I also talked to Coach Pry, of course. We didn't talk in their offices or anything like that today. I just got lunch after practice and then went home."
Rivers went to lunch with two grad assistants, but he couldn't remember exactly who. However, he was joined by Sterling Jenkins and Paris Palmer for lunch.
"I sat with Sterling and Paris at lunch. They were both asking me about how my recruitment is going and then they were telling me about what their normal day is like. They both were early enrollees. They were saying that they miss their friends, but that they're both really happy that they made the decision to enroll early. Unfortunately, I don't think my school allows that. I have to double check, but if I could enroll early, I would."
Rivers is looking into visiting Virginia Tech sometime in the near future. He'll also likely see a few SEC schools in the summer. As for when he may return to Penn State, he's actually trying to come back for the Blue-White Game, but as of now, he's not 100 percent sure if he'll be able to make it.
"I actually have a 7-on-7 that day, but I'm going to talk to my coach. If he's OK with it, I'll definitely be back for the Penn State spring game."
Rivers won't be making any major decisions this spring or summer, but for the time being, he's made it clear that Penn State is in a good position. I've always got the feeling that Penn State is the early leader, but I'll stress that there's still a long way to go. He's going to pick up some elite offers before the end of 2015.
"Lets just say that Penn State is really high on my list. I'll leave it at that for now."
DE FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - 2017
- Kaindoh tweets that he picked up a Penn State offer today. PSU joins Florida State and Ohio State on his offers list. Going to be a big-time prospect. This guy is huge.
OT FILM - New Canaan, Conn. - New Canaan[/B] - 2016[/B]
- Niang was in town for the photo shoot but had to leave before practice. His mom had to be back for work Saturday night, so they were unable to meet with the coaches, which he said was something that he had talked about with them before making the trip.
"It was good, but I only really stayed for the pictures then had to leave, so it was short," Niang said. "I knew I couldn't stay because my mom had work, but I had just been to the Junior Day about (a month) before."
Next, Niang will visit Syracuse, Boston College, UConn (again) and Rutgers over his upcoming spring break. As I've said all along, since PSU was his first offer, if the coaches continue to make a push, PSU will remain in solid position here. But even after he makes this next round round of visits, he tells me that he's in no rush to make a decision or even narrow things down. He wants to continue exploring his options, see what else comes through, as he says he's "just going to take my time."
OL FILM - Reading, Pa. - Exeter Township Senior - 2016
[/B]
I was able to briefly catch up with four-star offensive lineman Michal Menet. Menet has been excellent to myself and all of the Penn State reporters. He made it clear that he didn't really want to do a full interview today, so of course, I didn't press him about it. That said, he did text with me a little bit.
There are two things to really note about yesterday's visit.
1) Saturday's visit was the first time Menet's mother made the trip to State College. In fact, it's the first visit she's gone with him to visit any school, so that's something that really stands out to me. She will probably visit one or two other schools between now and decision time, but the fact that PSU was the first school she visited suggests good things for the Nittany Lions. She wouldn't be making the trip if PSU wasn't one of his top 2-3 schools.
2) Menet spent a ton of time with all four of the committed prospects yesterday. Contacts informed me last night that Simmons, Zembiec, McGovern and Sanders were basically instructed to work very hard on both Hamlin and Menet yesterday. From everything I've gathered, the four of them left a very positive impression on both Hamlin and Menet.
"There isn't really anything up there that I haven't seen," Menet said. "It was important for my mom to get up there and it was her first time. We met with Coach Franklin and Coach Hand. We just talked about where they see the program going and how I would fit into that very well. I also talked with the commits, so that was really good to get their perspectives about Penn State."
Menet is trying to visit Michigan State before the end of spring practice, but as of now, that's still 50/50. As of now, he doesn't plan on returning to Penn State until the summer, but he's still on pace to make a committment sometime before September.
Michal has really kept things close to the chest. I still don't feel confident saying that he's Penn State's to lose, but if I had to make a prediction today, I would pick Penn State.
DT FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
- Kamara visited Penn State Saturday for the first time since earning an offer in February. It was also his first-ever visit to PSU. He talks with Tim Owen about the visit, HERE.
OL FILM - Monroeville, Pa. - Gateway - 2017
I caught up with Robert Hainsey earlier today.
I believe that everything is pointing in PSU's favor so far. He's going to earn some great offers this summer and into the fall, but the fact that he's visited PSU seven times since last spring - it'll likely be eight if returns for the Blue-White Game - really stands out to me.
Click Here to watch his film.
This post was edited on 3/29 3:58 PM by RyanSnyder
A couple quick notes...
- No Shows - 2017 WR Josh Ball made the trip, but he had to get back home for a family matter, so he wasn't able to watch practice and meet with the staff after the photo shoot.
- Offers - 2017 DE PJ Mustipher both picked up an offer from the staff today.
- 2016 LB Brenden Ferns and his father had dinner with James Franklin, Brent Pry and Herb Hand on Saturday evening, They'll be staying overnight then and will get breakfast with Franklin tomorrow, possibly a few assistants as well. I'll reach out to them tomorrow then.
- Prospects that stayed overnight...
RB FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Woodland Hills - 2016
DE FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Central Catholic - 2016
DB FILM - Mckeesport, Pa. - Mckeesport - 2016
Ath. FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Seton La Salle - 2017
OL FILM - Monroeville, Pa. - Gateway - 2017
ADDED: Sunday - 2 PM - Additional Visitors to note.
I spoke with a few contacts not that long ago. Below are some additional prospects that I didn't have on the original list. As I mentioned yesterday, I had the core of elite prospects listed. I have also added all of these prospects to the spring visit thread. Click Here to access that thread.
Out of this list, the most notable prospects are TE PJ Mustipher.
TE FILM - Marshfield, Mass. - Marshfield - 2016
WR FILM - Bethlehem, Pa. - Bethlehem Catholic - 2016
WR FILM - Arlington, Va. - Bishop O'Connell - 2016
RB FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
DB FILM - Ridgeway, Va. - Magna Vista - 2016
Saf. FILM - Bethlehem, Pa. - Bethlehem Catholic - 2016
LB/DE Trey Wilson - FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
QB FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
DT FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
QB Andrew Hartlaub - FILM - Hanover, Pa. - Southwestern - 2017
WR FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
LB FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady Of Mt Carmel - 2017
DL FILM - Fredericksburg, Va. - Chancellor - 2017
Ath. FILM - Olney, Md. - Good Counsel - 2017
DT FILM - Owings Mills, Md. - McDonogh - 2018
Recruit Reactions
OT FILM - Washington, D.C. - Archbishop Carroll - 2016[/B]
- Williams was at the photo shoot, watched practice and then got to talk to Herb Hand afterward.
"He’s more of one of my favorite coaches, so it was good," Williams said of his conversation with Hand. "I think of my relationship with those guys very highly."
Williams said he has been in contact with Penn State as often as he has been with the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, and Ohio State. "Everyday and consistently," he said.
That continued today. A month ago or so Williams told me that Penn State was on the outside looking in on those top schools, and I still think Williams ultimately ends up elsewhere, but after today's visit he said things can always change.
“They were saying how they like how I project up there and how they’re trying to build something new, building a foundation and stuff like that," he said. "A lot of things can change. They seem like that they want a versatile class, and their graduation rate has also gone up.
OL FILM - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Central Catholic - 2017[/B]
- A legacy prospect, this is 2017 four-star second time visiting Penn State within the past month. A couple days after last visit, James Franklin came through with an offer. With an offer in hand this time, he got to further talk with Franklin and Herb Hand, learning that he'd be a priority in the 2017 cycle.
"It went well, talked to Franklin and Hand some, so it was really good," Thorpe said. "(Franklin) was pretty much saying you know that your family, come up anytime. Can't wait to you see - all that kind of stuff."
LB FILM - Wilmington, Del. - Concord - 2017
The 2017 standout took his second unofficial visit to Penn State this winter. He said "Practice is what really stood out to me. The fast pace that they run and the intensity of the coaches was great to see."
Roberts also got to sit down and meet with James Franklin, Brent Pry and Josh Gattis at different points throughout the day.
"When I got there, Coach Franklin came over and hugged me. (Laughs) I also got to meet with Coach Gattis and Coach Pry. They all just let me know they were happy to see me and excited that I made a second trip up to school."
Roberts added that he's trying to get back to Penn State for the Blue-White Game, but as of now, he's still not 100 percent sure if he'll be able to make it. He is set to go to Nebraska on April 11. He'll also likely go down to South Carolina and Virginia Tech in May or June.
Long way to go with Roberts, but I feel confident in saying that Penn State is the early leader.
DE FILM - Bradenton, Fla. - IMG Academy - 2017
[/B]
The former Gilman prospect recently made the decision to attend IMG Academy in Florida following his season. However, while on break, he decided to come up to Penn State today. It was his third trip to Penn State, his first since last summer.
"I enjoyed the visit. Coach Franklin is really talking some good stuff about his football philosophy, as well as the academic side of things. He's very energetic and shows a lot of passion and energy when coaching. That is something I really like in a coach. He also treated me like I am already apart of the family. I am really impressed with PSU."
When I asked about practice, Spence said, "I liked their up-tempo (approach). The players were full of energy. They were excited to compete. They looked focused. I loved it."
Spence also got to sit down and have an extended conversation with Coach Spencer. He said this was one of the highlights of the trip.
"Coach Spencer is my dog man. (laughs) I really enjoy talking with him and I like his coaching style. He lets his players play and he has been successful at it for awhile.
Spence is in no rush, but I do believe PSU should make his first cut. He's expected to go to Ohio State next Thursday, April 2.
P FILM - Doylestown, Pa. - Central Bucks West - 2016
Metzer tweeted today that he's committed to Penn State to punt. He was on campus today as a visitor. Metzer will walk-on.
You can watch his film, HERE.
Click here for Kohl's Football Kicking Profile.
LB FILM - Stephens City, Va. - Sherando - 2017
[/B]
Rivers made his second trip to Penn State this winter. Since he just toured all the facilities back on Jan. 31, he ended up leaving before most, but he was able to check out practice.
"I really liked how intense their practice was. It was very fast. Guys weren't standing around. Everyone was getting reps. I really liked that. Actually, I loved everything about it."
Rivers didn't have an extended conversation with the coaches today, but he did speak with both Pry and Franklin briefly throughout the day.
"Coach Franklin came up to me a couple times. I also talked to Coach Pry, of course. We didn't talk in their offices or anything like that today. I just got lunch after practice and then went home."
Rivers went to lunch with two grad assistants, but he couldn't remember exactly who. However, he was joined by Sterling Jenkins and Paris Palmer for lunch.
"I sat with Sterling and Paris at lunch. They were both asking me about how my recruitment is going and then they were telling me about what their normal day is like. They both were early enrollees. They were saying that they miss their friends, but that they're both really happy that they made the decision to enroll early. Unfortunately, I don't think my school allows that. I have to double check, but if I could enroll early, I would."
Rivers is looking into visiting Virginia Tech sometime in the near future. He'll also likely see a few SEC schools in the summer. As for when he may return to Penn State, he's actually trying to come back for the Blue-White Game, but as of now, he's not 100 percent sure if he'll be able to make it.
"I actually have a 7-on-7 that day, but I'm going to talk to my coach. If he's OK with it, I'll definitely be back for the Penn State spring game."
Rivers won't be making any major decisions this spring or summer, but for the time being, he's made it clear that Penn State is in a good position. I've always got the feeling that Penn State is the early leader, but I'll stress that there's still a long way to go. He's going to pick up some elite offers before the end of 2015.
"Lets just say that Penn State is really high on my list. I'll leave it at that for now."
DE FILM - Baltimore, Md. - Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - 2017
- Kaindoh tweets that he picked up a Penn State offer today. PSU joins Florida State and Ohio State on his offers list. Going to be a big-time prospect. This guy is huge.
OT FILM - New Canaan, Conn. - New Canaan[/B] - 2016[/B]
- Niang was in town for the photo shoot but had to leave before practice. His mom had to be back for work Saturday night, so they were unable to meet with the coaches, which he said was something that he had talked about with them before making the trip.
"It was good, but I only really stayed for the pictures then had to leave, so it was short," Niang said. "I knew I couldn't stay because my mom had work, but I had just been to the Junior Day about (a month) before."
Next, Niang will visit Syracuse, Boston College, UConn (again) and Rutgers over his upcoming spring break. As I've said all along, since PSU was his first offer, if the coaches continue to make a push, PSU will remain in solid position here. But even after he makes this next round round of visits, he tells me that he's in no rush to make a decision or even narrow things down. He wants to continue exploring his options, see what else comes through, as he says he's "just going to take my time."
OL FILM - Reading, Pa. - Exeter Township Senior - 2016
[/B]
I was able to briefly catch up with four-star offensive lineman Michal Menet. Menet has been excellent to myself and all of the Penn State reporters. He made it clear that he didn't really want to do a full interview today, so of course, I didn't press him about it. That said, he did text with me a little bit.
There are two things to really note about yesterday's visit.
1) Saturday's visit was the first time Menet's mother made the trip to State College. In fact, it's the first visit she's gone with him to visit any school, so that's something that really stands out to me. She will probably visit one or two other schools between now and decision time, but the fact that PSU was the first school she visited suggests good things for the Nittany Lions. She wouldn't be making the trip if PSU wasn't one of his top 2-3 schools.
2) Menet spent a ton of time with all four of the committed prospects yesterday. Contacts informed me last night that Simmons, Zembiec, McGovern and Sanders were basically instructed to work very hard on both Hamlin and Menet yesterday. From everything I've gathered, the four of them left a very positive impression on both Hamlin and Menet.
"There isn't really anything up there that I haven't seen," Menet said. "It was important for my mom to get up there and it was her first time. We met with Coach Franklin and Coach Hand. We just talked about where they see the program going and how I would fit into that very well. I also talked with the commits, so that was really good to get their perspectives about Penn State."
Menet is trying to visit Michigan State before the end of spring practice, but as of now, that's still 50/50. As of now, he doesn't plan on returning to Penn State until the summer, but he's still on pace to make a committment sometime before September.
Michal has really kept things close to the chest. I still don't feel confident saying that he's Penn State's to lose, but if I had to make a prediction today, I would pick Penn State.
DT FILM - Richmond, Va. - Hermitage - 2016
- Kamara visited Penn State Saturday for the first time since earning an offer in February. It was also his first-ever visit to PSU. He talks with Tim Owen about the visit, HERE.
OL FILM - Monroeville, Pa. - Gateway - 2017
I caught up with Robert Hainsey earlier today.
I believe that everything is pointing in PSU's favor so far. He's going to earn some great offers this summer and into the fall, but the fact that he's visited PSU seven times since last spring - it'll likely be eight if returns for the Blue-White Game - really stands out to me.
Click Here to watch his film.
This post was edited on 3/29 3:58 PM by RyanSnyder
