Hey everyone,
I linked the complete list of prospects that I have 100% confirmed below, but there are quite a few players who have since backed out or are still 50/50 as of Friday afternoon.
2016 Prospects
Ath. Jordan Fuller, DB Damar Hamlin and Ath. Khaleke Hudson are all considered 50/50 at the moment. As I've said throughout the week, all three are expected to be in attendance, but they haven't confirmed with myself or my colleagues that they'll definitely be there on Saturday afternoon.
I have confirmed that JUCO CB Kyzir White will not be in attendance. Lackawanna has a game at 1 PM Saturday. He was interested in driving down to State College after his game, but the turnaround is just too short. I'll be keeping an eye on him throughout the season. I think PSU has slowed down its pursuit of White, but I'm also expecting the staff to attend one of his games in the next few weeks. It's probably a similar situation to Khaleke Hudson.
2017
I've confirmed with Ath. Paris Ford, and DT's Fred Hansard and Dalyn Wade-Perry that they will not be in attendance this weekend. They all should be at a game at some point this season, so I don't think that's a big deal.
We also have to keep an eye on DE Damion Barber. He plans to be there and does have a ride, but Harrisburg's game was shifted from tonight to Saturday. I've seen many prospects play a game in the afternoon, only to then decide not to make the trip, so it's something to monitor. The same holds true for his 2018 teammate, Shaquon Anderson-Butts.
Something to Note
Because of the rain, this didn't impact us last week, so I wanted to make sure you are all aware of a recent change at Penn State. Over the past few years, Tim and I were allowed to interact with prospects before the game. That is no longer the case. Penn State has changed that policy this year. Personally, I'm bummed about it, but I totally understand why.
In recent years, and most notably last year, there were close to 10 or more reporters interacting with recruits and it became too much. Everyone wanted photos, numbers, etc., and it basically became a turn off to recruits. Instead of watching pregame and enjoying themselves, they had reporters bugging them for photos, etc., so Penn State decided to change that rule. Again, I totally understand why. It makes sense to me. I've talked to multiple recruits about how annoyed they were having so many reporters bug them before the game.
From a content perspective, the only really impact is on photo galleries. We're no longer allowed in the corner where recruits hang out before the game, so all photos have to be long distance. I know our photographers will take photos if an opportunity presents itself, but for now, it looks as if it'll be difficult to continue doing recruit photo galleries.
Visitor Breakdown - Top Underclassmen
I originally had closer to 15 prospects on this breakdown, but quite a few either bailed or haven't given me a solid answer. I decided to keep this list to strictly prospects that I know will definitely be in attendance, so that's why the focus is on underclassmen.
Anyways, I just give my impression on where PSU stands with some of the top younger prospects that are expected to be here this weekend.
CLICK HERE
I linked the complete list of prospects that I have 100% confirmed below, but there are quite a few players who have since backed out or are still 50/50 as of Friday afternoon.
2016 Prospects
Ath. Jordan Fuller, DB Damar Hamlin and Ath. Khaleke Hudson are all considered 50/50 at the moment. As I've said throughout the week, all three are expected to be in attendance, but they haven't confirmed with myself or my colleagues that they'll definitely be there on Saturday afternoon.
I have confirmed that JUCO CB Kyzir White will not be in attendance. Lackawanna has a game at 1 PM Saturday. He was interested in driving down to State College after his game, but the turnaround is just too short. I'll be keeping an eye on him throughout the season. I think PSU has slowed down its pursuit of White, but I'm also expecting the staff to attend one of his games in the next few weeks. It's probably a similar situation to Khaleke Hudson.
2017
I've confirmed with Ath. Paris Ford, and DT's Fred Hansard and Dalyn Wade-Perry that they will not be in attendance this weekend. They all should be at a game at some point this season, so I don't think that's a big deal.
We also have to keep an eye on DE Damion Barber. He plans to be there and does have a ride, but Harrisburg's game was shifted from tonight to Saturday. I've seen many prospects play a game in the afternoon, only to then decide not to make the trip, so it's something to monitor. The same holds true for his 2018 teammate, Shaquon Anderson-Butts.
Something to Note
Because of the rain, this didn't impact us last week, so I wanted to make sure you are all aware of a recent change at Penn State. Over the past few years, Tim and I were allowed to interact with prospects before the game. That is no longer the case. Penn State has changed that policy this year. Personally, I'm bummed about it, but I totally understand why.
In recent years, and most notably last year, there were close to 10 or more reporters interacting with recruits and it became too much. Everyone wanted photos, numbers, etc., and it basically became a turn off to recruits. Instead of watching pregame and enjoying themselves, they had reporters bugging them for photos, etc., so Penn State decided to change that rule. Again, I totally understand why. It makes sense to me. I've talked to multiple recruits about how annoyed they were having so many reporters bug them before the game.
From a content perspective, the only really impact is on photo galleries. We're no longer allowed in the corner where recruits hang out before the game, so all photos have to be long distance. I know our photographers will take photos if an opportunity presents itself, but for now, it looks as if it'll be difficult to continue doing recruit photo galleries.
Visitor Breakdown - Top Underclassmen
I originally had closer to 15 prospects on this breakdown, but quite a few either bailed or haven't given me a solid answer. I decided to keep this list to strictly prospects that I know will definitely be in attendance, so that's why the focus is on underclassmen.
Anyways, I just give my impression on where PSU stands with some of the top younger prospects that are expected to be here this weekend.
CLICK HERE