Blue White Illustrated

Ford earned 6rst-team All-State honors at running back following his junior sea- son at North Sta7ord, in which he rushed for 2,056 yards and 32 touchdowns. He earned 30 scholarship o7ers over the course of his high school career and gave serious consideration to Clemson, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Vir- ginia Tech before narrowing his list down to the Nittany Lions and Hokies. Ford became the fourth 6ve-star prospect to commit to Penn State in the past three recruiting classes, joining de- fensive back Lamont Wade, wide receiver Justin Shorter and linebacker Micah Par- sons. MARQUIS WILSON A 6-0, 175-pound cornerback from Windsor, Conn., Wilson is no stranger to Penn State, having vis- ited on 6ve occasions prior to his May 20 commitment. The four-star player began taking an interest in the Lions last July a9er attending the Underclassmen Com- bine. He received an o7er a few weeks later, prior to his visit in September for the Pitt game. More recently, Wilson attended a junior day in February before returning to Uni- versity Park for an o8cial visit on Blue- White Weekend. He also made an unannounced trip to Penn State in mid- May. A9er speaking with the coaching sta7, he committed to Franklin in person. He had originally been expected to take a few more o8cial visits but decided to forgo them and instead join the Nittany Lions. A member of the Rivals250, Wilson earned just over 20 scholarship o7ers. The notable programs that pursued him included Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. He visited Penn State more than any other school. Wilson is ranked No. 220 overall in the Class of 2019. He's the 25th-ranked cor- nerback and the third-ranked prospect in Connecticut. BRANDON SMITH A 6-3, 218-pound linebacker from Mineral, Va., Smith had been a regular at Penn State, visiting on 6ve occasions in the year leading up to his May 21 commitment. Those trips in- cluded an appearance at the Lasch Bash barbecue last July and a visit for the game against Pitt in September. More recently, he and his family made the trip north to Happy Valley in early April to watch spring practice and meet with the sta7. Rico Smith, Brandon's father, said that Franklin made a very positive impression on the family during their visits. "Penn State fans need to know that they have someone special in charge of their team," he said. "The way he teaches, the way he leads, the way he interacts with everyone – Coach Franklin is a special guy. Penn State fans should be really proud of the fact that they have that man leading their program." A member of the Rivals100, Smith earned 25 verbal scholarship o7ers. Ala- bama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Virginia Tech were some of the bigger programs that he visited during the past year, and he also took an o8cial visit to Texas A&M in late April. He had developed a good relation- ship with Jimbo Fisher and his sta7 dat- ing back to their time at Florida State. Smith attended the Rivals/Adidas 3 Stripe Camp this spring, taking home MVP honors at linebacker. That perform- ance earned him an invitation to the Ri- vals Five-Star Challenge in June. Ranked No. 53 overall nationally, Smith became the 6rst linebacker to join Penn State's 2019 recruiting class. The Nittany Lions are expected to take one more player at his position. TYLER RUDOLPH On the same day that Smith committed, the Lions received more good news when Rudolph, a 6-1, 205-pound defensive back from Oakdale, Conn., announced that he, too, would be joining the class. Rudolph was recruited by Terry Smith to play cornerback, but he could also see action at safety at the col- lege level. A standout at St. Thomas More, Rudolph earned 21 scholarship o7ers over the past year. He ultimately narrowed his list to 6ve schools: Penn State, Clemson, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State. Rudolph's interest in the Nittany Lions began to pick up last July when he at- tended the sta7's Underclassmen Com- bine. He returned in November, attending the Lions' 6nal home game against Ne- braska. While on campus, he picked up an o7er from Franklin. The nation's 22nd-ranked cornerback, Rudolph took two additional visits this o7-season, attending a Junior Day in Feb- ruary before taking an o8cial visit on Blue-White Weekend. ON BOARD Pre- viously commit- ted to North Carolina, Bea- mon chose the Nittany Lions over Ohio State in June. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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