Blue White Illustrated

changed his pro3le picture. When Walker called up Bowen's pro3le, he saw that the assistant was wearing blue and white. He had joined James Franklin's sta4 as tight ends coach. "It was cool," Walker said. "It just kept giving Penn State more of an edge. That was when I was still between Penn State, Ohio State and Virginia Tech. I kept get- ting all these signs. It was kind of scary." The son of a Washington, D.C., police of- 3cer, Walker has developed a keen aware- ness of what's happening around him. Some might call it a BS meter. So while the coaching change might have piqued his in- terest, Walker stayed the course and con- tinued weighing his options. Then his recruitment took another turn. With many prospects signing in December, college coaches turned their full attention to the relatively few uncommitted prospects who remained. The talent pool was much smaller, and Walker was one of the biggest 3sh in it. He felt the heat. "One speci3c school, a6er that 3rst signing day, I feel like they didn't get the [o4ensive lineman] that they wanted," Walker said. "They were recruiting me at a good level but once they didn't get the person, who I feel like they really wanted, that's when I felt like they turned it up a notch. The person I knew they really wanted, they tried to make it seem like they weren't recruiting him like that and made me feel like I was the main person all along. … It was just a whole bunch of BS really, just to 3ll my head." Walker chose not to identify the school. In December, however, Ohio State lost in- state blue-chipper Jackson Carman to Clemson and found itself in need of an o4ensive lineman. Penn State, meanwhile, followed the same slow-and-steady course that Walker was following, and the consistency of the Nittany Lions' e4ort helped them win out, even though Walker did take an o5cial visit to Columbus in January. "[PSU was] one of the schools that was recruiting me consistently throughout the whole recruiting process, and I was really familiar with the class I was coming in with," he said. "I knew I was going to get better by going against people like Micah Parsons and Jayson Oweh every day." On Feb. 7, Walker became the one and only player to commit to the Nittany Lions in the late signing period, joining 22 others who had signed previously. He just took his time and found his valid reason. ■ A way from the football 3eld, you'll rarely 3nd incoming Penn State wide receiver Daniel George moving very quickly. George is a relaxed, laid-back character whose favorite pastime is roaming the golf course with his stepfather. He's in no rush to merge into the fast lane. Cross the white line onto the gridiron, however, and acceleration is everything to the young wideout, who said an ability to separate himself from defensive backs is among the most important assets that he'll bring to Penn State's receiver corps. "I might not be like a 4.4 guy," he said, "but when I get to top speed I don't think anybody's catching me." George spent much of his high school career just as he described it – not getting caught. The Fort Washington, Md., native accumulated 888 yards through the air and brought down 11 touchdown catches as a senior, leading Oxon Hill High to the Class AAA state semi3nals. College coaches took notice. George earned 24 o4ers, including 20 from Power Five schools. A four-star recruit, he passed up o4ers from Maryland, Virginia and Vir- ginia Tech, instead pledging his commit- ment to coach James Franklin in July 2017. Once George got the o4er, he said, there wasn't much of a choice to be made. "I would just say Penn State as a whole is just way better than every other school," he said. "But with me being from Maryland, watching Penn State and Maryland playing each other all the time, getting to see how Penn State handles that... Once I got the o4er, everything about it caught my eye." George didn't have any second thoughts, even a6er the departure of wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, who le6 for Alabama, and o4ensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, who became the head coach at Mississippi State. George began building a relationship with David Corley a6er he was named Gattis's replacement in Janu- ary, an important part of George's choice George looks to create separation as college receiver | THE GEORGE FILE STATS Totaled 61 catches for 888 yards and 11 TDs as a sen- ior... Also scored on punt, kicko3 and interception returns... Finished career with 113 catches for 1,876 yards and 27 TDs... Was Class AAA 300-meter hurdles state champ in 2017 HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 41 wide receiver in the Class of 2018, No. 6 prospect in Maryland and No. 238 overall prospect nationally... Named to USA Today's All-USA Maryland team last season... Chosen to play in Crab Bowl SEE GEORGE PAGE 109 CLICK HERE to see video of George in action.

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