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O C T O B E R   1 0 ,   2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 17 Penn State picked up commitment No. 17 on Oct. 1 when four-star tight end Brenton Strange announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Strange's announcement came only a few hours aCer his official visit to University Park for the Nittany Lions' game against Ohio State. In July, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound Rivals250 prospect had picked up an offer from head coach James Franklin following a solid per- formance at the staff's final camp of the summer. In the weeks that followed, it became clear that the Nittany Lions had emerged as the team to beat, but Strange decided to hold off, electing to visit one more time before taking the next step. "I always had Penn State at the top. I al- ways liked them a lot, and this weekend I just got that feeling," he said following his commitment. "I've gotten to know Coach [Ricky] Rahne and Coach [Tyler] Bowen well. I know how their offense goes. I got to see how they used [Mike] Gesicki and how they're using Pat [Freiermuth] now. "I just know that this is the perfect fit for me. I just wanted to come back to campus and see that game day atmosphere for my- self. I wanted to experience everything a little bit more. Penn State has been my leader for a while now, and I knew Saturday that I was probably going to do this. I just didn't make it official until [Monday]." ACer signing two tight ends in last year's class, the Nittany Lions didn't have to take another in 2019. However, Strange became one of the nation's most sought-aCer prospects this past spring and summer, picking up 17 scholarship offers from April to July. In June alone, he camped at North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wake Forest, all of which extended offers to the Parkersburg, W.Va., native. Those offers, plus multiple camp appear- ances, transformed Strange from an un- ranked three-star recruit into a member of the Rivals250. His performance at Penn State was also one of his best all summer, as he ran an impressive 4.6-second 40- yard dash. Once was the summer was over, he announced that Penn State, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wake Forest were his top schools. But as with so many other prospects, re- lationships ultimately put the Nittany Lions ahead of the rest. That was a major reason why Penn State was the favorite going into the weekend, and his official visit only strengthened PSU's position. "It's always good to hang out with the coaches and everyone on their staff, but this weekend I got to hang out with the freshman quarterback, Will Levis, and a lot of the other guys," he said. "That was really cool. I felt real comfortable with all the guys. I also really enjoyed going over film with Coach Bowen. That's kind of when I knew I was going to go all in." Despite missing two games earlier this season due to a minor injury, he's totaled 428 yards receiving and three touchdowns through five games. Strange also has 160 yards rushing on only 10 carries. R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M R E C R U I T I N G West Virginia tight end joins Penn State's class CLASS OF 2019 NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Hakeem Beamon DL 6-3 255 ★★★★ Chesterfield, Va. Lloyd C. Bird JaQuan Brisker DB 6-2 200 ★★★ Monroeville, Pa. Lackawanna College Lance Dixon LB 6-2 200 ★★★ West Bloomfield, Mich. West Bloomfield John Dunmore WR 6-3 170 ★★★★ Hollywood, Fla. Chaminade Madonna Keaton Ellis DB 6-0 160 ★★★ State College, Pa. State College Area Devyn Ford RB 5-11 195 ★★★★★ Stafford, Va. North Stafford Michael Johnson Jr. QB 6-3 202 ★★★★ Eugene, Ore. Sheldon Joey Porter Jr. CB 6-2 185 ★★★ Pittsburgh, Pa. North Allegheny Taquan Roberson QB 6-0 198 ★★★★ Wayne, N.J. DePaul Catholic Tyler Rudolph DB 6-1 205 ★★★★ Oakdale, Conn. St. Thomas More Emery Simmons WR 6-1 186 ★★★ Fayetteville, N.C. South View Brandon Smith LB 6-3 218 ★★★★ Mineral, Va. Louisa County Brenton Strange TE 6-4 217 ★★★★ Parkersburg, W.Va. Parkersburg Caedan Wallace OL 6-4 330 ★★★★ Princeton, N.J. Hun School Anthony Whigan OL 6-5 295 ★★★ Great Mills, Md. Lackawanna College Marquis Wilson DB 6-0 175 ★★★★ Windsor, Conn. Windsor Saleem Wormley OL 6-4 300 ★★★★ Smyrna, Del. Smyrna * As of Oct. 9 P E N N S T A T E C O M M I T M E N T S * C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9 STRANGE

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