Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1041428
Mass., has committed to Georgia, Pola-
Gates has become the sta:'s top remain-
ing target to 9nish o: this year's haul of
defensive backs. Despite living in the
Phoenix suburbs, the four-star nephew of
former Nittany Lion defensive tackle
Aoatoa "Al" Polamalu has the Lions near
the top of his list.
"Never in my life have I ever experi-
enced anything like it," Pola-Gates said.
"I can't see anything topping that atmos-
phere. I'd hate to be on the opposing
team. The fans were de9nitely the 12th
man. That kind of community support
was amazing to see and experience."
Pola-Gates doesn't plan to make a deci-
sion until January at the Polynesian Bowl
in Hawaii. Most believe that Alabama is
the top competitor, and he's planning to
take an o;cial visit to Tuscaloosa for the
Iron Bowl in November.
The sta: should see results much
sooner from defensive end Adisa Isaac, as
the Brooklyn native is planning to make a
decision either later this month or in early
November.
"It was a great experience, being that it
P
enn State picked up commitment
No. 17 on Oct. 1 from four-star tight
end Brenton Strange. Strange's an-
nouncement came only a few hours
after his official visit to University Park
for the Nittany Lions' game against
Ohio State.
In July, the 6-foot-4, 217-pound Ri-
vals250 prospect picked up an o:er from
head coach James Franklin following a
solid performance at the sta:'s 9nal
camp of the summer. In the weeks that
followed, it became clear that the Nit-
tany Lions had emerged as the team to
beat, but Strange decided to hold o:,
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 week-
end I just got that
feeling," he said following his commit-
ment. "I've gotten to know Coach
[Ricky] Rahne and Coach [Tyler] Bowen
well. I know how their o:ense 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 9t
for me. I just wanted to come back to
campus and see that game day atmos-
phere for myself. 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 o;cial
until [Monday]."
A