Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1052705
expect the Nittany Lions to be serious contenders to earn Vilbert's signature. "I talk to Coach Spencer the most, but lately I've started to talk to Coach Franklin a little bit more," Vilbert said. "Our relationship is de3nitely getting better. I feel like they're good coaches. They de3nitely want to win and they're good people. That's what I like." Defensive tackle D'Von Ellies, a four- star prospect from Owings Mills, Md., is another player who will bear watching in the weeks leading up to the early signing period. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior earned an o4er from the sta4 in July and instantly put the Nittany Lions near the top of his list. Penn State's chances im- proved even further during an uno5cial visit in September for the game against Ohio State. "I think Penn State has a lot of momen- tum," said Hakeem Sule, head coach at McDonogh. "I think there's a lot of buzz in the air around their program the past few years. There have been a lot of local kids going there, and obviously he has a connection with [former high school teammate] P.J. Mustipher. Sean Spencer and Coach Franklin have been really ag- gressive lately with their e4orts. They're making it very clear to D'Von that he's an excellent prospect for them. They've done a great job at explaining the role that he could have in their program. "So I think they've done a very good job at painting the picture of all the di4erent things that he can bene3t from at Penn State. They believe that he can not only 3t into their rotation but would be an excel- lent 3t for just the entire program and university." Ellies returned to Penn State on the weekend of Nov. 9-11, taking an o5cial visit for the game against Wisconsin. He's expected to also visit Ohio State at the end of the month and could check out Florida before signing with the school of his choice in December. The trips to Columbus and Gainesville would be for o5cial visits. But it's his connection with Mustipher, FLORIDA PROSPECT Richards is believed to be favoring Miami, but his family has a connection to Penn State assistant coach Ja'Juan Seider, and the Nit- tany Lions are on his short list of potential college destinations. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com