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ber that he was planning to transfer. As of mid-January, he had not resurfaced at another school. All of which brings us to Penn State's Class of 2019. Franklin and his coaching sta9 signed 18 players in December, and that total could grow by four or 8ve prospects when signing day arrives on Feb. 6. The Nittany Lions have a chance to 8nish with their second consecutive top-10 class, as rated by Rivals.com, but what really sets it apart from its prede- cessors is that 11 of its members have al- ready enrolled. That's more early enrollees than in the two previous classes combined. Noteworthy, too, is the quality of those January enrollees. All 11 had four-star ratings from Rivals.com as of mid-Janu- ary. The players in question are line- backers Brandon Smith and Lance Dixon, quarterbacks Michael Johnson Jr. and Taquan Roberson, defensive backs Tyler Rudolph, Marquis Wilson and Keaton Ellis, o9ensive lineman Anthony Whigan, defensive end Adisa Isaac, run- ning back Noah Cain, and Strange at tight end. With the NCAA now allowing fresh- men to play in up to four games without losing a year of eligibility, most of these early enrollees will see some sort of playing time during the 2019 season. This past year, two January enrollees – Parsons and Luketa – played in more than four games, meaning that they will be sophomores next fall. But I could see that number being easily doubled for the January arrivals in the Class of 2019. Which true freshmen are most likely to see more than four games' worth of ac- tion? Here are 8ve possibilities: 1. NOAH CAIN Cain is the No. 5 running back in the country as rated by Rivals.com and the No. 73 overall prospect in the Class of 2019. In his four years of high school football, he rushed for 3,936 yards and 46 touchdowns. What I like about Cain is his ability to 8ll every role that running backs are re- quired to perform in Penn State's of- fense. I particularly like his potential as a target in the passing game. With the departure of Miles Sanders, Cain will have an excellent chance to compete with Ricky Slade, Journey Brown, C.J. Holmes and fellow Class of 2019 running back Devyn Ford. En- rolling in January and participating in spring practice is a big bonus for the 5- 10, 209-pound Cain, as Slade is the only running back on the current roster with any real college experience. 2. BRANDON SMITH Two internet re- cruiting services have rated Smith a 8ve-star prospect, and he has been de- scribed as the top overall player in Penn State's incom- ing class. Rivals.com ranks him second nationally among outside linebackers and 57th among all prospects. He to- taled 375 tackles, including 62 tackles for loss and 27 sacks, during his high school career. As a senior, he was Virginia's Gatorade Player of the Year, totaling 128 tackles, six sacks and 16 tackles for loss. Reported by the Harrisburg Patriot- News to have 4.4-second 40-yard speed, Smith will likely play middle linebacker. He will face plenty of com- petition in spring practice, as the Lions return senior Jan Johnson, redshirt sophomore Ellis Brooks and Luketa, but I believe he could see signi8cant playing time next fall. At 6-3, 225 pounds, he has the athletic ability to play all three line- backer positions. 3. KEATON ELLIS Even though he's a consensus four-star recruit, Ellis is, in my opinion, the most underrated mem- VERSATILE PLAYER Smith has the athletic ability to play all three linebacker positions in the Nittany Lions' defensive scheme. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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