Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1101150
F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G Lions welcome visitors in March More than 100 prospects check out Penn State during spring practice | M arch tends to be one of the busiest months of the recruiting calendar, and that was once again the case this year. From the start of spring practice on March 13 to the 2nal junior day of the month, which took place March 30, more than 100 prospects visited Penn State. Even more impressive is the fact that of those players, 43 either held a scholarship o3er coming into the visit or le5 campus with one. One of the standout members of that group is tight end Theo Johnson of Wind- sor, Ontario. A four-star prospect and member of the Rivals250, Johnson is the Nittany Lions' top target at the po- sition. That's why this visit, which was a two-day, two- night trip, was so important to the sta3. "For me, one of the biggest things was hanging out with Coach [Tyler] Bowen," Johnson said. "One thing that I really liked is when we went over my highlight tape. He showed me some things that I can im- prove on, but also, he showed me some things that I already did well and fit well with their offense. I enjoyed that. I learned a lot. "But I also got to sit down with Coach Bowen and Coach [James] Franklin. They both told me how important I am and how much they need me in this class. They also stressed how they've been on me longer than all the other top schools. They really just stressed how much I mean to them, which was nice. It's always good to talk with them." The sta3's 2rst full junior day took place a few days later on March 16. There were 2ve prospects on campus that weekend who could realistically end up signing with Penn State, including wide receivers Jaden Dottin of Su4eld, Conn., and Ju- lian Fleming of Catawissa, Pa., defensive tackles Coziah Izzard of Olney, Md., and For daily and breaking news updates on Penn State football recruiting, visit bwi.rivals.com. TOP TIGHT END Johnson is a high-priority prospect for the Nittany Lions. The Ri- vals250 tight end recently paid a visit to campus. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com