Blue White Illustrated

a move than Harrison, although they're also expected to visit more schools this summer before potentially taking that next step. "The family atmosphere that they have – that was probably the main thing that stood out to me," Achumba said. "As soon as we got there, their coaching sta3 was waiting for us to shake our hands. They showed me that I'm important to them. I also had good meetings with their o3ensive line coach. We sat down and watched 2lm and stu3. I also had a good talk with Coach Franklin about the fu- ture." It was the 2nal junior day of the month, March 30, that was arguably the busiest for Franklin and his sta3. In addition to hosting the annual coaches clinic that weekend, PSU welcomed more than 30 prospects to watch practice. Two o3en- sive linemen, Michael Carmody of Mars, Pa., and Olu Fashanu of Washington, D.C., both made the trip, as did line- backer Cody Simon of Jersey City, N.J. All three are very impor- tant prospects in the 2020 class. Simon, who plays at one of New Jersey's top schools, St. Peter's Prep, has been near the top of the sta3's recruiting board since last June, when he camped and earned an o3er. "I think what I took away from this visit was their practice and where the overall team is at right now," Simon said. "Hon- estly, they're at another level right now. I really was impressed with their lineback- ers. They're deep there. They have some guys who can really get a4er it. That de- fense is going to be solid for the next cou- ple of years. That's something that's really intriguing to be part of. Also, the coaching sta3 and Coach Franklin are just the best. [Franklin is] one of the greatest guys. He's always enthusiastic. He's always there for his players, I really saw that and feel his energy. It's warming to me and I enjoy that." Penn State was set to host additional prospects on April 6, but it's the Blue- White Game the following weekend that will be a major recruiting event for the staff. As of March 31, that list was still coming together, but we were expecting two Florida prospects – defensive end Josh Griffis, who plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, and defensive back Darryl Porter of Plantation – to take official visits. Five-star linebacker Antoine Sampah of Woodbridge, Va., was also expected to be on campus with his team- mate, offensive lineman R.J. Adams. Both are likely to take unofficial visits that weekend. In recent years, Penn State has hosted well over 100 prospects for the Blue- White Game alone, and that's again ex- pected to be the case in 2019. The sta3 has also earned at least one commitment that weekend in each of the past four years. ■ IN-STATE STANDOUT Fleming is a five-star wideout from Catawissa, Pa., but the Nittany Lions will have to fight off Ohio State and Clemson to earn his signature. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com

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