Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1138762
F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G PSU rebounds after rough patch Lions lose four commitments in June but replenish class with highly rated prospects | T he recruiting trail is a two-way road, and Penn State knows that all too well, as prospects have lately been coming and going. In early May, the Nittany Lions' Class of 2020 consisted of 10 players. By late June, the total had risen to 16, but that six- player pickup only hints at the amount of change that occurred in a relatively short period of time. James Franklin and his sta4 actually added 10 players in June, but the Lions also lost four prospects, with Aaryn Parks, Josh Moten, Derek Wingo and Grant Toutant all backing out of their verbal commitments. Of the departing players, Parks was the most highly rated. He was the only player in the class to be ranked in the Rivals100, having recently moved up to No. 67. But on June 12, the o4ensive lineman an- nounced that he was reopening his re- cruitment. While he said that he would keep the Nittany Lions under considera- tion, he planned to explore his other op- tions. In a statement released on Twitter, Parks explained that he believed he had committed too soon. "I feel as though I made my decision o4 of emotions and locked in too early with- out giving other universities an equal op- portunity to recruit me," he wrote. "Penn State will continue to be a top choice on my list of schools that I am interested in, but as of right now, my recruitment is 100% back open." Parks' decision was followed a day later by the news that four-star cornerback Josh Moten was also reopening his re- cruitment. A teammate of Parks at Na- tional Christian Academy in Maryland, Moten had been one of the 3rst players to join Penn State's Class of 2020, commit- ting on Feb. 2. However, it became clear in the weeks leading up to his decommit- ment that he had been feeling restless. Before joining the Nittany Lions' class, Moten had only visited a few schools. In announcing his decision to rescind his commitment, he echoed his teammate Parks, writing that he had "pulled the trigger too fast." "I didn't give some of the universities that have been recruiting me an equal chance," Moten tweeted, "so, I will be de- committing from Penn State University and opening my recruitment up all the way." The loss of Parks and Moten came only days a5er o4ensive lineman Grant Toutant, a member of Penn State's class since November 2018, announced that he would instead be attending Ohio State. For daily and breaking news updates on Penn State football recruiting, visit bwi.rivals.com. NEW LINEMAN Fashanu is a standout at Gonzaga Prep in Washing- ton, D.C. He committed to Penn State in early June. Photo cour- tesy of Ri- vals.com