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J ust like last year, when James Franklin and his assistants welcomed 11 scholarship players for the 2019 spring semester, the Nittany Lions will host another 11-man contingent for the Class of 2020 when the spring se- mester begins Jan. 13. On the o9ensive side of the ball, Penn State will welcome running back Caziah Holmes, tight end Theo John- son and o9ensive lineman Nick Dawkins, as well as two wide receivers: Jaden Dottin and KeAndre Lambert. Johnson, Holmes and Lambert are all listed in the Rivals250. Johnson is 107th and Holmes 172nd, while Lam- bert went from an unranked four-star prospect to just inside the top 250 at No. 246 overall. The Lions have plenty of depth at wide receiver, but with Justin Shorter expected to transfer out of the program, Lambert's early start could prove to be a major boost, espe- cially if other transfers follow. The defense will welcome six new prospects next month, as defensive linemen Cole Brevard, Fatorma Mul- bah and Bryce Mostella, defensive backs Enzo Jennings and Joseph John- son, and linebacker Tyler Elsdon are all set to begin taking classes. Of those players, no one jumps out as a poten- tial early contributor, mainly because of the depth ahead of them. Brevard is the only Rivals250 prospect in the group, checking in at No. 234 overall. The Carmel, Ind., native not only led his team to a state championship this past season, but he's also lost over 20 pounds in an e9ort to arrive at Penn State in the best shape possible. It's tough for any 8rst-year player to start early along the defensive front, but there's plenty for fans to be excited about when it comes to his future. Two notable players who won't be enrolling early are junior college prospects Ji'Ayir Brown and Norval Black. According to the Lackawanna College coaching staff, both Brown and Black still have additional credits to finish before they make the move to University Park. Current Nittany Lion safety Jaquan Brisker was also forced to stay at Lackawanna last spring before making the move in the summer. –R.S. 11 prospects expected to enroll early at PSU ball. Other than that, I just feel like I can improve on everything. I have so much to learn still. I'm really excited about that. I was talking to my trainer the other day about what it's going to be like when I have an entire sta9 dedicated to helping me get better in every way. That's going to be incredible. The crazy thing about this entire process was that I never realized how good I was until I went through all of this. I've gained so much con8dence in myself in just the past year. I never thought I was crazy good or anything like that. Honestly, I just always felt like I had so much to work on, and I still do. That's what really excites me. I'm ranked really high, and that's cool. That's spe- cial to me, but I also know how much I need to improve and work on. I feel like, if people think I'm good now, imagine what I can become when I put in the amount of work that I'm planning to put in. It's been a pretty cool experience for me and it's given me so much more con- 8dence in myself. BWI I like to give recruits an opportu- nity to say something to Penn State fans. It can be about anything you'd like. What comes to mind? JOHNSON I just want to make sure everyone knows that I'm a gritty person and a hard worker. I think I've worked hard over the past few years and I'm only going to work harder now. But also, I want people to know that I'm coming to play. I'm going to bust my ass and work my tail o9 to make sure I do my part for Penn State and all the fans out there supporting us. They're going to get a guy who puts everything into what he does. ■ NEW ARRIVAL Holmes, a running back from Cocoa, Fla., is set to enroll when the spring se- mester begins on Jan. 13. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com

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