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sive back, safety Zakee Wheatley, an- nounced his commitment. "I've been up to Penn State multiple times and I have great relationship with Coach Franklin and the whole coaching sta8," Wheatley said. "We really con- nected. They have great football. The coaches talked about where they see me and how they see me coming in." He later added, "I see the trajectory of the program. Penn State always plays great football. We're going to continue to build on that." A Rivals250 prospect from Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., Wheatley is ranked just a few spots behind Reed at No. 237 overall. He's the 11th-ranked safety in this class. Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech were among the 23 schools that o8ered. "At most schools, I would talk to the [defensive backs] coach and maybe the recruiting coordinator. Then, every once in a while, you talk to a head coach," Wheatley said. "Penn State's entire sta8 talked to me. Coach Franklin recruited me heavy. Coach [Tyler] Bowen was in touch a lot. I talked to their strength coaches before. Everyone was on board. Obvi- ously, I talked to Coach [Terry] Smith and Coach Banks a lot. They just showed me how important I was to them." Penn State added one more defensive back the following week when Je8rey Davis Jr., a three-star prospect from Kingswood Oxford in West Hartford, Conn., announced his decision on April 17. Davis earned an o8er from the Nittany Lions last November when he attended the game against Indiana, but he camped with the sta8 the past two summers. His top schools included Boston College, Michigan, Princeton, Rutgers, Tennessee, Wake Forest and Yale. "The main reason why I love Penn State is the immediate love they showed me from the moment I got the o8er at the In- diana game last season," Davis said. "As soon as I was o8ered, their coaches really showed me how important I was to them. I fell in love with the school right away and I knew pretty quickly that this is where I wanted to be. I just have a great relationship with the coaches. Coach Franklin and all the coaches are great. This entire fan base is just awesome." Although he's listed as a wide receiver by Rivals, Davis will likely begin his col- legiate career at cornerback. The Nittany Lions now have two projected safeties and two projected cornerbacks in this year's recruiting class, although it should be noted that both Davis and Wheatley are versatile enough to play either posi- tion. If all goes to plan, Penn State should sign 7ve defensive backs this year, with cornerback Tony Grimes and safety Der- rick Davis being the top two remaining prospects. ■ JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p COVER STORY Davis announced for the Lions on April 17, be- coming the fourth de- fensive back to join the class. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com

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