Blue White Illustrated

Murrell isn't the only Alabama native for fans to monitor, as wide receiver Har- rison Wallace, who lives outside Mont- gomery, is also considering Penn State a:er earning an o9er from the sta9 on Nov. 18. Although Wallace is committed to Duke, Rivals.com Southeast analyst Chad Simmons said he believes there's a real chance that Wallace will 8ip his com- mitment to the Lions in December. Since the o9er, Wallace hasn't dis- cussed his recruitment publicly, but sources close to Penn State's sta9 have hinted that there's a real chance the Nit- tany Lions 8ip his commitment in the coming weeks. Those sources added that Wallace and his family did a virtual visit with James Franklin and his sta9 on Nov. 22. Two other notable 2021 prospects to keep an eye on are o9ensive lineman Austin Uke of Dallas, and defensive end George Wilson of Virginia Beach, Va. Uke is one of the fastest-rising prospects in Texas, with Florida State, Georgia Tech, Missouri and USC all joining the Nittany Lions in extending o9ers a:er the release of his senior season highlights. One thing Penn State has going for it is the fact that Uke camped with Phil Trautwein while at Boston College. That familiarity is rare at a time when prospects aren't able to meet with coaches. Uke and Trautwein "usually talk every day," Uke said. "One thing I can say about him is that they're always good conversa- tions. They're never awkward and dry. I like that he's a younger coach, so I feel like I can relate to him better. Also, the fact that he's coached me before at camp re- ally helps during all of this. It's hard to get to know all these coaches, but I've actu- ally worked with him before." As for Wilson, he earned an o9er from the Nittany Lions in the spring but went on to commit to South Carolina in July. Penn State was one of his top three schools at the time, along with North Carolina. The Tar Heels are now full at his position, while South Carolina is about to go through a coaching change. The deci- sion to 7re Will Muschamp spurred Wil- son to open up his recruitment on Nov. 25. That same day, he did a virtual visit with Penn State's coaching sta9. ■ I n recent years, James Franklin and his staff have been able to use their suc- cess on the field as a major advantage late in the recruiting cycle, but after get- ting off to an 0-5 start this season, those discussions with recruits have become much more difficult. When asked how he addresses this year's start, Franklin said that all he can do is tell recruits "the truth." "I'm very transparent in recruiting. I always have been," Franklin said. "I get into probably a little bit more of the de- tails and a little bit more of the specifics of what's going on behind the scenes. I'm very transparent and honest about what's going on. Obviously, there's an opportunity for them as well." Franklin added that he and his staff have built a track record that gives them credibility despite this year's poor start. "For four years, we've done some pretty good things," he said. "[It's been] maybe the most successful era in Penn State's Big Ten history. That's not hap- pening right now, but I do think people look at the whole situation. "We're just very honest and upfront, and I think the worst thing you can do is avoid it," Franklin continued. "You have very direct, honest conversations, and you talk about it, make sure everybody's on the same page. It's not always easy to do. It's not fun jumping on those calls on a Sunday or Monday, but you've got to do it." Another issue that's going to hinder Penn State's efforts is the NCAA's deci- sion to once again push back the dead period. In September, the NCAA's Divi- sion I Council announced that the dead period would be extended through the rest of the calendar year, ending Jan. 1, 2021. That announcement raised the hopes of 2021 prospects who thought they might be able to squeeze in a hand- ful of visits before Feb. 3. But on Nov. 18, the deadline was extended again, this time till April 15. Franklin sees both sides of that situa- tion. "I don't like it for the recruits, their experience and their process," he said. "For schools like Penn State, you have to have a very specific plan to get to them; it's not [as if ] you just kind of pass on your way to Philly or you pass on your way to Pittsburgh or whatever it may be. So I think it's impactful. "But at the end of the day, it's hard to justify bringing anybody into the bub- bles that we're trying to create. Our em- phasis has to be on our current student-athletes, and you don't want to do anything to jeopardize them. It's challenging as it is, but I also sympa- thize and understand, and we wish the recruits had an opportunity to have a normal experience." One other change the NCAA made was to essentially allow anyone associ- ated with a university to initiate con- versations with prospective student-athletes without countable coaches being present. So, for example, running backs Journey Brown, Noah Cain and/or Devyn Ford can now reach out to a recruit like Deshun Murrell on their own. Those contacts were already permissible, but Ja'Juan Seider or one of Penn State's 10 countable coaches had to initiate them. The same goes for academic advisors, professors and other members of the Penn State fac- ulty. Even athletic director Sandy Bar- bour can now initiate recruiting calls if she chooses. Meetings with players, academic ad- visors and members of the athletic de- partment have always been part of a typical official visit, so this is the NCAA's attempt at allowing that kind of contact to take place amid the pan- demic. ■ Slow start, extension of dead period create recruiting headwinds for PSU |

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