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been a goal of mine to come back here. I love this place more than anything. They're my family. I had a great career here and made lifelong friends and got a degree. I owe this place so much. And I hope through my coaching I can give back to this university. It's always been a dream of mine. I wake up every morn- ing and pinch myself. I'm tickled, I'm excited to be here coaching the tight ends. It's something I've always wanted to do and prepared myself for." ■ to contributing in any way I can. Coach [Brent] Pry has assembled one of the best defensive units in the country, and nothing motivates me more than young men with a will to work hard and learn." OTHER STAFF ADDITIONS Penn State has made three additional hires in recent weeks, bolstering its football support staff by bringing in a pair of offensive analysts and a recruiting specialist. The Lions have hired former New York Jets offensive coordinator Dowell Log- gains as an analyst. A 13-year coaching veteran, Loggains has been a quarter- backs coach and offensive coordinator for multiple NFL teams. In addition to the Jets, he has coached for the Miami Dolphins (OC), Chicago Bears (OC, QB), Cleveland Browns (QB) and Tennessee Titans (QB, OC). Also joining the staff as an offensive analyst this spring is former Maryland and Wisconsin quarterback Danny O'Brien. In 2010, O'Brien was named a Freshman All-American while playing for a Terrapins team that featured Franklin as offensive coordinator. He most recently served as the running backs coach with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. In addition to Loggains and O'Brien, Penn State has brought back Kenny Sanders as national recruiting coordina- tor. A former assistant director of player personnel for PSU, Sanders spent the 2019 season at Oregon. During his pre- vious tenure, he helped oversee one of the best stretches in Penn State history, as the Nittany Lions landed five consec- utive top-25 classes. ■ STATE OF PLAY The Lions have lost their point man in Michigan, but that's no reason to think their recruiting will suffer fter Penn State welcomed 16 signees in its Class of 2021, two major storylines emerged from its re- cruiting effort for the cycle. The first and most obvious centered on the Nittany Lions' disappoint- ments in Pennsylvania. The staff's in-state efforts produced only four prospects, the lowest total of the eight classes that Penn State has signed since James Franklin's arrival in 2014. The counterpoint, however, existed two states to the west. Welcoming four prospects from Michigan, the Nittany Lions banked a quarter of their class from the state, continuing a trend that coincided with the arrival of safeties coach Tim Banks in 2016. "When you look at our history over the last four or five years, we've done a pretty good job in Michigan," Franklin told Rivals.com recruiting director Mike Farrell on signing day. "We got Jamari Buddin and Kalen King and Kobe King, as well as Jaylen Reed. We probably never had that many in one class, but we've gotten two or three high-level guys a year. And there's a history of that with Penn State. "You know how it is: You get a couple of kids early on, and they're popular, and they're well-thought-of, and they're respected among their peers, and it creates some momentum for you. … We're pleased with the class that we were able to get out of it." Given the context, Penn State should be more than pleased, as the state proved to be a critical and sig- nificant piece of the year's recruiting effort. In the King brothers and Reed, the Nittany Lions landed three of their four highest-rated prospects in the class, with those players ranking be- hind only offensive lineman Landon Tengwall. With Kalen King ranked No. 135 in the Rivals250, and Reed and Kobe King both earning 5.8 ratings ac- cording to Rivals, the Nittany Lions made the most of the relationships built by Banks and the trust he had es- tablished in the area. "He's from Detroit. He went to Mar- tin Luther King High School, so he's very well respected and connected in the state," Franklin said. "That helped as well." With the recent announcement that Banks had been named the new defen- sive coordinator at Tennessee, the question now concerns how much of an impact his departure will have on the Nittany Lions' standing in the state. And maybe more important, Penn State might be asking itself not only who can step into Banks's shoes to recruit the area, but also if it's even necessary. Intimately familiar with the prospects Penn State landed from Michigan during his five-year tenure with the program, a haul that ex- panded to nine with the Nittany Lions' four-man Class of 2021, Banks ex- plained previously the connection that helped make the program relatable to Michigan players. "I grew up there. I played in the area. I've coached in the area. And I think that's awesome, but at the same time, you still have to do a great job of vet- ting the right people, making sure that the kids truly understand what Penn State brings to the table. So it is a chal- JUDGMENT CALL A

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