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U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Julian Humphrey 6-0 175 ★★★★ Houston, Texas Clear Lake Keenan Nelson Jr. 6-0 200 ★★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. St. Joseph's Ryan Turner 6-0 185 ★★★ Miramar, Fla. Chaminade Madonna Safety Mumu Bin-Wahad 5-11 180 ★★★ Loganville, Ga. Grayson Sherrod Covil 6-0 188 ★★★ Chesapeake, Va. Oscar Smith Cristian Driver 6-1 170 ★★★★ Argyle, Texas Liberty Christian Keon Sabb 6-2 195 ★★★★ Glassboro, N.J. IMG Academy (Fla.) K.J. Winston 6-2 190 ★★★ Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha * As of April 4 S A F E T Y | Strong relationships lead Wheatley to Lions H aving grown up in Cro6on, Md., Zakee Wheatley has no shortage of home- town pride. Just like all those Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants fans who grew up outside their respective cities, Wheatley and his father love the Washington Foot- ball Team. Throw in all the other profes- sional teams in the D.C. area – the Capitals, Nationals and Wizards – and you'll learn quickly there's no shortage of DMV pride in the Wheatley house- hold. But there's another hometown team that the family grew up supporting: the Maryland Terrapins. That may seem like a con4ict of interest to Penn State fans, but it's a reminder that the recruiting process is about much more than alle- giances. For every Pennsylvania prospect who gets away from the Nittany Lions, there's a Zakee Wheatley. "When I was younger, everything was Maryland for us," Wheatley said. "We live in the DMV, so the Washington Redskins, Maryland, the Capitals, teams like that were who I grew up supporting and still do. So, of course, when I was younger, I was pulling against Penn State." Once it became clear that he was going to play college football, that allegiance went out the window. Instead, he and his family focused on relationships, academ- ics and an overall 3t, both on and o5 the 3eld. That's where James Franklin and his coaching sta5 really shined. The fan loyalty "really didn't matter to me all that much," Wheatley said. "When you start building relationships with coaches and you start learning more about all these schools, it just guides you to wherever is the best school for you. For me, that school was Penn State and I started realizing that pretty early on. Everyone at Penn State really showed me how much they cared about me, not just as a player, but as a student, too. That's the kind of stu5 that mattered to me. So, when my goal became to play college football, it was all about 3nding the best place for me." Wheatley did just that last year, com- mitting to Penn State on April 10, 2020. Along with another four-star player, Jaylen Reed, he was part of a safety duo that was arguably the best position group of the class. But just like Reed, who also doesn't en- roll for another couple of months, Wheatley is going to have to get to know a new position coach following Tim Banks's move to Tennessee in the o5-sea- son. To make matters worse, Wheatley's regional recruiter was Tyler Bowen, who is now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. "We looked at them like family, like someone I'll be spending the next four years with," Wheatley said. "Of course, Coach Bowen is my guy. Coach Banks is my guy, too, so I'm happy they're moving up in the ranks. That's how the game works. So, of course I was bummed out THE WHEATLEY FILE STATS Finished with 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and five in- terceptions in 2019, while also totaling 810 yards and seven TDs as a receiver... Finished with two TDs and two interceptions dur- ing Archbishop Spalding's shortened 2020 season HONORS Rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 21 safety in the Class of 2021 and the No. 10 prospect in Maryland... Was an All-City and All-County choice in 2019... Chosen to play in Big 33 game CLICK HERE to see video of Wheatley in action.

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