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I t was his hometown team. He was its top recruit. But in the end, the match didn't work out. Saeed Blacknall, a four-star wide receiver from Manalapan, N.J., committed to Rut- gers in August so that he could end his recruitment before his senior season be- gan. "That was the reasoning behind his early commitment," Manalapan head coach Eddie Gurrieri revealed. "That's the kind of kid he is. It's not about him; it's about the team." But by the winter, much had changed. The Scarlet Knights finished with a 6-7 record, their recruiting had hit a skid and they lost offensive coordinator Ron Prince to the NFL. Meanwhile, one of their future Big Ten rivals was trending upward. When Penn State hired James Franklin in January, it was hiring a coach who had previously built strong ties with Black- nall. "A lot of people really don't know, but Franklin originally started recruiting me at Vandy," Blacknall said. "I already had a relationship with Coach [Josh] Gattis and all the people who are [at Penn State] now. … On top of that, [Franklin] has a great resume and the coaches have great resumes. You see what he did in the SEC. He's just a great coach all around. Personalitywise and culturewise, he's just somebody who I would love to play for." Blacknall didn't seriously consider Van- derbilt because the school was located too far from home. But when Franklin took a job much closer to the Garden State – and when Rutgers extended its search for a new offensive coordinator well into January – Blacknall's college plans began to morph. "I think he was torn pretty good," Gur- rieri said. "He's a local guy who wanted to stay home. He's been at Rutgers prob- ably over 100 times over the past few years." The uncertainty over the direction the Scarlet Knights' offense would take, cou- pled with the developments at Penn State, prompted Blacknall to make the decision he felt most confident about. Rutgers eventually hired Ralph Friedgen as of- fensive coordinator, but by then it was too late. Blacknall had committed to Penn State two days earlier. "Everything made sense," he said. "You want to make a logical decision. Leaving Rutgers at the time, with what they had going on, it was just the logical choice at the time. Then Franklin [was hired] on top of that, and considering the coaches that he has, everything was falling into place. I just had to go with it, and it was just the best thing for me at the time. And it still is the best thing for me. I'm happy with my decision to this day." If there's one position on Penn State's offense at which an incoming freshman can make an early impact, it's wide re- ceiver. Blacknall is well aware of that, too, but he's being careful to not get ahead of him- self. "When you come in as a freshman, it's a whole nother ball game," he said. "A lot of people adjust differently. I just want to play my part and not do too much. When people do too much, especially in this game, things don't always go the way you want them to. I just want to stay lev- el-headed and do what I can do." Blacknall is familiar with the three other wide receivers who signed in Penn State's Class of 2014 and understands that there will be plenty of talent to challenge him for playing time. But as a Rivals250 prospect who was ranked the fourth-best player in his state, Blacknall has tall goals, and they begin with his true freshman season. Gurrieri said he believes Blacknall has the physical attributes to play early. He said, "If you've seen this kid, he's 205 pounds. He's probably going to be some- where around 220-225 pounds when he's done with college. That will make him like an Andre Johnson-type. It'll be very hard for an average-sized cornerback to get up on him and bump him or press- man him." As Blacknall acknowledged, there's still a long way to go. But there's nowhere else he would rather develop than at Penn State. "The whole Penn State family – fans, the alumni and everyone there – I'm just so happy to be a part of something like this," Blacknall said. "I don't see another college in the nation that has this type of support and stuff like that. It's amazing how it is." ■ ADJUSTING HIS ROUTE Changes at Rutgers and PSU put Saeed Blacknall on a path to University Park | U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L THE BLACKNALL FILE S T A T I S T I C S Caught 52 passes for 707 yards and scored 15 touchdowns during his senior season. His longest reception was a 72- yarder. ... Finished with 40 receptions for 743 yards and 11 TDs as a junior... Has 4.5-second 40-yard speed and 6.59-second 50-meter speed. H O N O R S Was rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, as well as the 248th-best player in the country, the fourth-best player in New Jersey and the 32nd-best wide receiver nationally.

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