Blue White Illustrated

Lions setting torrid pace A lthough it ended with the 4rst recruiting blemish in James Franklin's short tenure as head coach, May was the biggest month yet for Penn State on the recruiting trail. During a one-week span, from May 3 to 10, the sta5 added another four players to its Class of 2015, including two of its most coveted prospects at any position: o5ensive lineman Sterling Jenkins and quarterback Brandon Wimbush. However, on May 30, Penn State lost its top linebacker when four-star prospect Josh Barajas switched his verbal commit- ment to Notre Dame. By now, many Penn State fans have be- come familiar with Jenkins, the 6-foot- 9, 308-pound four-star player from Bald- win High School in Pittsburgh. He is the highest-rated prospect currently com- mitted to the Nittany Lions, coming in at No. 69 overall in the Rivals.com rankings. One added bonus for Penn State: Jenkins chose the Lions over Big Ten rival Ohio State. "It was a really close call," he told Rivals.com on May 6, the day of his com- mitment. "In the weeks before this, I was always thinking about whether it would be Penn State or Ohio State. I didn't know which one would be better for me. "From my perspective, Penn State and Ohio State are going to the same place. A lot of things they do are similar, but there are some details at Penn State that Ohio State didn't have." One of the people who helped sway him toward the Nittany Lions was o5ensive line coach Herb Hand. "I really admire Coach Hand – everything Penn State receives four more commitments, but news is mixed as 4-star LB reconsiders F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G he has told me and seeing how he coaches," Jenkins said. "It feels like the right place for me to grow. I had already met Coach Hand when he was at Vanderbilt. We got along even then, and I knew when he came to Penn State it wouldn't be a sales pitch. He's the same guy he was there, a guy I can trust." While Jenkins' commitment has been portrayed as the biggest recruiting coup of Franklin's brief tenure at Penn State, Wimbush of St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey gave the Class of 2015 another big boost by announcing for the Nittany Lions short- ly a6er Jenkins. Wimbush, a 6-2, 208- pound prospect from Jersey City, was un- deterred by the fact that Penn State already has two highly touted quarterbacks on campus in Christian Hackenberg and Michael O'Connor. In fact, he said he's looking forward to the challenge of facing those two players. "My plan is to go in and compete as a freshman and de4nitely learn behind a dude who is going to be taken very highly [in the NFL Dra6] very soon," he said, re- ferring to Hackenberg, who will be a junior in 2015. Wimbush said he intends to "just compete, compete, compete. That's all you can do anywhere you go." Like Jenkins, Wimbush committed to Penn State on May 6, making it arguably one of the best days the Nittany Lions have ever had on the recruiting trail. Penn State's recent recruiting successes had a signi4cant impact on Wimbush's deci- sion. "I picked this school because I felt like it was the best 4t for me personally," he told Rivals.com. "Great guys, all around the program. It will give me the opportu- nities that I need." He added that he liked "the vibe I got on campus and with the coaching sta5 and [quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne]. Penn State is the hot spot right now, and I feel like this class has the ability to make Penn State special again." While Wimbush and Jenkins got most of the attention, the Nittany Lions received two additional commitments in early May, as defensive back Ayron Monroe and de- fensive lineman Jonathan Holland also announced plans to attend Penn State. Both have received three stars from Rivals.com. Holland, who attends the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., was the 4rst of those two to end his recruitment, committing to Penn State on May 3. The 6-3, 235- pound strong-side defensive end rocketed up Penn State's big board a6er defensive line coach Sean Spencer began learning more about him in February. He's said to be a strong pass rusher o5 the strong- side edge. What's more, he has an impressive re- sume away from the 4eld. In 2008, Holland and his older brother started a shaved ice company in the Potomac area to help raise money for their sister's tuition. Since its inception, the company has earned more than $100,000. "It's been great, one of the best decisions I ever made," Holland said. "To help take a load o5 our parents, while also teaching me about how to be a small-business owner, it's taught me so much about work TWO OF A KIND One of the country's most heralded line- men, Jenkins (be- low) chose the Nit- tany Lions over Ohio State on May 6. Lat- er that evening, the Lions received an- other commitment, as Wimbush (right) announced that he, too, planned to attend Penn State. BY RYAN SNYDER Blue White Illustrated Rivals.com Rivals.com

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