Blue White Illustrated

ing the facilities. He gave positive re- views of his visit and said he's eager to return for a game this season. NO. 100 JORDAN FULLER Ath. // Old Tappan, N.J. // Old Tappan Penn State is targeting Fuller as an of- fensive threat, and he was on campus in June for the "Lasch Bash" barbecue. He has serious interest in the Nittany Lions, and the sta6 will continue to recruit him heavily into the fall. NO. 102 BRENDAN FERNS LB // Saint Clairsville, Ohio // Saint Clairsville Ferns has visited Penn State multiple times throughout his recruitment and is very familiar with what the program has to o6er, as his brother Michael was re- cruited by O'Brien. However, this looks to be an uphill battle, with Big Ten foe Ohio State holding the high ground. NO. 110 J.P. URQUIDEZ OT // Hyattsville, Md. // DeMatha Catholic Urquidez picked up a Penn State o6er in July during an uno7cial visit and le8 with a positive outlook on the Nittany Lions. He plans to visit again in the fu- ture. Soon a8er the PSU visit, however, Urquidez nearly announced a commit- ment to either Baylor or Texas, so it seems likely that he'll play his college ball in Texas, his native state, or in the Southeast. The Longhorns hold the edge, but he is a teammate of Simmons, and the recently committed prospect is try- ing to sell him on PSU. NO. 120 ROBBIE ROBINSON CB // Hampton, Va. // Phoebus Robinson was eyeing a visit to Penn State before school starts, but he has also said he would like to make a return trip during the season, so there's de4nitely interest here. He has already visited North Carolina State, Duke, Virginia, Notre Dame and Clemson this summer. NO. 145 MICHAL MENET OL // Reading, Pa. // Exeter Township Senior Menet attended the Lasch Bash barbe- cue on an uno7cial visit and thoroughly enjoyed his time. The next day, he camped with the coaching sta6 and was the most fundamentally sound o6ensive lineman in attendance. Penn State is be- lieved to be the leader, but Menet also has relationships with coaches from Ohio State, Michigan State, Pitt, Notre Dame and Maryland. NO. 146 JUSTIN LAYNE WR // Cleveland, Ohio // Benedictine Layne earned a PSU o6er June 22 a8er camp. He said Penn State "was one of my favorite colleges growing up" and added that the Nittany Lions' o6er "was the only [one] that I wanted that I didn't have, besides Ohio State." So the Lions are in good standing early, especially considering that they o6ered before the Buckeyes. But if Ohio State comes through with an o6er, it will likely be the team to beat. NO. 153 KEANDRE JONES LB // Olney, Md. // Good Counsel Jones picked up his Penn State o6er from O'Brien, and Franklin has le8 it on the table. He camped with the sta6 July 20 and was the top linebacker in atten- dance, further solidifying his relation- ship with the PSU program. Reports sug- gest that Penn State is the early leader. NO. 155 TERRANCE DAVIS OL // Hyattsville, Md. // DeMatha Catholic Since early July, Davis has received of- fers from Alabama, Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. He picked up his PSU o6er July 20 when he made his 4rst uno7cial visit to campus. He didn't camp, but he hung out with the coaching sta6 and with some of the other blue-chip recruits on hand. Davis is close friends with teammate Simmons and told BWI that "if I decided to go [to PSU], that de4nitely would make my transition and choice that much better because I have a friend and a teammate who I've known since I was in the eighth grade" who has committed there. NO. 159 DAMAR HAMLIN DB // Pittsburgh, Pa. // Central Catholic Hamlin had been anticipating a Penn State o6er, and he earned it a8er camp July 20. He visited Ohio State the follow- ing weekend, but he has visited Penn State three times since the spring and has had a strong relationship with Terry Smith since he was in junior high. Those factors explain why Hamlin says that "Penn State is my frontrunner." NO. 161 EMMIT GOODEN DE // Brownsville, Tenn. // Haywood Franklin and his coaching sta6 have been recruiting Gooden for almost a year, dating back to their Vanderbilt tenure. They extended an o6er soon a8er they were hired by PSU, and Gooden stays in weekly contact. He says he's hoping to visit this fall for a game but has yet to schedule a date. In early July, Gooden put Penn State in a top 4ve that also included Tennessee, UCLA, Auburn and Florida State. Brie5y committed to Tennessee, he admitted that the Volun- teers and Nittany Lions hold an early edge because "they recognized me before anybody else." Auburn and Alabama would also join the mix if they were to extend o6ers. NO. 171 JAKE ZEMBIEC QB // Rochester N.Y. // Aquinas Institute Zembiec nearly made a verbal commit- ment to the Nittany Lions a8er he earned an o6er at camp in June. But he took a step back, re-evaluated and has made a few other visits since. This sum- mer, he's also visited Michigan State, UCF and Oklahoma State. While it's un- clear whether Zembiec will make an ear- ly decision, Penn State is expected to be high on his list until the very end. NO. 172 TREVON DIGGS WR // Gaithersburg, Md. // The Avalon School Diggs claimed his Penn State o6er in late March and then made his 4rst visit to University Park a month later. Upon receiving the o6er, he said he would give it serious consideration, and he hopes to make a return trip this fall. NO. 181 SEAN POLLARD OL // Western Pines, N.C. // Pinecrrest Pollard took an uno7cial visit to Penn State on Aug. 3, during which he earned an o6er. He also holds o6ers from Clem- son, Duke, East Carolina, Miami (Fla.), North Carolina, N.C. State, South Caroli-

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