Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/408409
Lions focused on 2016 and beyond R Y A N S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D James Franklin and the Nittany Lion coaching staff hosted roughly 50 prospects on Saturday for Penn State's matchup against new Big Ten foe Mary- land, most of whom were potential walk- ons. Although there weren't any notable Class of 2015 prospects in attendance who are currently uncommitted, the staff hosted multiple Class of 2016 play- ers who are considering both the Nittany Lions and Terrapins, the most signifi- cant of whom is quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. The four-star prospect and Rivals100 member from The Bullis School in Potomac, Md., has earned just shy of 30 verbal scholarship offers to this point, including offers from such pro- grams as Clemson, Florida State, Geor- gia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas A&M, UCLA and Virginia Tech. Rivals.com currently ranks Haskins fiAh in the nation among pro-style quarter- backs. Close friend Trevon Diggs made the trip with Haskins. The four-star wide re- ceiver from The Avalon School in Gaithersburg, Md., is the younger brother of Maryland's star receiver, Ste- fon Diggs. Because of his brother's con- nections, most believed going into the season that the Terps held an early edge, but this was actually Diggs' third visit to University Park this season. He's one of five 2016 wide receivers who is being se- riously targeted by the staff. It's believed that Penn State will take two receivers in the 2016 cycle. Athlete Jordan Fuller was another no- table junior prospect in attendance. Fuller, the younger brother of UCLA wide receiver Devin Fuller, has earned 15 verbal offers so far, including an offer from Penn State. A Rivals four-star prospect, Fuller could play either quar- terback, wide receiver or defensive back at the next level, but it's believed that Penn State prefers him at receiver. This was his first visit to University Park this season and his second overall dating back to July. One of Penn State's top defensive back prospects in the Class of 2016 also made the trip. Robbie Robinson, a Hampton, Va., native who plays at Phoebus High, picked up an offer from Franklin and de- fensive backs coach Terry Smith in April and then followed that up with an unof- ficial visit over the summer. The nation's eighth-ranked cornerback, Robinson has totaled 14 verbal scholarship offers but is still wide open with his recruit- ment. He burst onto the scene this past spring and summer, earning MVP hon- ors at multiple camps throughout the off-season. Defensive end Shane Simmons of Hy- attsville, Md., committed to Penn State in July and brought one of his DeMatha High teammates to the game: wide re- ceiver Tino Ellis. While he's yet to pick up an offer from Penn State, Ellis has earned six total scholarship offers and has a four-star ranking. He's one of the top 25 receivers in the nation next year accord- ing to Rivals.com. Quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne has been focused on finding a replacement for QB Brandon Wimbush following his de-commitment in early October, but that hasn't kept him from scouting both juniors and sophomores these past few months. One of those quarterbacks is Class of 2017 prospect Hunter Johnson, who made the trip to Penn State this weekend. The Brownsburg, Ind., native may only be a sophomore, but he's quickly emerging as one of the top prospects in the country. So far, Johnson holds four verbal scholarship offers, in- cluding one from the Nittany Lions. His performance at camp this past July was one of the best of any prospect at any po- sition this past summer. G A M E G R A D E S R E C R U I T I N G QUARTERBACKS Christian Hackenberg held onto the ball too long on multiple occa- sions and missed a few throws in the second half that he normally completes with ease. GRADE C- RUNNING BACKS Akeel Lynch had 24 yards on his first six carries, but he gained just 27 on his last 15. Bill Belton couldn't get anything going up the middle, either. PSU needs a more sustained perform- ance from this group, and that includes pass blocking. GRADE C RECEIVERS Geno Lewis had an outstanding grab across the middle for 17 yards on the first drive, but his drop at the goal line hurt. DaeSean Hamilton finished with five catches for 42 yards. GRADE C+ OFFENSIVE LINE The line had few answers for Maryland's blitz packages and stunts. And when PSU really, really needed a push from its running game in the fourth quarter, it got almost nothing. GRADE D DEFENSIVE LINE Deion Barnes arguably had the best game of his career, finishing with two sacks and a forced fumble. Anthony Zettel forced one, too, but this group wore down toward the end of the third quarter and into the fourth. Who can blame them? They've basically been carrying the team all season. GRADE B LINEBACKERS Mike Hull, Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman all had their moments, but like the D-line, this group wore down as the game went on. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS This unit was stellar in the first half, limiting Brown to just 34 yards on eight completions. But it was a dif- ferent story in the second half, in which Brown threw for 127 of his 161 total yards. GRADE B SPECIAL TEAMS Sam Ficken was money, con- verting all four of his field goal attempts. He saves this group from a failing grade, because the punting was erratic, and Grant Haley's fumble on a late kickoff return proved very costly. GRADE D COACHES After driving the entire length of the field toward the end of the second quarter, PSU brought in its wildcat package and the drive stalled, resulting in a field goal. GRADE D CROWD The student section was less than half full before kickoff, and the an- nounced attendance of 103,969 was well short of the advertised sellout. GRADE B N O V E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6