Blue White Illustrated

J ames Franklin's 8rst full recruiting class as Penn State's head football coach may not completely ful8ll the sky-high expectations that fans were en- tertaining before the de-commitments of four-star prospects Josh Barajas, Bran- don Wimbush and Adam McLean. But the Class of 2015 is still likely to be the program's best in nearly a decade, with all 20 of the currently committed prospects having received at least three stars from Rivals.com. It's always impressive when a school receives commitments from multiple prospects in the Rivals250. Penn State had four such players as of mid-December, but what may be even more noteworthy is the fact that more than half of the Nit- tany Lions' committed prospects – 12 of 20 – have earned a four-star ranking from Rivals. Even the prospects who have garnered lesser rankings have received their schol- arship o9ers for a reason. It's because the coaching sta9 is con8dent they can help Penn State take the next step toward championship contention as it leaves the sanction era behind. Many of those players backed up the coaching sta9's evaluations with their performance this past season. What fol- lows is a roundup of how all of Penn State's verbally committed prospects fared during their respective senior years. SAQUON BARKLEY The four-star run- ning back had arguably the best season of any member of Penn State's Class of 2015. In 11 games, the Whitehall, Pa., native had 216 carries for 1,851 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns. Barkley also excelled on trick plays, at- tempting four passes and completing two, both for touchdowns. Whitehall High 8nished its season with an 8-3 record, losing to Freedom, 17-14, in the 8rst round of the PIAA District 2- 11 subregional quarter8nals. The Allen- town Morning Call recognized Barkley as a 8rst-team All-Conference running back, and he is expected to receive All-State honors, as well. "During my senior year, there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and we had a lot of adversity, but this year definitely helped me pre- pare for my future at Penn State," he said. "I would say the main thing about this year is that it shaped me into a better teammate and a leader. I'm thank- ful for the coaches who taught me this year. They really helped me prepare for the next level, both physically and men- tally." RYAN BATES All of Penn State's Class of 2015 offensive linemen have the po- tential to be solid contributors for the Nittany Lions, but Bates, from Warmin- ster, Pa., appears to be the most likely of the class's three high school prospects to contribute as an underclassman. His 6-foot-5, 285-pound frame is ideal for the guard position at the Division I level, but he alternated between guard and tackle throughout his career at Arch- bishop Wood. Bates was also the leader of an o9ensive line that won back-to-back PIAA Class AAA state championships. This year, the Vikings defeated WPIAL powerhouse Central Valley, 33-14. "I feel like I really improved on the fun- damentals as an o9ensive lineman and physically as a player," Bates said. "I feel "From the moment I walked in, Coach [John] Donovan was there to greet me, and I also got to talk to Coach [Herb] Hand. Being at a re- cruiting event with probably 100 kids, being able to actually talk to Coach Franklin out on the 50-yard line and stuff like that, that definitely stood out to me." Since the end of the regular season in November, the coaching sta9 has been on the road visiting many of its top remaining Class of 2015 prospects. One of the prospects who welcomed head coach James Franklin into his home was Philadelphia defensive end Shareef Miller. "They were at my school and pulled me out of class," Miller said. "Coach Franklin was out there, and Coach [Sean] Spencer and Coach [Josh] Gattis were out there talking to my coach. "Then they came to my house and met my mom, met my mentor, who coached me when I was younger – he's like a father figure to me – so he was there, too. We just had a real good time. My mom really liked Penn State. She liked Coach Franklin and the rest of the guys. It was really good, and my mom really enjoyed it." As of mid-December, Miller was still considering seven programs, but it appeared as though the leaders were Penn State, Pitt and Arizona State. He took an official visit to Pitt the weekend of Dec. 5-7 and was set to check out Tempe Jan. 16- 18. Penn State will receive his final official visit the weekend of Jan. 23- 25. That's shaping up to be a very big weekend for the Nittany Lion coach- ing sta9. In addition to both Miller and Petrishen, the sta9 will play host to all of the verbally committed prospects in its 2015 recruiting class. The only exceptions will be o9ensive linemen Sterling Jenkins and Paris Palmer and quarterback Tommy Stevens, all of whom are expected to already be enrolled at Penn State. ■ PSU recruits enjoy strong senior seasons |

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