Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/433715
| Palmer is latest to join class Juco offensive lineman fills one of Nittany Lions' most pressing needs FOLLOW RECRUITING ONLINE Visit bwi.rivals.com for updated news on PSU's scholarship offers and commitments. F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G W ith the holiday dead period in e1ect until Jan. 15, Penn State was able to secure three valuable commit- ments in late November and early De- cember. Of the three players to commit to the Nittany Lions, none were more im- portant to the coaching sta1 than junior college o1ensive lineman Paris Palmer. Originally from Plymouth, N.C., Palmer had committed to South Carolina in March. He stood 0rm with the Gamecocks for months, but the four-star prospect from Lackawanna Community College in Scran- ton, Pa., backed out of his commitment on Dec. 11. That just happened to be the night before James Franklin and all four of Penn State's o1ensive assistants made an in-home visit. Penn State sealed the deal with Palmer on Dec. 12. At 6-foot-8, 305 pounds, Palmer was a target of the current sta1ers from the mo- ment they arrived at Penn State last winter. The coaches backed o1 a3er he committed to South Carolina, but when the Nittany Lions' o1ensive line began struggling in the fall, assistant coaches Herb Hand and Ricky Rahne checked in with Palmer's coaches to see if there were any chance he would reconsider his choice. Things really began to pick up on Nov. 7, as Palmer met with Hand and head coach James Franklin at Lackawanna for more than an hour. The two coaches per- suaded Palmer to take an o2cial visit to University Park for the Michigan State game. That visit ended up putting Penn State in an advantageous position. "He really enjoyed the o2cial visit," said Josh Pardini, Lackawanna's o1ensive line Tim Owen THEY'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS The Nittany Li- ons landed Palmer earlier this month after he reconsidered his previous commitment to South Carolina.