Blue White Illustrated

F E B R U A R Y 5 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 6 STERLING JENKINS Jenkins is one of the tallest offensive linemen the Nittany Lions have ever recruited and will defi- nitely play tackle at the college level. He has unlimited potential, but there is lit- tle doubt that he will redshirt his fresh- man year in order to build strength. If he's able to make the necessary gains – he is reportedly off to a good start this winter – he will most likely end up playing at about 330 pounds. JUWAN JOHNSON Even though Penn State landed one of the best receiver classes in the country last year, Johnson has an excellent chance of making an impact as a true freshman. He is one of the best pure athletes in Penn State's class, combining impressive size with 4.5-second 40-yard speed, big hands and a 34-inch vertical leap. His brother, George Johnson, is a linebacker/defen- sive end with the Detroit Lions, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Juwan join him in the NFL someday. DAIQUAN KELLY Kelly has the speed (4.55) to play strong safety and the toughness to play outside linebacker. I believe he will have an opportunity to contribute on the kick-coverage units as a freshman. Kelly was re- cruited as an athlete and could eventually develop into a 230- pound Will outside linebacker. He accelerates to the football and plays the game from sideline to sideline. JARVIS MILLER Hailing from a small school located about 30 miles north of Hartford, Miller might be the most un- derrated member of this class. Since announcing for Penn State last Febru- ary, he has matured physically. At the time of his commitment, he was listed by Rivals at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. But when he took his official visit last month, Miller checked in at 6-3, 205. He will play the strong safety position at Penn State. He has sub-4.6-second 40-yard speed and a real nose for the football. Miller enjoyed a breakout sen- ior season, and although he will proba- bly redshirt this coming fall, it wouldn't be a complete surprise to see him on the field as a special teams contributor. SHAREEF MILLER With Brad Bars and C.J. Olaniyan graduating and Deion Barnes choosing to enter the NFL DraB, Penn State needed to recruit three de- fensive ends in this class. Kamonte Carter and Ryan Buchholz are expected to line up at the strongside defensive end position, while Miller will fit in at the weakside spot. He is fully capable of playing that position in a 4-3 defensive scheme. In fact, he appears to have enough athletic ability to play the out- side linebacker position. Miller needs to develop upper- and lower-body strength to have a chance at playing as a true freshman. I think it's more likely he will redshirt this fall. AYRON MONROE Monroe has excel- lent size and has reportedly turned in a sub-4.5-second 40-yard time. Pound for pound, he is one of the hardest hit- ters in Penn State's class. He will most likely begin his Penn State career at the strong safety position and will be red- shirted this coming season. PARIS PALMER Palmer is the high- est-rated juco player Penn State has ever signed. He has been compared to former Lackawanna College offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, who won the Outland Trophy while at Miami (Fla.). Palmer has only two years to complete his two remaining seasons of eligibility. The Nittany Lions didn't bring him in just to provide depth. He'll be given every opportunity to win a starting po- sition at offensive tackle. JOHNNY PETRISHEN With this late addition, there is no doubt Penn State landed the Big Ten's top defensive back class. Petrishen is an excellent special teams player and a real student of the game. He will most likely be redshirted this fall and begin his career at strong safety. BRANDON POLK Penn State re- cruited Polk in hope of bringing break- away speed to the slot receiver position in three-wide-receiver sets. Polk is listed as having sub-4.5-second 40- yard speed and a 36-inch vertical leap. A former track standout, he has also run a 10.5-second 100-meter dash. He put that speed to good use at Briar Woods, excelling on the punt- and kick-return units. Because of his potential as a spe- cial-teams player, I can envision Polk seeing action this fall. The return game is one area in which Penn State needs to make significant strides. JOHN REIDReid is physically giBed, boasting sure hands, 4.5-second 40- yard speed and a 34-inch vertical leap, CENTER OF ATTENTION Reihner was Stanford's backup center last season. As a graduate student, he will be eligible to play right away for the Nittany Lions. Photo courtesy of Kevin Reihner

• Cover