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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 8 Penn State won't host its first official junior day until Feb. 28, but the staff did welcome more than 20 elite juniors and sophomores to campus on Jan. 31. In addition to the three previously committed members of the Nittany Lions' Class of 2016 – defensive end Shane Simmons of Hyattsville, Md., quarterback Jake Zembiec of Rochester, N.Y., and running back Miles Sanders of Pittsburgh – James Franklin and his as- sistants were able to add another com- mitment that day from four-star cornerback Lavert Hill of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. A member of the Rivals250, Hill was fa- miliar with the Nittany Lions heading into his January visit, having attended a Penn State football camp last summer. But it still came as a surprise when he abruptly ended his recruitment. He had received offers from Michigan, Ohio State and six additional schools and was attracting in- terest from other elites. With so much buzz building, most observers believed that Hill would likely end up at one of Penn State's rivals in the Big Ten East. But Hill had a good visit to Penn State and decided that he was prepared to make his choice. "I had thought about the decision before I went there," he said, "and I just felt confident that I wanted to commit." He went on to add, "It was just the best thing for me. I had made the decision and talked to my mom. My mom thought it was the best fit for me, too." Hill is ranked as the 19th-best corner- back in the Class of 2016 and the sixth- best prospect in Michigan. But while he stole the headlines with his surprise commitment, the Nittany Lions also made serious progress with several other prospects they are hoping to sign in 2016. One of those players is offensive lineman Connor McGovern of Lehman, Pa. The top-ranked center prospect in the Class of 2016, McGovern has already received nine scholarship offers. Recruiting ana- lysts had been speculating that Penn State was the team to beat, and McGov- ern confirmed that appraisal following his unofficial visit on Jan. 31. "Right now, I think Penn State is ahead of everyone," he said. "I still have to see some schools. I have to check out some other campuses before I rule out other schools and all that, but right now, they're at the top." McGovern plans to visit both North Carolina and Duke later this month. He is also expected to visit Michigan State and a few other schools in March and April, but he could potentially commit by the end of spring practice. Another local prospect to keep an eye on is defensive back Damar Hamlin of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. A four-star prospect, Hamlin has been on campus a few times in the past eight months, and he admitted when he picked up an offer last July that Penn State was one of his top schools. Ohio State and Michigan have since emerged as two of the staff's top competitors. He's also planning to visit Notre Dame this spring. It's believed that Hamlin will make a decision in March or April. Of course, Penn State's unofficial junior day wasn't just aimed at bringing Class of 2016 prospects to campus. The coaching staff also welcomed a number of Class of 2017 prospects and even one Class of 2018 prospect. Nearly all of those players had already earned a Penn State offer or are expected to receive one in the near future. Running back D'Andre Swift of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia was one of the most highly regarded prospects in that group. Rankings for the Class of 2017 won't be released until this coming fall, but Swift is expected to be a top-100 prospect. In fact, some believe he has five-star potential. Swift said he came away from his visit with a positive impression of Penn State. "I spoke to Coach [Josh] Gattis a lot," he said. "I also checked in with Coach [Charles] Huff. It was real nice. Coach Gattis was telling me that he wants me go see other places and make sure I do what's best for me. I sat down with Coach Huff, too. We actually saw a little film and he gave me some pointers to take back to St. Joe's Prep." Penn State also extended an offer to one of the Class of 2017 prospects in atten- dance that day. Linebacker Dylan Rivers, from Sherando High School in Stephens City, Va., began talking to Brent Pry mid- way through the season and also at- tended the Ohio State game in October. After getting a taste of the Penn State football experience, he made it very clear that he was hoping to receive an offer. "I went the whole day and they didn't offer me," Rivers said. "So, toward the end, we all ran out of the tunnel, like the foot- ball players do, and right when we did that, Coach Pry pulled me aside and asked me to wait around for five minutes in the locker room so we can talk for a minute. We went to the locker room then and that's when he told me they wanted to offer me a full scholarship to Penn State." 2016 class off to strong start  R Y A N   S N Y D E R   &   T I M   O W E N | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D CLASS OF 2016 COMMITMENTS* NAME POS HT WT HOME SCHOOL Lavert Hill DB 5-10 166 Detroit, Mich. Martin Luther King Miles Sanders RB 5-11 192 Pittsburgh, Pa. Woodland Hills Shane Simmons DE 6-3 224 Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha Jake Zembiec QB 6-2 205 Rochester, N.Y. Aquinas Institute * As of Feb. 5

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