Blue White Illustrated

BY RYAN SNYDER & TIM OWEN Blue White Illustrated P enn State won't host its 8rst o:cial junior day until Feb. 28, but the sta9 did welcome more than 20 elite jun- iors 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 Sim- mons of Hyattsville, Md., quar- terback Jake Zembiec of Rochester, N.Y., and running back Miles Sanders of Pitts- burgh – James Franklin and his assistants were able to add an- other commitment 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 end- ed his recruitment. He had received o9ers from Michigan, Ohio State and six addition- al schools and was at- tracting interest from other elites. With so much buzz swirling around him, 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 de- cision before I went there," he said, "and I just felt con8dent 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 8t for me, too." Hill is ranked as the 19th-best cornerback in the Class of 2016 and the sixth-best prospect in Michigan. But while he stole the headlines with his surprise commit- ment, the Nittany Lions also made serious Lions o to fast start in 2016 PSU's next class already taking shape as junior days begin TOP PROSPECT Hamlin, a defensive back from Pitts- burgh, is one of the staff's leading tar- gets as it works to as- semble the Class of 2016. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G

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