Blue White Illustrated

T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 5 The members of Penn State's coaching sta7 have a long history recruiting the region, and the relationships that facili- tate productive recruiting – both now and in the future – can only be strength- ened. Andy Frank, Penn State's director of player personnel and the acknowl- edged "mastermind" behind its recruit- ing operation, said it's important to keep in-state prospects in mind when putting together a class. "You don't want to turn a kid down in your state who can help you win games," he said. "I think that, at the end of the day for us, we're looking for guys who help us win championships – Big Ten championships and national champi- onships. If they can do that, if they can make us a better team, why wouldn't we take them?" That doesn't mean the Nittany Lions will neglect prospects from outside their traditional recruiting territory. If a player from some other part of the country is substantially better than his in-state counterpart, and if the coaches think they have a realistic shot at se- curing a commitment, they will vigor- ously pursue him. But when the oppor- tunity exists to fill out a class with high-character kids who are already known intimately by the Penn State staff, this year's effort demonstrates exactly which well the Nittany Lions will drink from: their own, in their own backyard, where relationships are al- ready strong and getting stronger, with athletes who have proven time and time again to be essential to building a suc- cessful program. A year ago, I wrote the following on BWI's website: "So when the class is winding down, and maybe an unexpect- ed scholarship or two opens up for any number of reasons, creating a need that must be 6lled, if indistinguishable op- tions exist in both Pennsylvania and an- other state, this is where Franklin's mantra is really going to need to play it- self out." In no uncertain terms, for Franklin and the Nittany Lions, the strategy was played practically to perfection. ■ Even in the heat of the "war room" – waiting on future contributors to offi- cially commit their loyalty – Franklin found time to have fun. When signees talked on FaceTime, he joked around and asked to talk to parents and siblings. When ESPN reporter Britt McHenry wore Ohio State-esque red, he made sure to get her a blue Penn State jacket. And when his wife smiled at him, he re- turned the favor. Because let's be honest: Franklin had every reason to be smil- ing yesterday. JOHN McGONIGAL PHILLY.COM There is apparently some intra-Commonwealth recruiting scrap between Penn State and old rival Pitt with its fiery new coach, Pat Narduzzi, the ex-Michigan State defensive coordinator. Apropos to which, Donnie Collins of the Scranton Times-Tribune unearthed a remarkable stat: Pitt's 2015 class has one member with a Penn State offer, Monaca DB Jordan Whitehead, whom everyone from Ala- bama on down wanted. Penn State signees who had a Pitt offer? 17. And that in- cludes three kids who flipped from Pitt to Penn State after Narduzzi was hired. Dominate the state, indeed. MIKE GROSS LANCASTER ONLINE This is the year Pitt coaches boldly, if not brashly, tried taking on Penn State in contests of public bragging and private bashing. These were shameless tactics, cat- nip for Panthers faithful who want two things above all else: Pitt's return to glory, and Pitt's return to glory at the expense of Penn State. But maybe messing with the lion right before dinnertime wasn't such a super plan. ROB ROSSI TRIBLIVE.COM Head coach James Franklin is known as one of college football's best recruiters, and that was evident in 2015 with a Top 15-ranked class headed to State College despite a dismal 2-6 record in the Big Ten last fall. The Nittany Lions signed their full allotment of 25 prospects in this class, 11 of whom are rated four-stars. A lot of that four-star talent will come in on defense, with athlete prospects Kamonte Carter and Daiquan Kelly expected to start out at defensive end and linebacker, respectively. Taylor will be joined by four-star cornerback John Reid and a trio of three-stars in that defensive backfield. The offensive skill positions will also get a boost in talent from four-star running back Saquon Barkley and four-star re- ceivers Irvin Charles and Juwan Johnson. JOSH HELMHOLDT RIVALS.COM Penn State will enter the 2015 season with four quarterbacks. And when spring drills begin in March, that will bring to eight the number of quarter- backs with whom Hackenberg has shared a meeting room in his 20 months on campus. That revolving door is not an ideal situation for Franklin and the Nit- tany Lions, especially if Hackenberg declares for the pros – certainly a very real possibility. "You'd like to project at five" scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, said Andy Frank, Penn State's director of player personnel, on Wednes- day. "If you were to take one a year, you'd get five across the board." Frank later added: "That's the ideal number. We won't always get to our ideal numbers. We'll be plus on some, minus on others. And that could be the case at quarter- back." MIKE POORMAN STATECOLLEGE.COM For so long Penn State clung to the past. Under O'Brien, it desperately tried to preserve the present. Under Franklin, now coming out of NCAA sanctions, it is hell-bent on embracing the future. MATT BROWN SPORTSONEARTH.COM W H A T T H E Y ' R E S A Y I N G

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