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T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 5 WHAT HE DID Palmer helped Plymouth (N.C.) High achieve a 25-4 record during his junior and senior seasons (2010 and '11). He su9ered a torn ACL during his senior basketball sea- son, and that injury, coupled with a problematic academic transcript, kept him from receiving any scholarship o9ers coming out of high school. He went on to spend three years at Lackawanna College, redshirting as a freshman and win- ning a starting spot at o9ensive tackle the next two seasons. WHAT HE WON Palmer earned 8rst-team All-Northeast Football Conference honors in each of his two seasons at Lackawanna. In addition, Rivals.com rated him the No. 1 juco o9ensive tackle in the country and the ninth-best overall juco prospect in the Class of 2015. WHERE HE VISITED Palmer committed to South Carolina last spring, but James Franklin and his sta9 maintained con- tact throughout the summer and fall. They persuaded him to take an o:cial visit on the 8nal week of the regular season, and he came away impressed, switching his commitment a few weeks later and enrolling in January. He had also re- ceived o9ers from Ohio State, Arizona State and Baylor. QUOTABLE Palmer on managing expectations: "I'm just go- ing to do the best that I can to take care of everything I can control. Of course I want to get bigger, faster, stronger. I want to come in and learn the playbook quick enough that I can real- ly compete in the spring. Of course I want to play and all that, but I also know that it's going to be a process and I will have to adjust to some things. ... I know there are big expectations and I have big goals, too, but it's not going to just happen right away. I have to earn things and I have to do this the right way." FRANKLIN SAYS "He's raw athletically. Time in the weight room and time with our coaches [will give him] a chance to be a really special player. Getting him in here in December is invaluable." PHIL'S TAKE Palmer is the highest-rated juco player Penn State has ever signed. He has been compared to former Lackawanna College o9ensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, who won the Outland Trophy while at Miami (Fla.). Palmer has only two years to complete his two remaining seasons of eli- gibility. 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 o9ensive tackle. PARIS PALMER RIVALS ★★★★ POS OT HT 6-7 WT 290 HOME Plymouth, N.C. SCHOOL Lackawanna College WHAT HE DID Petrishen scored eight touchdowns on punt and kicko9 returns the past two seasons, helping Central Catholic reach the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game both years. As a senior, he scored four punt-return TDs and had four interceptions. He also played running back late in the year and rushed for 170 yards in a 21-13 loss to Pine- Richland in the WPIAL title game. WHAT HE WON In addition to receiving a three-star ranking, Petrishen is the 21st-ranked player in Pennsylvania according to Rivals.com. He made the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Fabu- lous 22 team and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Terri8c 25. WHERE HE VISITED Petrishen checked out Penn State in November on the weekend of the Nittany Lions' regular- season 8nale vs. Michigan State. He had emerged as a poten- tial signee a;er the NCAA rolled back its scholarship restric- tions against the program in September but remained unde- cided until late January. Petrishen visited Pitt on Jan. 16 and said he had very positive meetings with new Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi and defensive coordinator Josh Conklin. He took an o:cial visit to Penn State the following weekend and came away impressed with the school's athletic and aca- demic o9erings. On Jan. 31, he announced that he had cho- sen the Nittany Lions over the Panthers, calling it "the hard- est decision of my life." A;er visiting University Park, he canceled a scheduled visit to Virginia on Jan. 30, bringing an end to a lengthy recruiting process during which he received o9ers from more than 30 FBS and FCS schools, including Maryland, Northwestern, Syracuse, Wake Forest and West Virginia. QUOTABLE Petrishen on his visit to Penn State in January: "The main thing for me was chilling with the commits and the guys currently on the team. I want to 8t in well with them." FRANKLIN SAYS "He came to camp and put up unbelievable numbers, ran well, jumped well and just had tremendous ball skills. Then he had just an unbelievable senior year. He plays all over the 8eld and blew up nationally." PHIL'S TAKE 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. JOHNNY PETRISHEN RIVALS ★★★ POS Saf. HT 6-1 WT 189 HOME Lower Burrell, Pa. SCHOOL Central Catholic

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