Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/472975
M A R C H 4 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 10 Penn State welcomed nearly 100 high school prospects to campus on Feb. 28 for its second junior day of the year. The staff didn't pick up any immediate com- mitments that day, but there were still plenty of positives to come out of the event. One of the more notable prospects in attendance was defensive tackle Chris- tian Colon of Charlotte, N.C. A three- star player according to Rivals.com, Colon had been on Penn State's radar for about three months leading up to the event. During that time, he developed an excellent relationship with assistant coach Terry Smith. He didn't have an offer when he left for University Park, but that changed within an hour of his arrival on campus. "I loved it," Colon said. "I love it there. Penn State treated me very nice. It was, by far, the best visit I've taken this year. The coaching staff was great." With more than a dozen total scholar- ship offers in hand – including offers from such programs as Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, South Car- olina, Virginia and West Virginia – the 6-foot-3, 309-pound interior defensive lineman still has to visit a few schools this spring before he begins to narrow his list. However, he made it very clear that no mat- ter how much he may enjoy those upcoming visits, James Franklin and his coaching staff can expect to re- main in the mix up until decision time. "I haven't really thought about [com- mitting] yet," he said. "It's something I have to talk to my mom about more. I will say that this visit changed a whole lot for me. They're definitely one of my top five schools right now. I can't tell you a spe- cific five yet, but Penn State definitely jumped up there. I loved it." Colon wasn't the only defensive tackle to pick up a scholarship offer while on campus that day. Mike Panasiuk, a three-star prospect from Roselle, Ill., also received an offer after making the eight-hour drive to State College. "I had a great talk with Coach Franklin, and that's when he offered me a scholar- ship," Panasiuk said. "Penn State has great tradition, and they also offer great academics along with a high level of football. They had one of the top de- fenses in the nation last season. Penn State always plays great defense, and it's exciting to have an offer from them. Penn State is easily the biggest offer for me to date, and it's just exciting." Panasiuk has also received offers from Iowa, Illinois, Iowa State and Syracuse. He has no plans to end his recruitment in the near future, but depending on which other schools extend offers this spring, it wouldn't be surprising to see him make an announcement before July. Defensive tackle Ellison Jordan was an- other notable prospect to make the trip. A four-star player from the Gilman School in Baltimore, he had been to Penn State previously, but this was the first time he and his family visited since he picked up an offer last fall. Jordan hasn't been to many schools this winter, but that's likely to change before the end of April, as Rutgers, Ken- tucky, Michigan State and Boston Col- lege are a few of the programs he wants to see. Once those trips are completed, F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G Big turnout for PSU's junior day R Y A N S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D KEY PROSPECT A three-star prospect from Charlotte, N.C., Colon is being sought to help Penn State bolster its defensive line. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com