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| Big turnout for PSU junior day Nittany Lions play host to top prospects during late-February event F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G P enn State welcomed nearly 100 high school prospects to campus on Feb. 28 for its second junior day of the year. The sta8 didn't pick up any immediate commitments 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 Christian Colon of Charlotte, N.C. A three-star player according to Ri- vals.com, Colon had been on Penn State's radar for about three months leading up to the event. During that time, he developed an excel- lent relationship with assistant coach Terry Smith. He didn't have an o8er when he le9 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 sta8 was great." With more than a dozen total scholarship o8ers in hand – including o8ers from such programs as Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, South Carolina, 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 matter how much he may enjoy those upcoming visits, James Franklin and his coaching sta8 can expect to remain 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 de7nitely one of my top 7ve schools right now. I can't tell you a speci7c 7ve yet, but Penn State de7nitely jumped up there. I loved it." Colon wasn't the only defensive tackle to pick up a scholarship o8er while on campus that day. Mike Panasiuk, a three- star prospect from Roselle, Ill., also re- ceived an o8er a9er making the eight- hour drive to State College. "I had a great talk with Coach Franklin, and that's when he o8ered me a scholar- ship," Panasiuk said. "Penn State has great tradition, and they also o8er great aca- demics along with a high level of football. They had one of the top defenses in the nation last season. Penn State always plays great defense, and it's exciting to have an o8er from them. Penn State is easily the biggest o8er for me to date, and it's just exciting." Panasiuk has also received o8ers 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 o8ers 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 7rst time he and his family visited since he picked up an o8er last fall. Jordan hasn't been to many schools this winter, but that's likely to change before the end of April, as Rutgers, Kentucky, Michigan State and Boston College are a few of the programs he wants to see. Once those trips are completed, Jordan is ex- pected to begin narrowing his list of schools. It appears for now as though the Nittany Lions will make his top 7ve. Penn State also made serious progress with o8ensive tackle Josh Ball. A four- star player from Fredericksburg, Va., Ball has seen a lot of schools already. He hopes to announce a top 7ve in a month or two, and it will probably include Penn State. "I loved it," Ball said. "It's an awesome JUNIOR DAY VISITORS COMMITTED PLAYERS Lavert Hill CB Detroit, Mich. Miles Sanders RB Pittsburgh, Pa. Shane Simmons DE Hyattsville, Md. 2016 PLAYERS WITH OFFER Josh Ball OL Fredericksburg, Va. Kyree Campbell DT Woodbridge, Va. Christian Colon DT Charlotte, N.C. Khaleke Hudson Saf. McKeesport, Pa. Ellison Jordan DT Baltimore, Md. Zech McPhearson CB Upper Marlboro, Md. Michal Menet OL Reading, Pa. Lucas Niang OT New Canaan, Conn. Mike Panasiuk DT Roselle, Ill. Demetric Vance Saf. Detroit, Mich. 2016 PLAYERS WITHOUT OFFER Abdul Adams RB Washington, D.C. Michael Clark OL Exton, Pa. Brandon Ford OL Pittsburgh, Pa. Aaron Hansford LB Washington, D.C. Jovani Haskins TE Bergenfield, N.J. Nick Krimin OT Metuchen, N.J. Solomon Manning LB Colonia, N.J. Aaron Matthews WR Clairton, Pa. Sir Patrick Scott DB Upper Marlboro, Md. Marcus Simms WR Sandy Spring, Md. Rashad Wheeler DL Pittsburgh, Pa. Myles Wolfolk DB Upper Marlboro, Md. UNDERCLASSMEN David Adams ('17) LB Pittsburgh, Pa. Chris Bleich ('18) OL Plymouth, Pa. Josh Lugg ('17) OL Wexford, Pa. Avery Roberts ('17) LB Wilmington, Del. C.J. Thorpe ('17) OL Pittsburgh, Pa. Lamont Wade ('17) WR Clairton, Pa. COLON

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