Blue White Illustrated

M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 12 Philadelphia defensive lineman Karamo Dioubate has already emerged as one of Penn State's key prospects in the Class of 2016. At 6-foot-4, 273 pounds, Dioubate has excelled as a strongside defensive end at Prep Charter, but he could end up mov- ing inside if he continues to add weight. However, no matter how much he grows between now and this coming summer, he'll be one of the staff's key targets along the defensive line. "I'm talking with the defensive line coach the most, Coach [Sean] Spencer," Dioubate said. "I also talk to the head coach here and there and also the wide receiver coach. "So far, it's been great. As of right now, we're just building our relationship. We're mainly talking about where they want me to play and how I can help them, just stuff like that." A four-star prospect, Dioubate fin- ished with 23 sacks as a junior and was a unanimous All-State choice by the Pennsylvania Football Writers. He hasn't visited a lot of schools to this point, but he has checked out Penn State, having traveled to Beaver Stadium last Novem- ber for the Nittany Lions' final home game of the season against Michigan State. "It was nice," Dioubate said. "They have 100,000 fans. It's a really big sta- dium and they have great support. It was nice. That wasn't the best game to go to because they lost, but I was also able to tour a little bit and see some things, so it was good. "I still need to see more, but from what I saw, I liked it." With 18 total scholarship offers – in- cluding offers from such programs as Auburn, Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia – Dioubate won't be an easy pull. He's also expected to visit a few other top programs in the Big Ten later this month or in the first week of April. Once he's able to explore a few other options, he'll have a better idea where each school stands. Penn State should also receive a visit this spring. He's looking to make the trip to University Park this coming weekend, but there's a chance that visit will be postponed to March 28. "I have a spring break at the end of the month," he said. "It starts in March and goes into the first week of April, so I'm probably going to see a couple schools then. I know I want to go to Ohio State. I'm also probably going to check out Michigan and Michigan State." In addition to Penn State, Dioubate has been to both Rutgers and Temple. He has no plans to make a decision before the start of his senior season and will most likely take at least a few official visits this fall. Rivals.com ranks him as the 129th best prospect in the nation, making him a member of the Rivals250. He's also the ninth-ranked strongside defensive end and the fifth-ranked prospect in Penn- sylvania for the Class of 2016. F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G Philly DL eyes Penn State visit 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 CLASS OF 2016 COMMITMENTS* NAME POS HT WT RANKING HOME SCHOOL Lavert Hill DB 5-10 166 ★★★★ Detroit, Mich. Martin Luther King Miles Sanders RB 5-11 192 ★★★★ Pittsburgh, Pa. Woodland Hills Shane Simmons DE 6-3 224 ★★★★ Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha Jake Zembiec QB 6-2 205 ★★★★ Rochester, N.Y. Aquinas Institute * As of March 17 said. "It's hard to do that when you're never tackling." INJURIES Franklin is famously tight- lipped about health matters, but he did say that tight end Adam Breneman is "as close to 100 percent as he's been in a long time and feels really good" coming off of the medical redshirt he took last year to give his injured knee time to heal up. Franklin said he's excited about the redshirt sophomore's potential, but the coaching staff is going to be cautious this spring. "We're going to have to be smart," he said, "because whenever you take a guy who hasn't done a whole lot, you can't expect to throw him back in and be full-go." Elsewhere, Franklin said redshirt fresh- man running back Johnathan Thomas "will be somewhat limited during the spring." He did not elaborate. WINTER WORKOUTS Franklin did elaborate on the progress individual players have made in the weight room since last year, citing numbers derived from the Bod Pod, an immersive scale that can tell the difference between fat and lean muscle. "Trevor Williams has gained 10 pounds of actual muscle," he said. "Jason Cabinda gained 12 pounds of muscle. Sterling Jenkins gained 13 pounds of muscle. … Chance Sorrell lost 10 pounds of fat and gained 10 pounds of muscle. That's exactly what you're look- ing for right there. He hasn't gained a lot of weight from the day he arrived, but he changed his body." SPRING CONTINUED FROM 5

• Cover