Blue White Illustrated

Z echariah McPhearson became Penn State's sixth verbally committed re- cruit when he revealed April 18, fol- lowing the Blue-White Game, that he was joining the Nittany Lions' Class of 2016. Rated a three-star prospect by Ri- vals.com, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound McPhearson has been a standout defen- sive back for Riverdale (Md.) Baptist High. He is the younger brother of soph- omore wide receiver Josh McPhearson, who joined the Lions in January as a walk-on. Penn State's o0er was one of a dozen that McPhearson had received prior to his commitment. Among the top pro- grams that had been pursuing him were Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Wis- consin. Recently, McPhearson took the time to discuss his decision with Blue White Il- lustrated's Ryan Snyder. Why Penn State? In the past, you've talked about your relationship with the coaches. I know that was very im- portant, but what were the other things that really stood out about Penn State? Well, I know they really need athletic defensive backs. They got some young guys in over the past year, but some of the spots are still up for grabs. I'll never shy away from competition, but when you look at it, they have a lot of young guys, so I felt like that set up well for me. If I work as hard as I know I can, I think that should help me get on the /eld, hopefully kind of early. Coach Ter- ry [Smith] has really been stressing that they need athletic defensive backs, so that was big. Also, I like the environ- ment up there. The town, the campus, I real- ly like the whole scene. I feel comfortable up there. We've talked about your relation- ship with James Franklin previously. 'I'll never shy away from competition' I N T E R V I E W Z E C H A R I A H M c P H E A R S O N Cornerback prospect eager to make an early impact for Lions DECISION TIME McPhearson (cen- ter) was on campus last fall for Penn State's regular-sea- son finale against Michigan State. He committed in April during a trip to cam- pus for the Blue- White Game. Photo by Tim Owen

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