Blue White Illustrated

I t can take months, sometimes years, for a coaching sta: to build the type of trust that ultimately results in a player's verbal commitment. But in the case of Brandon Polk, everything came together much more quickly. A three-star wide receiver prospect from Ashburn, Va., Polk picked up a scholarship o:er from head coach James Franklin and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis on Feb. 5, 2014. For the next six weeks, he com- municated with Gattis almost daily. Their interaction inspired Polk to make a week- end visit in late March. By the time that visit was over, he was all but committed. "Immediately, when I got there, they just made me feel so important," Polk said. "It was unlike anything I experienced at any other school. Everyone knew who I was. They were all very nice people, gen- uine people. It was so impressive. "When you also add in their academics, their stadium and just the tradition at Penn State, I kind of knew right then that this was the place for me. It was a really cool day." Despite his enthusiasm, Polk decided not to make an immediate commitment. His mother hadn't made the trip, and he wanted her to share in the excitement of the big moment. He also wanted to make sure she had a chance to see everything for herself, although he was con9dent she would love it as much as he and his father had. "A;er hanging out for the weekend, we got home and told her what we thought of it," Polk said. "We then ended up going back up there a day later to show her everything and make my commitment. For the 9rst visit, it was also a junior day, so coming back up gave me a little more one-on-one time with the coaches. But really, I just wanted to show her everything and make the commitment. I already knew what I wanted to do." One other factor working in Penn State's favor was the decision by Polk's high school quarterback, Trace McSorley, to sign with the Nittany Lions about a month earlier. In 2012, Polk and McSorely led Briar Woods to a 15-0 9nish, including a 52-0 victory over Lynchburg Heritage in the VHSL Class AA Division 4 champi- onship game. The Falcons returned to the state title game the following year but fell to L.C. Bird, 35-28, and 9nished their sea- son with a 13-2 record. "Those two years were amazing," Polk said. "We were such a tight group of guys, especially me and Trace. The whole team was close, but the two of us developed a friendship that'll probably go forever. "So having him up at Penn State already, that was just kind of the cherry on top, I guess you could say. I think I would have ended up at PSU anyway, but having him there, that de9nitely helped me make the decision when I did." Polk said he and McSorley have been talking regularly for months. McSorley, who redshirted last fall, has been helping Polk prepare for his arrival in June. "We talk almost every day. A lot of it is on social media and stu: like Snapchat. We like to joke around on there, but we also have serious conversations about football all the time," Polk said. "He's talked to me about a bunch of di:erent things that I need to be prepared for when I get up there. Having him around should really help me with the playbook, too." In addition to winning a state football title, Polk was also the Virginia Class AA champion in the 100- and 200-meter sprints his sophomore year. However, he decided to forgo defending that title his junior and senior years, electing instead to focus on training for football. Now, a;er working with personal trainers to improve his strength, speed and agility, the 5-foot-9, 163-pound Polk says he's ready to contribute to the Nittany Lions his freshman year. "I'm ready, I really believe that," he said. "I passed on running track these past two years speci9cally so that I could be ready to go with football. I've been working with a couple trainers to add weight and keep my speed, and I've been able to do that. "I think that with Trace helping with the playbook, I'll be ahead of most of the guys when we get there this summer. But whatever happens, happens. If I have to run the scout team for a year or two, that's OK. I want to contribute on the 9eld, but as long as I know I'm helping my team- mates win games, whether on the 9eld or on the practice 9eld, that's the main thing I care about." ■ THE POLK FILE STATS Caught 26 passes for 303 yards and four touch- downs and had 28 carries for 260 yards and a TD as a senior... Finished his junior season with 635 receiving yards and 232 rushing yards... Helped lead Briar Woods High to the 2012 Virginia state championship... Won state titles in the 100- and 200-meter sprints as a sophomore HONORS Named a three-star recruit, as well as the na- tion's No. 72 wide receiver and the 20th-best player in Virginia by Rivals.com PSU made immediate impression on Polk | CLICK HERE to see video of Polk in action. U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L

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