Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/541265
P enn State's Class of 2016 is two- thirds complete following a surge of commitments in June and July. With 16 prospects now on board, James Franklin and his coaching sta3 were in excellent shape heading into the Nittany Lions' biggest recruiting event of the year, the Lasch Bash barbecue, which took place on July 18. What follows is a breakdown of the team's top remaining targets in the Class of 2016, players on whom Nittany Lion fans should keep a close eye head- ing into the season. The focus here is on offensive prospects; we'll turn our at- tention to defense in the second part of this two-part series, which will appear in the next issue of Blue White Illus- trated. As of this writing, we believe the sta3 would like to add at least one more wide receiver and possibly two o3ensive line- men. The Lions will also add a tight end if they're able to land their top remain- ing prospect, Luke Farrell of Perry, Ohio. TRE NIXON WR // 6-1 // 168 Viera, Fla. Viera High OFFERS Nixon has received more than 40; his top 10 consists of Alabama, Auburn, Duke, Florida, Georgia, Missis- sippi, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M. QUOTABLE "I love everything about Penn State. I love the coaches, the town, everything. They're de2nitely toward the top of my list. They haven't faded at all. My relationship with their coaches is excellent, so they'll de2nitely be in the mix." OUTLOOK Penn State identi2ed Nixon before every other Power Five school, 2rst taking notice when he attended the sta3's satellite camp outside of Orlando, Fla., in June 2014. Nixon's speed and agility caught the sta3 by surprise that day, which is why they extended an o3er almost immediately. He's since made two visits to Penn State, the 2rst in Au- gust 2014 and the second in October for the Nittany Lions' game against Ohio State. Nixon and his family were expect- ed to visit again on July 18 for the Lasch Bash barbecue. However, since his last trip to Happy Valley, Nixon has nearly tripled his scholarship count. He's taken visits to the majority of the schools on his top-10 list and now needs to pick 2ve for his of- 2cial visits. It's likely that Penn State will receive an o4cial visit from Nixon this Scouting PSU's remaining targets These six would keep Penn State on the move. Will the Lions score a few commitments? | P A R T 1 O F F E N S E the guys who are committed, plus a bunch of top guys in my class. They'll have a bunch of big recruits there. I think that talking to them and learning more about what they like about Penn State will be really bene2cial for me." July is, of course, the perfect time of year for a barbecue, but there's also a strategic reason behind the date. With the summer dead period in e3ect the 2rst two weeks of the month and pre- season practice looming in early Au- gust, July is the slowest month of the year when it comes to recruiting. At some schools, especially those whose coach is on the hot seat, preparation for the upcoming season takes precedence. It's not uncommon for prospects to go three or even four weeks without speaking to their lead recruiting coach at a given school. At Penn State, this happened to a number of prospects to- ward the end of the Paterno era. There's no need to worry about that happening with the current coaching sta3. They understand the impor- tance of having prospects constantly thinking about Penn State. Last year, the Lions received two commitments following the Lasch Bash, as wide receiver Irvin Charles and running back Miles Sanders both announced for Penn State. Charles is set to begin his career this fall, while Sanders will arrive next year. If the Lions are able to add a few more commitments this time around, won- derful. But even if they don't see im- mediate results, I can almost guarantee that the event will play a major role for those prospects who do select Penn State down the road. Just ask Charles. "I didn't really have any expecta- tions to commit that day," he said, "but when I was there chilling with all the committed guys and with the coaches, that was really cool. It was real laid-back, and we just got to know each other. It wasn't really about foot- ball, it was about having fun and get- ting to know each other. It made me feel really comfortable, and that de2- nitely played into me making that commitment later in the day." ■