Blue White Illustrated

Ohio State and Pitt look to be PSU's main competition. AARON HANSFORD LB // 6-2 // 210 Washington, D.C. St. John's College High OFFERS Duke, Florida, Georgia, Illi- nois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michi- gan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Old Dominion, Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Tole- do, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin QUOTABLE "I really like Penn State. From my time when I was up there, their academics are really good up there. I think the opportunity for good football is growing. They're going to be a top contender soon, and I feel like it wouldn't be a bad deal to be a part of it." OUTLOOK Hansford has taken two visits to Penn State this summer, the most recent of which was for the Lasch Bash barbecue in July. He also visited for a junior day in February and watched spring practice in April, so he's spent plenty of time at Penn State since the end of last season. He's also taken visits to a few other local programs, but it ap- pears that Ohio State and Notre Dame will be the Lions' top competitors. Hansford is expected to trim his list to 10 schools in the near future. He's al- ready said that Penn State, Florida, Maryland, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ore- gon and UCLA will make the cut. He plans to use all 5ve of his o7cial visits, but if he wants to be a Nittany Lion, he may have to make a decision during the season. It's looking as though he will be on hand for the Rutgers game, but as of mid-August, he hadn't scheduled any o7cial visits. Hansford's timetable could be a6ected by other commitments. For now, Penn State appears to be the leader. ANDREW PRYTS Saf. // 6-3 // 205 Hermitage, Pa. Hickory OFFERS Alabama, Duke, Kansas State, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Stanford, Temple, Vanderbilt, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin QUOTABLE "It was a good visit. I had a real good talk with the coaches and I feel good about Penn State. I have to think about some things still, but I'm going to make a decision soon, probably in the next week or two." OUTLOOK Pryts has been quiet throughout the summer, but we know he visited Penn State on Aug. 8 to watch practice and meet with the coaching sta6. The son of former Penn State linebacker Ed Pryts, he was thought to be leaning to- ward Ohio State in June and July, but it appears now that the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are neck-and-neck. He's ex- pected to make a decision before his sea- son really gets going, so it could come any time now. Notre Dame, UCLA and Stan- ford are also still in the mix, but we do ex- pect him to end up staying in the Big Ten. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop has re- portedly helped the sta6's chances con- siderably during the past month. JOEJUAN WILLIAMS Saf. // 6-3 // 196 Nashville, Tenn. Father Ryan OFFERS Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Missis- sippi, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, South Caroli- na, South Florida, Temple, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt QUOTABLE "I'm going to use one of my o7cial visits [for Penn State] for the Michigan game. I talk to Coach Shoop all the time, and we've talked about this visit a few times. We talk on Twitter all the time, and I also call him once a week, sometimes twice a week. We've talked about their defensive philosophy and how they feel about me." OUTLOOK Williams is from the same high school that Shoop's son Tyler at- tended before enrolling at Penn State and joining the football team as a walk- on freshman. He and Tyler are also good friends. In fact, when the Shoop family was still living in Nashville, Williams went over to their residence on multiple occasions, so he has a rela- tionship with the Lions' defensive co- ordinator that extends beyond just re- cruiting. He is planning to make an of- ficial visit in November for the Michi- gan game. As of mid-August, Williams had yet to narrow his list of schools, but it appears as if Penn State will be recruiting against the Southeastern Conference's best: Ala- bama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss and Ten- nessee. Most believe the Volunteers hold the edge, but he hasn't opened up about which way he's leaning. We believe he will likely end up playing in the SEC, but Penn State will have a chance to turn his head in November. ■ 814.863.5080 Crisp, flavorful, savory, & everything in between

• Cover