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State], which was a couple weeks back, I got to spend a lot of time with the players, and that was big for me. I spent as much time with them as the coaches. I think that, for me, it just ended up being the best :t. It's close to home and it feels like home. Penn State has everything that I'm looking for athletically and academical- ly." Earlier this summer, there was much speculation that Pryts was leaning toward Ohio State. The Buckeyes are, of course, the defending national champions and have used their on-:eld success to build another strong class. Pryts wasn't on hand in July when Penn State held its big summer recruiting event, the Lasch Bash barbeque, and his absence seemed to lend credence to the Ohio State rumblings. But as it turned out, the reason he didn't attend the barbeque was because of a scheduling con;ict. "I wanted to come up for the Lasch Bash," he said, "but I had something going on that weekend and I couldn't make it." So instead, Pryts decided to visit the following weekend. That trip, along with some good conversations with Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, helped crystallize his thinking. "It was a spur-of-the-mo- ment thing. I actually just drove up myself that day," he said. "That visit was important. I then came back up to watch practice [in early August] and that was also a big visit for me. Like I said, I spent a lot of time with the players that day. I feel like I really strengthened my bond with the coaches, too." Pryts, the son of former Nittany Lion linebacker Ed Pryts, joins cornerbacks Lavert Hill and Zechariah McPhearson as the three defensive backs currently com- mitted to Penn State's Class of 2016. As of this writing, Rivals.com ranked him 43rd in the country among safeties, and he was the 15th-ranked prospect overall in Pennsylvania. ■ S hortly a>er Andrew Pryts became the 20th prospect to join Penn State's Class of 2016, BWI's Ryan Snyder caught up with him to talk about his de- cision. Here's what the standout defen- sive back had to say. What were some of the things that really separated Penn State from the other schools? I think that, :rst and foremost, Penn State is a place where I can succeed aca- demically and athletically. I feel like I :t in well with their system. Actually, I think I :t perfectly. I had great relation- ships with their coaches, both Coach [Bob] Shoop and Coach [Herb] Hand. Coach Shoop was a big part of my re- cruitment. I've built a really strong rela- tionship with him and I'm really looking forward to continuing that. Another thing that was really big for me was that I felt most comfortable at Penn State. It's a place I felt at home at. I :t in with what they want to do, aca- demically, athletically, socially. All of that :ts me well, and that allowed me to feel very comfortable there. When did Penn State really assert itself as the school to beat? Well, PSU was always right up there near the top of my list. I never counted them out. I was always very interested in them. There was never a point where I told myself I wasn't going to Penn State. They were always right up there towards the top. I think that, for me, Penn State really became the favorite during that visit in July, which was the week a>er the Lasch Bash. It really hit home for me then. I felt comfortable with the coaches and the players. I spent a lot of time with the players that day, and that was big. That was really big. I took a second visit then in early Au- gust. I think it was their second or third practice in camp. It felt great again, so that visit was basically a reassurance. I took time then to double- and triple- check on other schools, but nothing re- ally changed a>er that. PSU remained at the top for me. Was Ohio State ever the favorite at any point in your recruitment? I de:nitely went back and forth at 'Everything is lining up for PSU to be great again' I N T E R V I E W A N D R E W P R Y T S CATCH 22 Pryts is considered one of the top players in Penn- sylvania's senior class, ranking 15th overall according to Rivals. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com

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