Blue White Illustrated

B oth here and elsewhere in this edi- tion of Blue White Illustrated (see Page 20), I'm o8ering my take on Pennsylvania's Class of 2017. It's shaping up to be a very impressive group, one that could receive more national atten- tion than any prep class to come out of the state in the past decade. Not only do I believe that running back D'Andre Swi: of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia and cornerback/running back Lamont Wade of Clairton have 7ve-star ability, I'm convinced that all of the names in my top 10 are potential four-star prospects. It will not come as any surprise to readers of this publication to learn that coach James Franklin and his sta8 have taken an aggressive approach regarding the Class of 2017. Penn State has already tendered verbal scholarship o8ers to nine of my top 10 players. The list begins with Swi: and Wade, and also features linebacker David Adams, athlete Paris Ford, defensive lineman Donovan Jeter, o8ensive linemen Joshua Lugg and C.J. Thorpe, wide receiver Mark Webb and defensive end Damion Barber. What follows are brief biographical sketches of my top 25 prospects, along with assessments of where Penn State stands with each player. 1. D'ANDRE SWIFT RB, 5-10, 208, Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep • I believe Swi: is one of the top two running back prospects in the country for the Class of 2017. He is one of the most complete running backs that Pennsylvania has produced in the 30-plus years that I've followed the recruiting scene and de7- nitely has 7ve-star potential. In 2014, playing in a three-man rota- tion at running back, Swi: ran for 1,045 yards on 137 carries and 13 touchdowns, added 33 catches for 495 yards and two TDs, and had two kicko8 returns for TDs. He has sub-4.5-second 40-yard speed, runs with power, can cut on a dime and has the hands of a wide receiv- er. But what is most impressive to me is how he has performed in St. Joseph's Prep's biggest games. In the 2013 and '14 PIAA Class AAAA title games, he com- bined to run for more than 400 yards and six touchdowns. Swi: has already received more than 25 scholarship o8ers from an assortment of high-pro7le schools, including Ala- bama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Vir- ginia Tech and West Virginia. He isn't close to making a decision, but the Lions appear to be in good shape. Swi: re- ceived an o8er from PSU in the summer of 2014 when he attended the Lasch Bash with teammate John Reid, a mem- ber of Penn State's 2015 recruiting class. 2. LAMONT WADE CB/RB, 5-10, 188, Clairton • Wade was a 7rst-team Class A All-State selection on both of- fense and defense last season a:er mak- ing more than 60 tackles and totaling 7ve interceptions while setting a WPIAL Class A single-season rushing record with 2,765 yards. He is a 7ve-star player according to Rivals.com, as well as the No. 1 cornerback prospect in the country and the 7:h-best overall prospect in the Class of 2017. Wade has accumulated more than 20 scholarship o8ers, a list that includes Auburn, Boston College, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwest- ern, Ohio State, Pitt, Tennessee, UCLA, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wis- consin in addition to Penn State. The Lions appear to be in excellent shape with Wade, but he's also eyeing Ohio State, Pitt, Michigan and a host of other schools. He has made 7ve uno9- cial visits to Penn State, but like Swi:, he isn't close to making a college decision. 3. DAVID ADAMS LB, 6-2, 225, Pittsburgh Central Catholic • Adams is a consensus four-star player, and I agree with Rivals.com that he is one of the top 7ve MLB prospects in the country for the Class of 2017. He may be the best linebacker prospect to emerge from the WPIAL since Paul Posluszny and Sean Lee, two former Penn State All-Ameri- cans now playing in the NFL. Adams was credited with nearly 100 tackles as a sophomore and has already received close to 20 scholarship o8ers. In addition to Penn State, the list of in- terested schools includes Boston Col- lege, Duke, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Penn State ap- pears to be the leader for Adams, as he has already made at least three uno9cial visits. USC, UCLA, Stanford, California, Notre Dame and Pitt are also in the mix. 4. PARIS FORD Ath., 6-1, 175, Pitts- burgh Seton LaSalle • Ford was an All- WPIAL and PIAA Class AA All-State performer in 2014. He was an All-Con- ference selection on both o8ense and defense, totaling 29 catches for 537 yards and 11 touchdowns as a wide receiver while amassing 56 tackles and four in- terceptions on defense. Ford verbally committed to Pitt on Oct. 16, choosing the Panthers over Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Virginia Tech. Penn State is aggressively pursuing Pennsylvania's top 2017 talent PHIL'S CORNER ■ This list will be updated monthly and posted on the Lions Den premium message board at bluewhiteillustrated.com.

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