Blue White Illustrated

November 2015

Penn State Sports Magazine

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5. DONOVAN JETER DL, 6-6, 260, Beaver Falls • I believe Jeter will end up being the top strongside defensive end and/or three-technique defensive tackle to come out of the WPIAL in 2017. His position at the college level will depend on how much he continues to grow. Jeter was a Class AA All-WPIAL and All- State selection in 2014. He was credited with 87 tackles and eight sacks last fall. Rivals.com has been able to identify 13 Football Bowl Subdivision schools that have tendered scholarship o;ers. That list includes Michigan State, Ohio State, Pitt, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin in addition to Penn State. Beaver Falls has been a Pitt stronghold over the years; I can't remember the last time Penn State recruited a player from the school. But in order to land Jeter, the Panthers will have to out-recruit Penn State and Ohio State. Other schools in- volved here are Michigan State, Nebras- ka, Tennessee and Wisconsin. 6. JOSHUA LUGG OL, 6-6, 295, Wexford North Allegheny • Lugg is a four-star prospect and the consensus choice as the WPIAL's top o;ensive line prospect in 2017. He verbally committed to Notre Dame on Aug. 18, choosing the Irish over Michigan State, Northwest- ern, Penn State, UCLA and Wisconsin. 7. CARTER LYNCH OL, 6-5, 305, Philadelphia St. Joseph's Prep • Lynch is probably the least-well-known member of my top 10. He was only a part-time player in 2014, sharing the right tackle position on the St. Joseph's Prep o;en- sive line. But in this program, o;ensive linemen rarely if ever start three years. Rivals.com ranks Lynch the 18th-best o;ensive tackle and 177th-best overall prospect in the country for the Class of 2017. Penn State hasn't extended an of- fer, but he is receiving heavy interest from Florida State, Michigan, Boston College, Pitt, Wisconsin, Virginia and other schools from the Atlantic Coast and American Athletic conferences and the Big Ten. 8. C.J. THORPE OL, 6-4, 302, Pitts- burgh Central Catholic • Thorpe rivals Lugg as the top o;ensive line prospect in the WPIAL for the Class of 2017. The son of former Penn State running back Chris Thorpe, he was a Class AAAA All-WPIAL and honorable mention All-State selec- tion following the 2014 season. I expect him to play guard at the college level. At this early stage, Thorpe has received verbal o;ers from 10 schools, including Auburn, Maryland, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Penn State appears to be the favorite, but Pitt, Duke, Michigan, Ala- bama, LSU and Notre Dame are all in contact. 9. MARK WEBB WR, 6-3, 192, Warminster Archbishop Wood • Webb is rated by most as the top wide receiver prospect in southeastern Pennsylvania for the Class of 2017. Rivals.com lists him as a 5.8 four-star prospect and the 34th-best receiver nationally in the Class of 2017. Following the 2014 season, he was named an All-Suburban and All- Catholic performer by the Philadelphia Daily News. He was also a Class AAA All-State selection. Boston College, North Carolina, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Temple, Wake Forest and West Virginia have all extended of- fers. Penn State and Rutgers appear to be the early leaders here, with Boston Col- lege and possibly West Virginia also in the picture. 10. DAMION BARBER DE, 6-4, 225, Harrisburg • Barber was a (Harrisburg) Patriot-News Top 33 selection following the 2014 season. He's rated by many as the top prospect in central Pennsylvania for the Class of 2017 and was a PIAA Class AAAA All-State selection last fall a

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