Blue White Illustrated

for the four-star linebacker, but he's since taken multiple visits to West Virginia and hasn't been back to University Park since May. His brother, Michael Ferns, trans- ferred from Michigan to West Virginia in January, which is why most consider the Mountaineers to be the favorites. That said, there has been speculation that West Virginia's struggles on the 5eld this season – it was 5-4 heading into a Nov. 21 visit to Kansas – have kept the younger Ferns from making a commit- ment, and it appeared in mid-November that Penn State was on the verge of se- curing an o7cial visit. While there was no word on when that visit might take place, it does look as though the Nittany Lions' chances have improved in recent weeks. The sta6 has also made signi5cant progress with a few of the region's top Class of 2017 prospects, including four- star o6ensive lineman Micah Clark of St. John Vianney in Holmdel, N.J. Clark visited Penn State in September for its game against San Diego State, and before leaving town he was able to have an extended conversation with several members of the coaching sta6. "A8er the game, I got the chance to ac- tually sit down with them and discuss football and academics and basically the whole package at Penn State," Clark said. "I want to major in business, and they have a great school for that at Penn State. That was a big trip for me. I really learned that Penn State has my best interests." Clark has also visited Virginia Tech and North Carolina this season, but it appears as if Ohio State and Clemson are Penn State's top competitors. He's yet to visit either school, but he's hoping to check out both in the near future, then potentially end his recruitment. "My top three are Penn State, Ohio State and Clemson," Clark said. "I'll be honest, I have been thinking about making a com- mitment, but I really want to visit Ohio State and Clemson 5rst. That's important. I want to see those two schools." If Clark does check out the Buckeyes and Tigers, those trips will certainly have a major impact on where he ends up. But it appears that the Nittany Lions are in the lead. In fact, Clark is one of several Class of 2017 linemen who have said good things about where Penn State stands early on. At the end of October, Cincinnati native Matt Bockhorst also spoke highly of the Nittany Lions. The three-star o6ensive guard is a high school teammate of quar- terback Sean Cli6ord at St. Xavier, but that connection is only one reason why Penn State is standing out. "My relationship with Coach [Herb] Hand has been great," Bockhorst said. "I'm probably closer to him than any other coach at this point. Just the way he treats his players – he's the kind of guy who will call you out when you need it, but he also wants us to call him out if he's not doing a good job explaining something. I really like that. He's the kind of coach that you want to play for." While he's yet to o7cially name his top schools, it's become clear that Clemson will be among the contenders for Bock- horst. The Tigers made a solid 5rst im- pression during his visit for the game against Georgia Tech on Oct. 10. In addi- tion, his brother is a freshman o6ensive lineman at Furman University, which is less than an hour's drive from Clemson. Bockhorst likes the idea of having his brother close by. That said, as long as the sta6 continues to put its best foot forward, there's a good chance that Penn State will secure a com- mitment from Bockhorst this coming spring or summer. "They have so much going for them right now. I think the future at Penn State is really bright," Bockhorst said. "One of my best friends [Cli6ord] is also going there, so I can't 5nd anything I don't like at PSU. Between their coaches, their fa- cilities and their campus, I think it's a really good 5t for me." ■

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