Blue White Illustrated

came away impressed with what he saw. But his loss has serious implications for Penn State, as the Lions have acute and immediate needs at the defensive tackle position – needs that Dioubate might have been able to help them ad- dress as a true freshman. Blue White Illustrated has been able to con5rm that he met with the Penn State sta6 at his school as soon as the dead period ended on Jan. 13, but as of mid-January, it ap- peared that Auburn, Michigan State and Temple were all ahead of the Nittany Lions on his list. He had not made any plans to take an o7cial visit to Penn State. Adding to the coaches' concerns, one of their other defensive tackles was wa- vering heading into the 5nal weeks of the recruiting cycle. Michael Dwumfour, a Wayne, N.J., native who was recently upgraded from two to three stars by Ri- vals.com, took an o7cial visit to Michi- gan Jan. 15-17. Dwumfour had picked up an o6er from the Wolverines right around Christmas, and that's what sparked his interest in taking an o7cial visit. Before he headed to Ann Arbor, Penn State sent Sean Spencer, Terry Smith and Brent Pry to meet with Dwumfour at his school. "We just had a basic con- versation, the basic kind of talk when coaches visit," he said. "They stressed that they need me to be ready and pre- pared to play as soon as I get to Penn State. I also talked to them about the visit to Michigan. They respected my decision. They don't want me to go, but they were respectful about it. I appre- ciated that." Dwumfour didn't switch his commit- ment to Michigan while on campus and was still expected to take an o7cial visit to Penn State Jan. 22-24. Michigan was the only other school that he was con- sidering. Another defensive player, safety prospect Andrew Pryts, has also opted to explore his options. But unlike Dwum- four, who decided in December to visit Michigan, Pryts' interest in other schools is tied directly to the loss of defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. In early January, Shoop le8 Penn State for a similar po- sition at Tennessee. Pryts went to Stanford Jan. 15-17 and was expected to visit UCLA Jan. 22-24. He and his family are very close with former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, who now holds the same position with the Bruins. But Pryts also has strong relationships with both Terry Smith and Brent Pry, and that fact, cou- pled with Penn State's proximity to his home in Hermitage, Pa., could work against the two West Coast schools. He is expected to make a 5nal decision sometime close to signing day. The coaching sta6 also had to do some work with both running back Miles Sanders and defensive end Daniel Joseph. Following Shoop's departure, Joseph admitted to reporters that he was think- ing about taking visits elsewhere, but he then met with assistant coach Ricky Rahne at his school on Jan. 16. Following that meeting, Joseph informed reporters that he was no longer considering other visits and was 100 percent committed to Penn State. As for Sanders, it looked as though he was going to visit Michigan State Jan. 29-31, but he met with all 5ve of Penn State's o6ensive assistants during an in-home visit Jan. 16. A8er that meeting, Sanders rea7rmed that his only o7cial visit would be the one he was scheduled to take to Penn State 22-24. "I want everybody to know that this recruiting process isn't easy," Sanders said via Twitter on Jan. 17. "I'm just making sure I go to the right school that's best for me. A8er talking with my family and mentor, I want to let Penn State and alumni know that I am 100 percent com- mitted to the university. I won't be taking any other o7cial visits but to Penn State. I'm con5dent for the future and I can't wait to get rolling." ■ Signing day is set for Feb. 3. For dai- ly and breaking news updates on recruiting, visit bwi.rivals.com. I think he fits what Penn State is all about' ' Clairton coach sees bright future for Aaron Mathews I N T E R V I E W A three-star prospect from Clairton, Pa., Aaron Mathews had been on Penn State's radar since his junior season, but it wasn't until earlier this month that he joined the Nittany Lions' Class of 2016. Mathews, a standout on both sides of the ball, received a scholar- ship o6er on Dec. 27, and within a week he had made his decision, forgoing o7- cial visits to West Virginia and Toledo in announcing that he would attend PSU. BWI recruiting reporter Ryan Snyder recently caught up with Clairton High head coach Wayne Wade to talk about Mathews' high school career and his fu- ture with the Nittany Lions. I want to get a feel for Aaron as a player and also his personality in the locker room. What was he like to coach and what is he like as a leader? Aaron was always a kid who kind of stood out, mainly because of his size and ability. Aaron has always been a long kid, a tall kid, so from that perspective, he always stood out. We could see very ear- ly, even going back to our little league

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