Blue White Illustrated

P L A Y E R B I O S WHAT HE DID Although he stood only 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, McGovern earned a starting spot on Lake-Lehman's o?en- sive line during his freshman season, and he never looked back. This past year, having grown eight inches taller and 105 pounds heavier, McGovern totaled 146 pancake blocks to help two running backs each surpass 1,000 yards. He was also a major contributor on defense, totaling 126 tackles, 37 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. WHAT HE WON McGovern was a four-star prospect and a member of the Rivals250, coming in at No. 216 overall. He's the second-ranked center in the nation and the sixth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania for the Class of 2016. In addition, the Pennsylvania Football Writers Association named him to its Class AA All-State team in both 2014 and '15. He also par- ticipated in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. WHERE HE VISITED McGovern began =elding scholarship o?ers as a junior and went on to receive nearly 20. Some of the more notable programs that extended o?ers were Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Michigan State, North Carolina, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia and West Virginia. Because he was one of the =rst prospects to join Penn State's class, McGovern didn't make many visits. He checked out Penn State, North Caroli- na, Maryland, Duke, Virginia and Pitt before narrowing his list down to the Lions and Tar Heels. Following two trips to Chapel Hill, McGovern committed to PSU in March 2015. QUOTABLE McGovern: "I believe [PSU's coaches] prefer me at center. They'll work me out and try a few things in the be- ginning, but since I'm already comfortable with center, that's where they want me." STAFF SAYS Franklin: "It's hard to play on the o?ensive line as a freshman, but the fact that he's here six months early and he's already a big, physical, strong guy and very intelli- gent gives him a shot." PHIL'S TAKE I believe there is an excellent chance that Mc- Govern, a January enrollee, will enter spring practice as one of the top three candidates for the center position, the others be- ing senior Wendy Laurent and redshirt freshman Ryan Bates. McGovern is physically mature and has excellent technique, and he performed superbly in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. While most o?ensive linemen are redshirted as true freshmen, McGovern could be an exception. He's that good. CONNOR McGOVERN RIVALS ★★★★ POS OL HT 6-5 WT 310 HOME Larksville, Pa. SCHOOL Lake-Lehman Senior WHAT HE DID McPhearson had a big junior season at River- dale Baptist, =nishing with =ve interceptions and 16 pass breakups as a cornerback, while also surpassing 1,000 all-pur- pose yards and scoring 10 touchdowns on o?ense. As a senior, he =nished with 1,002 all-purpose yards and scored seven TDs on o?ense, while also excelling on defense with 19 solo tackles, 12 pass breakups and four interceptions. WHAT HE WON A three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, McPhearson was the 19th-ranked prospect in Maryland and the 39th-ranked cornerback nationally. He also played in the Semper Fidelis All-America Game in Los Angeles on Jan. 3. In fact, he made one of the critical plays in the East's 28-13 vic- tory. When the West came up short on a 55-yard =eld goal at- tempt early in the game, McPhearson caught the ball in the end zone and returned it 97 yards to the 3-yard line, setting up an East touchdown. WHERE HE VISITED McPhearson received o?ers from schools in four of the Power Five conferences, including the Pac-12 (Cal), Southeastern (Alabama, Kentucky), Atlantic Coast (Clemson, Pitt, North Carolina State, Wake Forest) and Big Ten (Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin). He com- mitted to Penn State in April while on campus for the Blue- White Game and is now set to join his brother Josh, a walk- on wide receiver, with the Nittany Lions. QUOTABLE McPhearson on his relationship with the Penn State coaching sta?: "They're really nice guys and they al- ways make you feel like you're at home." STAFF SAYS Smith: "The tremendous thing that we're ex- cited about is that this will be the =rst o?-season that he fo- cuses only on football. He's always just played baseball through the spring and summer and never really focused on football. We feel like his upside will just explode once he gives football 100 precent." PHIL'S TAKE McPhearson is one of the best pure athletes in this class. With sub-4.5-second 40-yard speed and a re- markable 40-inch vertical leap, he could play either free safety or cornerback. When he committed in March 2015, he had o?ers from Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Wiscon- sin. Given his versatility, both as a defensive back and as a potential impact player on special teams, I don't expect him to be redshirted this coming season. ZECHARIAH McPHEARSON RIVALS ★★★ POS CB HT 5-11 WT 175 HOME Columbia, Md. SCHOOL Riverdale Baptist Penn State Athletics Penn State Athletics

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