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he stretches things out and comes o6 the edge well. His length allows him to make a lot of plays. He's probably the most raw of the three but could have the highest ceiling, which is why we like him so much." That third prospect Farrell referenced was Parsons, who also committed to head coach James Franklin on junior day. Parsons is a standout at Central Dauphin High, where he has already received Class AAAA All-State recognition twice in his career. Parsons has been dominant since emerging in 2014, totaling 190 tackles, 47 tackles for loss and 32 sacks during his freshman and sophomore seasons. His early success has given rise to speculation that he could eventually develop into a 5ve-star prospect. "Micah Parsons has been on the radar forever," Farrell said. "He's an elite young talent who can cover a ton of ground and is excellent at anticipating the play and getting into the back5eld. He's well ad- vanced for his age and could be special." Even though he still has two more high school seasons to play before he begins his college career, the 6-3, 235-pound Parsons felt that the time was right to end his recruitment. His father, Terrance Parsons, also felt comfortable with the Nittany Lion coaching sta6. "We're all Penn State fans, so we couldn't be more excited," Terrance Parsons said. "I know Micah loves the coaches there, he loves the people there. It's nice that it's also close to home, too." ■ P enn State hosted more than 70 prospects on Feb. 27 for the sta6's 5rst junior day of the 2017 recruiting cycle. With more than 20 juniors in attendance who already held o6ers from the sta6, plus more than a dozen Class of 2018 prospects, some of whom also had o6ers, there was no shortage of talent on campus. However, there was only one 5ve-star prospect on hand, and that was defensive back Lamont Wade of Clairton, Pa. "I'd say that the main thing they stressed was just how important Lamont is to them," said Carlton Wade, La- mont's father. "They're really recruiting him hard. They're letting him know that they really want him. They just told him again that he's their number one corner. "So they're making it very clear that he's very important to them. They were even saying that if they have to come a7er him harder, then they will. They're willing to do whatever it takes." Another top prospect from western Pennsylvania was o6ensive lineman C.J. Thorpe of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. A four-star prospect, Thorpe is the son of former Nittany Lion running back Chris Thorpe. He's also the younger brother of Fordham linebacker Niko Thorpe, so need- less to say, the family is happy with James Franklin's decision to hire for- mer Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead as o6ensive coordinator. "It was great," Thorpe said. "I really love the new coaches, Coach Moorhead and Coach [Matt] Limegrover. Both are really cool dudes who love Penn State, so that's a great plus. They are Central [Catholic] alums, too, and Coach Moorhead coached my brother at Fordham, so there's a lot of familiarity and chemistry with my family. "The presentations they showed us were really cool, too, especially with the new locker room they're building. I also got to see what it's like by spending time with my former teammate [John Petrishen]." Four-star linebacker Avery Roberts also Prospects come away impressed after junior day | SCHOOL SPIRIT Moor- head poses with prospects from his high school alma mater, Pitts- burgh Central Catholic. From left to right: LB David Adams, Moorhead, OL C.J. Thorpe, QB Troy Fisher, DL David Green, DT Kurt Hinish.

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