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2, 193-pound wide receiver, he had a strong showing at the U.S. Army All-America combine in San Antonio, establishing himself not only as one of the best wide- outs in Pennsylvania but in the entire country. Also like Hainsey, Webb placed the Nittany Lions at the top of his list early in the process. Penn State was the second Football Bowl Subdivision school to extend an o:er, doing so more than a year ago. Webb is likely to continue piling up o:ers, but for now, the Lions have to be considered the team to beat. NO. 181 SEAN CLIFFORD Cli:ord was the 9rst player to join Penn State's Class of 2017, announcing his decision last July. The 6-2, 207-pound quarterback has been using his four-star ranking and early com- mitment to help the coaching sta: recruit other prospects. An early pledge from a blue-chip QB can o;en turn into the cor- nerstone of a strong recruiting class, and that's the path that Cli:ord is currently traveling. NO. 226 HAMSAH NASIRILDEEN Al- though he's ranked as a wide receiver, the 6-5, 210-pound Nasirildeen is also a stand- out on the defensive side of the ball and is being recruited as an athlete by many schools. Making his 9rst appearance in the Rivals250, Nasirildeen earned a Penn State o:er in February. "Everybody knows they're one of the top defenses in the country and they're Linebacker U," he said, "so it's good to have the chance to play for them." N/R YETUR MATOS Ranked 235th in the previous Rivals250, the 6-5, 230- pounder from Fredericksburg, Va., fell out of the most recent ratings. But he re- mains one of the most highly regarded defensive end prospects in the Class of 2017, and Penn State's coaching sta: was no doubt thrilled to receive his verbal commitment in February. Before choosing the Lions over North Carolina and Virginia Tech, he told Adam Friedman of Rivals, "To be honest, I pretty much like every- thing about Penn State. The whole place just feels kind of perfect. I like the way they play, the fans, the coaches, and the campus life." Matos is the ninth-rated prospect in his home state and a four- star player according to Rivals. ■ RK NAME POS 5. Isaiah Wilson OL 13. Donovan Peoples-Jones WR 30. Khalan Laborn RB 31. JaCoby Stevens Ath. 32. D'Andre Swift RB 34. Drew Singleton LB 42. Devon Hunter DB 44. Anthony McFarland RB 83. Chase Young DE 85. Deon Jones DB 89. Luiji Vilain DE 91. Fred Hansard DT 93. Jordan Anthony LB 100. David Adams LB 106. Cesar Ruiz OL 107. Anthony Hines LB 120. Darnell Ewell DT 124. Eric Crosby DT 154. Ambry Thomas DB 159. Brendon White Ath. 165. Jaylen Harris WR 169. Isaiah Robertson WR 178. Micah Clark OL 191. Antjuan Simmons LB 201. TyJuan Garbutt DE 218. Amir Riep DB 225. Markquese Bell Ath. 234. Nathan Proctor LB 235. Donovan Jeter DT 239. Jonathan Sutherland DB 242. Kasim Hill QB * As of March 7 OTHER RIVALS250 TARGETS* U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Mentor helps PSU-bound Johnson fulfill goals P enn State appears to have found a real diamond in the rough in cornerback T.J. Johnson. A three-star prospect from Ohio, John- son began his career at Cleveland Heights High School, picking up multiple o:ers from schools in the Mid-American Con- ference by the end of his junior season. However, come January, his head coach, Je: Rotsky, le; Cleveland Heights for a new challenge, moving to nearby Euclid High. Most prospects probably wouldn't con- sider leaving a school they're already very familiar with, but Johnson's rela- tionship with Rotsky was unlike a lot of player-coach bonds, as the two originally met when Johnson was still in sixth grade. In fact, Rotsky was the main reason that Johnson ended up at Cleveland Heights in the first place. "I originally planed to go to Glenville, which is a nearby high school," Johnson said. "But I started seeing what Coach Rotsky was doing with guys like Kyle Dod- son [Ohio State], Shelton Gibson [West Virgina] and Dorian Baker [Kentucky], and that really motivated me to follow the same path that Coach Rotsky put them on. That's the main reason I ended up at Cleveland Heights." When it came time for Johnson to make a decision, he ultimately chose to follow

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