Blue White Illustrated

fensive back Kwantel Raines from Aliquippa, Pa. Gri9th attended one of Penn State's satellite camps last summer, so although he was familiar with the coaching sta8, his trip in March was his 7rst uno9cial visit to the school. Raines was also visiting Penn State for the 7rst time, but that wasn't the case for Bleich. Originally from Plymouth, Pa., Bleich has taken 7ve un- o9cial visits to Penn State. A:er landing the o8er from Franklin, he posted on Twit- ter that he "couldn't be more excited to receive [an] o8er from my dream school." "It's just close to home and it's a perfect 7t for me," Bleich said. "Both football and academics – I like all of it. I also have a lot of friends who go there. I used to train with [Connor] McGovern and [Ryan] Monk, so it's nice having a few guys there who I already know." Penn State was planning to host a handful of prospects on April 9, but the Blue- White Game on April 16 is expected to be the next major recruiting event for the sta8. As long as the weather cooperates, the coaching sta8 is expecting to host be- tween 80 and 100 recruits for this year's spring game. Once spring practice wraps up, the staff will then hit the road in late April and into May for the spring evaluation period. ■ These prospects will bear watching on Blue-White weekend P enn State's annual Blue-White Game has been a major recruiting event under both Bill O'Brien and James Franklin. Over the past three years, the spring game has led to two direct commitments for the Nittany Lions, starting with wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins in 2013. Franklin and his sta8 then managed to secure a commitment from defensive back Zech McPhearson last year. Looking ahead to this year's game, it once again appears as if the Nittany Li- ons could be on commitment watch be- fore the day is 7nished. I ultimately ex- pect the sta8 to host close to 100 prospects – depending on the weather – but o8ensive lineman C.J. Thorpe from Pittsburgh Central Catholic will likely be the player I'm focused on the most. A four-star prospect, Thorpe is the son of former Penn State running back Chris Thorpe. He's also the brother of Niko Thorpe, who played linebacker at Ford- ham last season under new Penn State o8ensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. Needless to say, there are a lot of family ties that are working well for the Lions. The fact that Thorpe has also been to Penn State twice already this spring bodes well for the sta8. As of the 7nal week in March, he was expected to head south to see Alabama, Auburn and Georgia in early April. While all three of those schools certainly have his interest, it's going to take a lot for him to end up in the Southeastern Conference. I be- lieve that once he's able to say that he gave those schools a look, it sets up well for Thorpe to wrap up his recruitment during his visit for the spring game. Another player I'll be focused on is linebacker Avery Roberts from Wilming- ton, Del. On March 25 the four-star prospect posted on Twitter that he would be announcing his college decision in April. Later that night, Roberts informed me that he's aiming for a decision on April 21. That may end up being the date that he announces everything publicly, but I think his commitment may actually take place a few days earlier. When Roberts returns to Penn State for the Blue-White Game, it will be his second trip to University Park this spring, as he also attended junior day in February. With schools like Oklahoma, Stanford, Nebraska, North Carolina and Clemson still in the mix, the Nittany Li- ons have plenty of competition, but they also hold a major edge when it comes to visits. Dating back to his soph- omore season, Roberts and his family have taken at least 7ve visits to Penn State. Of course, now that I wrote about this publicly, both will likely end up pushing everything back. Consider it the Snyder curse. However, whether it's a few weeks from now or later this summer, both Thorpe and Roberts should end up as Nittany Lions. That I'm con7dent in. ■

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