Blue White Illustrated

Johnson and Coach [Bill] Kavanaugh all wanted to talk to me. They were asking about where I stand right now and how close I may be to getting everything over with. They definitely were talking about how I'm a priority for them and how they definitely want me to be a part of this class. "They were kind of hinting to me that they don't want spots to fill up and for me to be left out. [They were] just kind of hinting that they want me to commit, but I told them that I still have a lot of schools to check out. I really like Penn State. They're definitely up there right now, but I'm not ready to make any decisions yet. I still need to see what options I have out there." Issah wasn't the only undecided central Pennsylvania prospect in attendance, as Bishop McDevitt wide receiver Brian Lemelle also made the trip up Route 322 for the spring game. One of Penn State's top five targets at wide receiver, Lemelle wanted to see what O'Brien's offense is all about. From the sound of things, he didn't come away disap- pointed. "The atmosphere was pretty good for a spring game. I liked that," Lemelle said. "They also came out throwing the ball, which was nice to see. They weren't just little dunk passes, either. They were throwing deep, so as a receiver, I definitely like to see that." Also making the trip were Derwin Gray and Yannick Ngakoue, Wash- ington, D.C., natives and teammates at Friendship Collegiate Academy. Both prospects have been given a four-star rating by Rivals.com. Gray, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive line prospect, already has an offer from Penn State. Ngakoue, a linebacker, has more than 20 offers from schools throughout the East, South and Midwest, including Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and South Carolina. The Nittany Lions have yet to extend an offer. Other top prospects who were in attendance included linebacker Jarred Alwan of Cherry Hill, N.J., athlete Delando Johnson of Towson, Md., defensive tackle Donta Wilkins of Dumfries, Va., and quarterback Thomas Woodson of Gateway High in Monroeville, Pa. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I N T E R V I E W FIELD PROMOTION Lifelong PSU fan Andrew Nelson plans to join the team he cheered as a kid the family would drive to Univer- sity Park from their home in Her- shey, Pa., stop by The Diner and then walk to Beaver Stadium from downtown. "It was always a great experience going to the games," Nelson said. He's going to be seeing a lot A more of that stadium starting next year, though not as a specta- tor. Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound offensive lineman, recently gave the Nittany Lions a verbal com- mitment, becoming the eighth player overall and second offen- sive lineman to join the Class of 2013. He chose the Lions after also receiving offers from Mary- land, Missouri, Northwestern, Pitt and Temple. Blue White Illustrated recruit- ing analyst Ryan Snyder recently caught up with Nelson to talk about his decision. At what point did you start to think that playing for Penn State was a realistic possibility? You didn't get the offer until recently, but looking back, did you ever have any conversa- tions with Larry Johnson that gave you a good feeling that an offer was possible? To be completely honest, I did- n't really even know where I stood with Penn State heading into that day. I really didn't think I was going to get an offer head- ing into the [unofficial] visit, but as far as ever really thinking it was a possibility, when I was at Penn State's camp last year, Coach Johnson came to my room one night just to say that he liked what I was doing out there and to keep it up. That's when I thought that play- ndrew Nelson grew up cheer- ing for Penn State. When he and his sisters were younger, can be a pain. I don't really like driving. It was so much fun checking out each and every school, picking up a few things here and there at practice. That was truly a blast, but obviously things can be a little stressful. When you have to really think about what's best for you as a student, that's really tough as it is. Add in the football, and that makes things even more difficult. Luckily, Penn State was kind of an easy choice. I didn't have to go crazy, but the whole process defi- nitely has its ups and downs. What was your visit like? It A GOOD TRIP Nelson committed to the Nittany Lions shortly after returning home from an unofficial visit to Univer- sity Park. Rivals was your first one-on-one unof- ficial visit to PSU. All the others were for Junior Days or a game, so did any one thing really stand out? I really couldn't pick one specif- ing Division I was at least a possi- bility. Knowing that I'm already getting their attention, that's when I thought I may be headed down the right path. You were drawing interest from a few other schools the past few months. Do you remember which one was the first school to offer? I remem- ber you mentioned Maryland as a school you really liked. Yeah, Maryland was the first school to offer. They recruited me pretty hard, so I was definitely feeling the love from Maryland there for quite a while. All the calls and traveling – did that make you want to get this process over with, or did you end it because you knew Penn State was best for you? It was definitely fun getting the attention, but yeah, the traveling ic thing that stood out. This was the first time, though, that I got to be close to the players, really watch and take in how they coach, all that kind of good stuff. Coach [Mac] McWhorter, he's great, though. He and his wife were so nice. Meeting them made it easy to realize this is the kind of person I could play for. Then Coach [Craig] Fitzgerald, what can I say about that guy? I've been researching him, been hear- ing some great things when it comes to making sure we can handle Big Ten play. I don't think there are any worries with him. So you get the offer, obviously you're pretty psyched. Was there ever a moment where you thought about committing before you left? Honestly, no. I didn't think that was the right time for me. I knew SEE NELSON PAGE 27 J U N E 1 , 2 0 1 2 11

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