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was still in its earliest stages, but it proved to be a pivotal moment, as it gave him a feel for what coaches want to see from prospects at the Football Bowl Subdivision level. "When I camped with them in June, I think that really helped me out," Fries said. "That allowed me to understand what they expect from their players, while it allowed them to understand what I can do on the 9eld." Once schools were able to see 9lm from the 9rst half of his junior season, it didn't take long for the o;ers to pile up. Between October and December, Fries received of- fers from Boston College, North Carolina State, Northwestern and Syracuse. He also attended games at Maryland and Rut- gers that year, but it was his second trip to University Park – on the weekend of a White Out game against Ohio State – that put the Lions atop his list. "That's kind of when I fell in love with Penn State," Fries said. "A=er that visit, I really wanted a Penn State o;er. I got it a couple months later when I was up there watching them practice for the Pinstripe Bowl. "I'll never forget that day. I knew I wasn't going to commit that day. I just knew that it wouldn't be smart for me to make such a big decision so quickly, but I did kind of know then that Penn State was the school for me. I still had to see some other schools, but it was always going to be hard for any- one to pass Penn State. They just set the bar so high." Fries used the spring of 2015 to check out other schools, visiting Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, Northwestern, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia between February and April. He also re- ceived an offer from Michigan at the end of April and visited Ann Arbor a few weeks later. The trip gave him a reason to hold off a bit longer, but he knew what he wanted to do after thinking through his options, and on June 9 he committed to Penn State. However, that didn't stop the competi- tion from pursuing him. "Both Michigan and Rutgers were still reaching out to me a=er my decision and into my senior year," Fries said. "I did listen to them brie:y, just because I always wanted to make sure that I understood all my options, but I never seriously consid- ered visiting either school, let alone :ipping my commitment. "I felt strongly about Penn State the whole way through. I always looked at Penn State as much more than just how they do on the 9eld. The academic struc- ture is amazing there and I always loved the proximity to my house. Of course, I love the coaches, too." With Fries set to enroll in just a few weeks, he's excited that his hard work and commitment have 9nally paid o;. The 6- foot-6, 290-pound lineman also knows he's back to square one, but his former head coach said that won't be a problem for Fries. "I don't think I've ever met another player who is as driven as Will," Rosen- meier said. "Even before he got to Cran- ford, he was already putting the work in. His character is incredible. He's never going to be someone that the coaches have to worry about. They'll never have to worry about him not working hard or losing the drive to play. He trains so hard every day. "He's also a great leader. He's always been the kind of guy who leads by example, and I have no doubts that he'll do that at Penn State. He's always been our hardest worker." ■ B efore the interview starts, before the request is even accepted, it's Ellison Jordan who asks the 9rst questions. "How are you?" he says. "How is your family?" Every time, without fail, it's the way a conversation begins with Penn State's in- coming defensive tackle. For the son of Deborah and Ronald, a native of Upper Marlboro, Md., there's an obligation to the person 9rst and his closest supporters. Then we can talk about the football player, the 283-pound defensive tackle who col- lected almost 20 scholarship o;ers. Always, though, before the discussion steers toward the 9eld, family – yours, his – gets its due. "That's all that matters," he says, "giving back to those who care for you and helped you through the process. Knowing that they're there for you, knowing my family and close friends are there for me when I need to fall back on them, it's just a bless- ing." Those qualities have endeared Jordan to his classmates in PSU's 2016 signing class, as well as his coaches, but they challenge the stereotypes that people may associate with an aggressive sport like football. That's the paradox of Jordan, one of many. For every quarterback he sacks, for every run- ning back he buries into the ground, that's one more individual to whom he can o;er a helping hand and li= back to his feet. For Deborah, that's one of the favorite parts of watching her son play a sport that's inherently violent. He makes a tackle; he helps the opponent up. He says "Good game" to them a=erward – win or lose – and then he strikes up a conversation with the opposing coaches before heading back to the locker room. Even if a call goes against him or his teammates, Jordan 9nds a way to keep the moment light with the o

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