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hadn't spoken with Davis, but there's every reason to believe the four-star wide receiver from Spring9eld, Ohio, came away just as impressed as his fellow visitors. Davis made the trip with a few teammates. They weren't sure what to expect, but we were told they all liked what they heard about the direction of the program. Penn State has a lot of competition for Davis, as he previously stated that Michigan State is his leader. He's also interested Missouri, West Virginia and Wisconsin, and Ohio State is going to be a contender if it o:ers. But judging by the response of those who made the trip with Davis, PSU is in the mix now, too. SEAN SAVOY The wide receiver from Woodrow Wilson High in Washington, D.C., had been anticipating a PSU o:er for about a month leading up to this visit, as he had built a relationship with Charles Hu: and Josh Gattis during the spring eval- uation period. They had told him they liked his 9lm, but they wanted to see him on campus so that they could extend their o:er in person. So Savoy made the trip. The o:er, he said, "wasn't surprising because I've been talking to Coach [Hu:], and he was telling me that he was going to o:er me. They just wanted me to get there in person to see how the campus was, and Coach [James] Franklin wanted to be the one who did it." He said he hasn't thought about when he might make a decision but acknowledged that the o:er he earned from PSU was "very high" on his list. Savoy is considering Miami and Virginia Tech but may return to PSU for the Lasch Bash barbecue July 16. CLASS OF 2018 NANA ASIEDU Asiedu gave a glowing review of his visit, saying that it had vaulted Penn State into his top five. The offensive tackle from Stafford, Va., doesn't want to reveal the other four schools he's considering, but we believe Virginia and Virginia Tech are at or near the top. Also, Michigan State recently extended an offer, and other premier pro- grams have the North Stafford High standout on their radar. But the Nittany Lion coaching staff made a good impres- sion, and Asiedu said he would probably be back for another visit either later this summer or fall. DORIAN HARDY Hardy is on pace to become one of the most coveted prospects in the mid-Atlantic region in 2018, so Penn State will have an abundance of competi- tion in order to receive his signature. But the coaches got o: to a good start with SEE RECRUITING PAGE 29 W hen the Big Ten decided to set up a series of season-ending games be- tween Penn State and its Eastern com- patriots, Maryland and Rutgers, starting in 2017, many fans grumbled that the Big Ten was trying to force rivalries on the Nittany Lions. Some pointed toward Penn State's record against those two programs, which now stands at 60-4-1 overall. Others took it one step further, noting that Penn State has always dominated both schools in recruiting. Because of that, there were quite a few fans who felt that the Scarlet Knights and Terrapins would never be true rivals to Penn State. While both are valid points, it's also be- come clear that Maryland and Rutgers are light-years ahead of where they were a few decades ago. Sure, the results on the 9eld have been mixed these past two sea- sons, but I think their respective athletic departments have shown that they are much more serious about winning now. Both schools have hired head coaches in recent months, with Chris Ash land- ing at Rutgers and D.J. Durkin at Mary- land, and those moves are already paying o: in recruiting. Yes, you can argue that the two schools are bene9tting from the surge in excitement that o

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