Blue White Illustrated

September 2016

Penn State Sports Magazine

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weekend. After going home and talking everything over with his parents that evening, Holmes officially became a Nittany Lion the next day, announcing his decision on Aug. 7. DERREK PITTS POS Saf. HT 6-1 WT 180 RATING ★★★★ HOME Charleston, W.Va. SCHOOL South Charleston ADDITIONAL OFFERS Arizona, Clemson, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Oklahoma, Pitt, Ten- nessee, Toledo, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia QUOTABLE Pitts on what he liked about Penn State: "That coaching sta8 is unbe- lievable. They're on top of everything. They talk to my mom whenever she calls. They invite my family to events, with or without me. They're just on top of every- thing. I've seen a lot of what's going on in their recruiting right now, and that in7u- enced me a lot. They're putting together a great class right now, and I feel like I 6t right in with that." ANALYSIS Pitts' commitment to Penn State was a surprise to many. A:er a visit to University Park on July 16 for the Lasch Bash barbecue, he went on to visit West Virginia the following weekend. When he le: Morgantown, reporters there were under the impression that he had verbally committed to the Mountaineers and would publicly announce his decision a few days later. When the time came for him to reveal his decision, nearly every- one at the July 27 gathering was expecting Pitts to announce for his in-state team, but he surprised the audience by choos- ing the Nittany Lions. While the Penn State coaching sta8 was no doubt thrilled to receive a commit- ment from the four-star safety prospect, it's important to note that Pitts has al- ready said that he fully intends to take of- 6cial visits to other schools this fall. Of the 15 commitments that the Nittany Lions had received in the 2016 recruiting cycle as of mid-August, his is likely the so:est. CAMERON SULLIVAN-BROWN POS WR HT 6-1 WT 185 RATING ★★★ HOME Laurel, Md. SCHOOL St. Vincent Pallotti ADDITIONAL OFFERS Boston College, Duke, East Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisville, Marshall, Mary- land, North Carolina State, Northwest- ern, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, UCF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin QUOTABLE Sullivan-Brown on why he decided to commit earlier than expected: "I just felt like there was no reason to pro- long my decision. I already knew where I wanted to go. I also wanted to start help- ing recruit others. Penn State felt like home. I love the coaching sta8, and everyone I met there is very nice. This was the right place for me." ANALYSIS A:er picking up an o8er from Penn State in April, Sullivan-Brown made it clear that the Nittany Lions were his favorite. But he wanted to fully inves- tigate his options before making a deci- sion, so he visited a few other schools in the spring, eventually narrowing his list to Penn State, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse and West Virginia. Once he returned to Penn State for the Lasch Bash in July, Sul- livan-Brown knew what he wanted to do, so he bumped up his commitment date to July 29. JONATHAN SUTHERLAND POS Saf. HT 6-0 WT 193 RATING ★★★★ HOME Burlington, Ontario SCHOOL Episcopal (Alexandria, Va.) ADDITIONAL OFFERS Boston College, East Carolina, Iowa State, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Car- olina, North Carolina State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Wisconsin QUOTABLE Sutherland on why he com- mitted to the Nittany Lions: "I chose Penn State because I've had a relationship with them since I was in the seventh grade. I really feel comfortable there, and it's a good mix of academics and good football. Sitting down with Coach [Tim] Banks and talking about where I would 6t into their defense and being around the players and future teammates made me feel really comfortable. I'm going to com- pete wherever I go. The safety spot is going to have good depth, so I'll have to compete [to] hopefully play as a fresh- man." ANALYSIS Like Pitts, Sutherland's com- mitment was a nice surprise for the Nit- tany Lions. He was known to have a real interest in Penn State, but his trip to Uni- versity Park for the Lasch Bash was his 6rst visit in nearly a year. Sutherland also didn't speak with the media much this spring and summer, so it was di9cult to know which schools were making the strongest impression on him. PATRICK FREIERMUTH POS TE HT 6-5 WT 230 RATING ★★★★ HOME North Andover, Mass. SCHOOL Brooks School ADDITIONAL OFFERS Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rutgers, Syracuse, Toledo, Wake Forest QUOTABLE Freiermuth: "I committed to Penn State because it's [got] a family at- mosphere that I'm looking for and every- thing I could have ever wanted in a program. The sta8 really has looked out for me since the beginning of my recruit- ment, and I couldn't be happier to be a Nittany Lion." ANALYSIS Following a solid perform- ance at the sta8's Friday Night Whiteout camp on July 15, Freiermuth picked up an o8er from Penn State just a few days later. He and his father then returned to Uni- versity Park on Aug. 15. A:er speaking with the coaches and watching practice, Freiermuth felt comfortable enough to end his recruitment much earlier than originally expected. A member of the Rivals100 for the Class C L A S S O F 2 0 1 8

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