Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/727005
Penn State will host defensive lineman Matthew Butler of Garner, N.C., for an of- ficial visit this coming weekend. Despite the fact that Butler didn't origi- nally list the Nittany Lions in his top four, mentioning only Duke, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Tennessee, the three- star prospect has been steadily strengthening his relationship with both head coach James Franklin and defensive line coach Sean Spencer. "I talked to Coach Franklin and Coach Spencer [Monday night]," Butler said. "We were mainly just talking about the visit. Coach Franklin just got out of a meeting of his, so once he got done with that, he talked to me about the visit a little bit and some of the things I'll be doing. He also talked to my dad about some things. "But a lot of our talk was just about lo- gistics, like plane tickets and that stuff." So far, Butler has taken just one official visit, which was to Duke this past week- end. However, like most Class of 2017 prospects, he has a good idea what to look for in a school a9er all the unofficial visits he's taken during the past two years. Be- cause this will be his first and likely only visit to Penn State before making a deci- sion later this year, Butler has made it clear that he's hoping to learn as much as possible during the two days he's on cam- pus. "I'm hoping they get a win," he said. "I know they just came off a loss, so I'd like to see how they cope with that. It's always nice to see a team come back strong the next week following a loss. I've never been to Penn State, so I'm looking forward to seeing their atmosphere. I've heard good things. "But when I go on these visits, I'm not looking for a show or anything like that. I just want to learn what it's like to be a player there, so it would be nice to hang out with the players and meet some of the other recruits. I just want to see how life is up there. So I'm not looking for anything specific. I just want to see how I fit in there and see how much I enjoy my time there. I also like to watch my position during these visits and how those guys perform and ad- just to different things. It's nice to see that stuff up close and personal." Relationships will also play a key role in where Butler ends up. In fact, he said that the connection he's made with Spencer during the past year is a major reason why he's taking the time to visit Penn State this weekend. "The proof is in the pudding when it comes to him," Butler said. "He develops his players. I want to be the best player I can be, so I like that about him. "I know what he's all about by now. He's been to my school before. He came all the way down here from Pennsylvania, so I figured if he can come down here from Pennsylvania, than the least I can do is go up there for an official visit. I really just want to see how he is as a coach. I know he's a good guy. He's a lot like me in some ways. He's never going to just tell me stuff that I want to hear. That's not the kind of person that he is." Butler plans to take official visits to North Carolina State, South Carolina and Tennessee before the end of the season, but nothing is set at this time. Through four games this season, he and his Garner teammates are 3-1. Butler, who's currently the 13th-ranked strong-side defensive end by Rivals, has recorded 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks. PENN STATE RADIO NETWORK WAEB............. 790-AM....... Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton WVAM............ 1430-AM....................................... Altoona WRKY............. 104.9-FM............... Altoona/Hollidaysburg WPGG............ 1450-AM......................... Atlantic City, N.J. WILK.............. 103.1-FM.........................................Avoca WLZS............. 106.1-FM........................... Beaver Springs WAYC............. 1600-AM.......................................Bedford WAYC............. 100.9-FM......................................Bedford WBYB............. 103.9-FM.....................................Bradford WBUT............. 1050-AM..........................................Butler WCPA............. 900-AM...................................... Clearfield WQYX............. 93.1-FM..................................... Clearfield WBYB............. 103.9-FM............................... Coudersport WZDB.............95.9-FM........................ DuBois/Sykesville WHGL............ 102.9-FM................................ Elmira, N.Y. WPSE............. 1450-AM.............................................Erie WFRA............. 1450-AM...................................... Franklin WGET............. 1320-AM.................................. Gettysburg WJEJ.............. 1240-AM.Hagerstown, Md./Chambersburg Sports Radio..96.5 FM.................................... Harrisburg Sports Radio..95.3-FM (HD)............................Harrisburg WKZN............ 1300-AM..................................... Hazleton WHUN............ 106.3-FM................................ Huntingdon WCCL............. 101.7-FM..................................Johnstown WBYB............. 103.9-FM.......................................... Kane WNPV.............1440-AM.....................................Lansdale WLBR............. 1270-AM..................................... Lebanon WJUN............ 92.5-FM....................... Lewistown/Mexico WMGW...........1490-AM....................................Meadville WJST.............. 1280-AM.....................New Castle/Sharon WVNJ............. 1160-AM.......................... New York Metro WNTP............. 990-AM..................................Philadelphia KQV............... 1410-AM................................... Pittsburgh WAVT..............101.9-FM.................................... Pottsville WPPA............. 1360-AM.....................................Pottsville WIOV..............1240 AM...................................... Reading WIOV..............98.5-FM....................................... Reading WBZU.............910-AM....................................... Scranton WBYB............. 103.9-FM................................. Smethport WQWK............1450-AM.............................. State College WBUS.............93.7-FM................................State College WZDD............ 101.3-FM....................Stratonville/Clarion WKOK............ 1070-AM...................................... Sunbury WCCL............. 101.7-FM................................... Somerset WTIV.............. 1230-AM..................................... Titusville WHGL.............100.3-FM............................... Troy/Canton WTRN.............1340-AM......................................... Tyrone WTRN.............100.7-FM........................................ Tyrone WNBT............. 104.5-FM...................................Wellsboro WNBQ............ 92.3-FM....................Wellsboro/Mansfield WILK.............. 980-AM................................. Wilkes-Barre WKSB.............102.7-FM.............................. Williamsport WSBA............. 910-AM.............................................. York WJST.............. 1280-AM........................Youngstown, Ohio S E P T E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 14 North Carolina linebacker set to visit Penn State R y A N S N y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D R E C R U I T I N G BUTLER