Blue White Illustrated

Penn State made an excellent impression last weekend on Matthew Butler, a three- star defensive lineman in the Class of 2017. Following Garner High's 25-6 win over local rival Southeast Raleigh on Friday evening, the North Carolina native made the trip north with his family early Satur- day to see Penn State defeat Temple. The 34-27 victory over the Owls was just the start of his official visit, as Butler got the complete Happy Valley experience over the next 24 hours. "I didn't get into town until Saturday. I had a delay getting into Philadelphia, so I got into town a little later than I wanted to, but I did make it in time for the game," Butler said. "They had a good win. I en- joyed it and I enjoyed the atmosphere. AAer the game, I toured the Lasch facility. That's when I saw the locker rooms and whatnot. We then went to eat before I met up with Shane Simmons and some of the other freshmen. "I spent most of the night with them. I met a lot of the players. I didn't spend the whole night with them, but most of it. It was good." Butler and his family were again very busy on Sunday. It started at James Franklin's house, as the head coach hosted Butler and his family for brunch. "We started the day with Coach Franklin. We got lunch with him. It was very nice. AAer that is when I did most of the academic stuff. We saw a lot of the campus and learned about their academ- ics before I met with Coach [Sean] Spencer one-on-one to finish up the trip." So, what did he learn about Penn State's defensive line coach? "I noticed that he has a lot of energy. He's a very passionate guy," Butler said. "He believes in what he coaches and how he goes about that. He's very loud and into the game, which isn't a bad thing. I think that's a great thing. I can tell he builds strong relationships with his players and really works hard to make them the best they can be." With official visits to Duke and Penn State now complete, Butler is aiming to visit North Carolina State, South Carolina and Tennessee before making a decision. Those three visits will prove to be important, but it looks as if the Nittany Lions have a real chance with Butler following this visit. "The main reason they weren't in my top four originally was because I hadn't vis- ited," he said. "I always wanted to give them an opportunity, and I'm really happy I did. I would say that they're definitely in my top five now. I see a lot of upside in Penn State. They also have a lot of tradi- tion, both athletically and academically. "For me, when I make a decision, it's re- ally going to come down to those things that no one can tell me or put in my ear. It's going to come down to those personal things that my parents like. There are even going to be little things that only I like. Penn State has a lot of upside. I'm really happy I took the visit." 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 2 1 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 14 Defensive line prospect enjoys visit to 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 MATTHEW BUTLER I would say that they're definitely in my top five now. I see a lot of upside in Penn State. They also have a lot of tradition, both athletically and academically." "

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