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N.C., Butler picked up an o7er from the coaching sta7 in December. In July he named Duke, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Tennessee as his top four schools but said that Penn State had a chance to earn one of his o8cial visits. Duke hosted Butler the weekend before his trip to University Park, but as of this writing, it was still unclear when he in- tends to visit the other three schools. Once he's able to do that, he will likely set a decision date. Relationships will be a key factor in de- termining where Butler ends up. In fact, he said that the connection he's made with defensive line coach Sean 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 6gured if he can come down here from Pennsylvania, then the least I can do is go up there for an o8cial visit. … I know he's a good guy. He's a lot like me in some ways. He's never going to just tell me stu7 that I want to hear. That's not the kind of person that he is." As for Hines, his visit was a surprise to many. A four-star prospect from Plano, Texas, he is arguably the nation's most coveted linebacker, having earned more than 50 scholarship offers, one of which came from Penn State last October. The trip to University Park was his second official visit, as he also checked out Texas A&M on Sept. 1 and 2. Texas and Oklahoma are also likely to receive offi- cial visits before the end of the season, and he's expected to make a decision on Nov. 29. Hines started getting to know Franklin and his sta7 when they were still at Van- derbilt. He attended one of the univer- sity's football camps heading into his eighth-grade season, and he attracted the attention of Brent Pry, who at the time was the Commodores' linebackers coach. Hines' interest in Penn State stems in large part from the relationship he's de- veloped with Franklin and Pry. "He really likes those two coaches," said his father, Anthony Hines Jr. "Also, they have a lot of tradition. There are only a few schools in the entire country that have a tradition like Penn State. That's a big lure for Anthony." Hamler is no stranger to University Park, as he had taken multiple uno8cial visits prior to his trip for the Temple game. Originally from the Detroit suburbs, he made the decision to transfer to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., this past summer, but he su7ered a setback at the start of the season, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. In fact, his injury was the main reason he was on campus on Sept. 17, as IMG actually had a game to play that same day. Prior to his trip to Penn State, his favorites were believed to be Michigan State and Oregon. The Nittany Lions will also host two notable defensive prospects for the game against Minnesota on Oct. 1. Both of those players – linebacker Jordan An- thony and defensive tackle Camaron Spence – are from the Washington, D.C., area, but Anthony transferred to IMG Academy before the start of his junior season. Spence also made the move to IMG be- fore the start of his junior year, but he de- cided to 6nish his high school career back home and now attends St. John's College High. He committed to Maryland in April but has since decided that he will take of- 6cial visits to both Penn State and Ken- tucky. He will go to Kentucky the weekend of Oct. 21-22. Anthony is still planning his trips to other schools, but he has said that Michi- gan and Oklahoma will each earn an o8- cial visit. Penn State is expected to host two ad- ditional defensive tackles before the end of October. Ben Hutch, a three-star prospect from Nashville, Tenn., has scheduled his o8cial visit for Penn State's homecoming matchup against Maryland on Oct. 8. He's focused on seven schools: Penn State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Memphis, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas A&M. Hutch has already taken one o8cial visit to Nebraska on the weekend of Sept. 17-18. "I'm still looking at setting my visits for all the other schools," he said. "I nar- rowed my list to six schools, but Georgia Tech has also o7ered me now, so they're in the mix, too. I can't take my o8cial visits to every school, so I have to 6gure that out still. I think most of my visits will come in November or December, but I PSUtixman@gmail.com www.PSUtixman.com Get your PSU Football Tickets at go t ti cke t s? k c i t t t e k man@g .PSUtixm www. at ootba Get you k c i t t o gm .PSUtixman.com all ur s t s e k

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