Blue White Illustrated

It's not oBen that Penn State gets the op- portunity to host one of Texas's top overall prospects, but the Nittany Lions did just that on Sept. 17, as Plano East linebacker Anthony Hines III made the trip north with his family. A four-star prospect with 90 scholar- ship offers, Hines has been in touch with the coaching staff for years now, but he and his fa- ther had never been able to see Happy Val- ley for themselves until recently. His father, Anthony Hines Jr., said the family is happy that they made the trip. "It was a great time," he said. "The at- mosphere [throughout the campus and town] was really good. The camaraderie on the team was also very good. We also liked the whole game day experience. It was really cool. Their fans are great. "Their campus is unbelievable. The whole area around State College, with the mountains and the trees, it's very nice. Also, the people were really nice. We stayed at the Nittany Lion Inn and were very impressed. That place and the people there were awesome. It was great. We're very happy we made the trip." While Penn State's campus and facilities made a good impression, the athletic pro- gram's commitment to academics also caught their attention. That was clear during a presentation from head coach James Franklin. "They really did a wonderful job show- ing us the academic side," said Hines' fa- ther. "Coach Franklin's presentation was very good. We learned a lot about what life is like at Penn State. Between their gradu- ation rate and their new academic build- ing, I thought all of that was awesome. "As a parent, I love what they're doing to bring their program back to prominence, both athletically and academically." On the field, Penn State's need for line- backers has been evident throughout the season. All three of the team's opening- day starters are out of action, with Nyeem Wartman-White lost for the season and Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell both out indefinitely. The Lions signed only one linebacker in their most recent recruiting class, and even though they have received verbal commitments from three linebackers in their 2017 class in Brelin Faison-Walden, Brailyn Franklin and Dylan Rivers, they are definitely looking for additional help at this position group. "We're aware that linebacker is a posi- tion of need for them," Hines' father said. "They expressed how much they would not only love to have him be part of their program, but in a way, they really need someone like him, too. They need a guy who can come in and contribute right away, so that's certainly a plus." Following the Temple game, Hines was hosted by redshirt sophomore linebacker Koa Farmer, but he also spent a lot of time with freshman defensive end Shane Simmons. In fact, Hines and Simmons have a friendship that dates back a few years. "He hung out with Koa and Shane for a while. Anthony actually played on Team USA with Shane a year or two ago, so he enjoyed getting a chance to hang out with Shane and all of the players. I know he enjoyed that. That was pretty cool for him." Hines has now taken two official visits this season, the first of which was to Texas A&M. It's unclear where he plans to visit next, but he still plans to make a decision before the end of November. 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 8 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 14 Lions make good impression on four-star linebacker 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 HINES

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