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top four originally was because I hadn't visited," Butler said. "I always wanted to give them an opportunity and I'm really happy I did. I would say that they're de4- nitely in my top 4ve now. I see a lot of up- side in Penn State. They also have a lot of tradition, both athletically and academi- cally. "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 re- ally happy I took the visit." Butler has taken one o6cial visit to Duke so far this season and he also took an uno6cial visit to South Carolina on Oct. 1. He's planning to use all of his o6- cial visits before setting a commitment date. And Butler wasn't the only defensive tackle whom the Nittany Lions hosted for an o6cial visit in the 4rst half of the sea- son. Ben Hutch of Nashville, Tenn., made the trip Oct. 8-9 for the Lions' game against Maryland. As with Hines and Butler, Hutch's visit was his 4rst taste of what life is like in Happy Valley. He made it clear that he was impressed with what he saw. "A7er this visit, I feel like they moved toward the top of my list," he said. "Texas A&M and Louisville have been very high on my list for a long time, but Penn State is de4nitely up there in my top three now. I still have to take more visits though. I'm still trying to 4gure that all out. I probably won't be able to 4nish all of my visits until December, so it's looking like I won't be able to make a decision until the end of December or early in January. It'll proba- bly end up being early in January." The Nittany Lions also received some bad news during the past month, as the sta5 lost one of its committed players on Oct. 3 when safety Derrek Pitts of Charleston, W.Va., announced via Twit- ter that he was opening up his recruit- ment. Pitts' commitment had been a major surprise to nearly everyone who follows Penn State recruiting, as he was expected to ver- bally commit to West Virginia when he announced his original decision in July. Franklin and his assis- tants are still pursuing Pitts, but we ex- pect him to end up in Morgantown when it's all said and done. Meanwhile, Penn State's game against Ohio State was set to be a key event when it comes to recruiting. As in previous years, Franklin and his coaching sta5 were expected to host many of the mid- Atlantic's top prospects, but the most no- table player who con4rmed during the team's o5-week is from outside the re- gion: wide receiver Henry Ruggs of Montgomery, Ala. Ruggs made his 4rst trip to Penn State in July for the Lasch Bash barbecue. Since the summer, he's hinted to reporters that Alabama is the team to beat, but the fact that he's taking an o6cial visit to Penn State is a positive sign. Florida, Florida State and Auburn are three other programs that will likely receive o6cial visits before he decides a7er the season. The Class of 2018 was also well-repre- sented that weekend. Two key players who were expected to make the trip were defensive back Kwantel Raines of Aliquippa, Pa., and running back Ricky Slade of Woodbridge, Va. Both Raines and Slade have taken multiple visits to State College dating back to last season, and they've also hinted that the Nittany Lions currently sit near the top of their respec- tive lists. ■ RECENT VISITOR Hutch was on campus for the Maryland game and liked what he saw. "I feel like they moved toward the top of my list," he said of the Lions. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com

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