Blue White Illustrated

Jon Lovett SCHOOLS Penn State, Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers THE LATEST Lovett, a running back and defensive back from Marlton, N.J., re- ceived an o8er from Penn State on Oct. 24, two days a:er he visited for the game against Ohio State. A few weeks later, he backed out of his commitment to Rutgers. Since then, he has taken an o9cial visit to Iowa for the Hawkeyes' game against Michigan and also checked out Maryland and Rutgers. His o9cial visit to Penn State will likely take place in January, which is what the PSU sta8 always pre- ferred. Lovett is in no rush to make a de- cision. As long as a few scholarships open up a:er the bowl game, we think there's a good chance he could be part of this class. Penn State really likes the progression he's made this season. Danny Davis SCHOOLS Top 7ve: Penn State, Ken- tucky, Oregon, West Virginia, Wisconsin THE LATEST Davis announced in No- vember that Penn State was one of his top 7ve schools. Since then, the Spring7eld, Ohio, resident has taken o9cial visits to Oregon, Wisconsin and Kentucky, so we'll be watching him closely in January for an o9cial visit to Penn State. With three solid receivers now part of this class following Kahlee Hamler's commitment in December, we don't believe that it's es- sential that the Lions sign a fourth in 2017. However, we expect a few scholar- ships to come open in January, so Davis is someone to keep an eye on, especially if the sta8 misses out on a few other prospects at di8erent positions. Franklin and his assistants would prefer to 7nish the class with players they really like, rather than rolling the dice on lesser prospects at positions of greater need. Jaylen Harris SCHOOLS Top 7ve: Penn State, Ala- bama, Ohio State, Michigan State, Ten- nessee THE LATEST Harris took an o9cial visit to Penn State on the weekend of Oct. 22- 23 for the Ohio State game. He was hosted by Anthony Johnson, a freshman defen- sive back and former high school team- mate at Cleveland Heights (Ohio) High. The two have actually been communicat- ing regularly over the past year, so that could prove to be important down the stretch. We know that Harris is planning to take o9cial visits to Ohio State, Ten- nessee and Alabama in January. Last summer it looked as though the Buckeyes had cooled on Harris, but following a few decommitments, Urban Meyer and his sta8 intensi7ed their e8orts. Because of that, we believe he will most likely end up in Columbus, but the Lions' success this season has put them in the mix here. Jordan Anthony SCHOOLS Top 7ve: Penn State, Clem- son, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma THE LATEST Anthony had a few oppor- tunities to take an o9cial visit to Penn State this season, but that trip never ma- terialized. We know that Michigan was the recipient of his 7rst o9cial visit, as he traveled to Ann Arbor in October. But he waited until the 7rst week of December to take his second, which was to Oklahoma. Additional visits in January are possible for the senior from IMG Academy in Florida, but it does appear as though Michigan and Oklahoma have a substan- tial edge on the rest of the 7eld. We'll keep an eye on Anthony in January, but if Penn State does end up adding a line- backer, Nathan Proctor appears to be the more realistic option. Nathan Proctor SCHOOLS Top four: Penn State, Missis- sippi, Pitt, Virginia Tech THE LATEST Proctor, of Indian Head, Md., is set to take his o9cial visit to Penn State Jan. 20-21, which is the same week- end that the sta8 will host all of its com- mitted players. He set that visit before scheduling any others because that's the weekend that the sta8 always preferred that he visit. That's a positive sign for the Nittany Lions. So far, Proctor has taken one o9cial visit, to Virginia Tech in the second week of December, with trips to Pitt (Jan. 13-15) and Mississippi (Jan. 27- 29) remaining. We still believe that Proc- tor's recruitment will go down to the wire, but PSU's results on the 7eld have helped. He's told us a few times in the past two months that he's been very impressed with Penn State this season. The odds of the sta8 adding another linebacker to the upcoming class are probably contingent on whether there's some attrition in the current roster. If the Lions lose a player or two a:er the season, there's a real chance Proctor could be a Nittany Lion. Tariq Castro-Fields SCHOOLS Top three: Penn State, Ala- bama, Maryland THE LATEST Castro-Fields had been planning to take his o9cial visit to Penn State on the weekend of Dec. 2-3, but the Lions were in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game, so that trip will now likely take place in January. A resi- dent of Upper Marlboro, Md., he has al- ready taken his o9cial visits to Alabama and Maryland. With just a few scholar- ships remaining, we believe that Franklin and his assistants are focused on Wade and Kaindoh. Once the sta8 knows how many scholarships it will be able to o8er, we'll have a better feel for whether Cas- tro-Fields is in the mix. For now, we be- lieve that Maryland should be considered the favorite. We've been given the im- pression that he isn't the 7rst option for either Penn State or Alabama. Lamont Wade SCHOOLS Top 7ve: Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee, UCLA, West Virginia THE LATEST As of this writing, Wade was set to make his decision Dec. 17. He has taken four official visits, checking out Penn State and Tennessee during the season, then heading to UCLA and West Virginia in early December. We also know that Penn State assistant coach Terry Smith paid a visit to Wade at the family's home in Clairton, Pa., in the A T H L E T E W I D E R E C E I V E R L I N E B A C K E R D E F E N S I V E B A C K

• Cover