Blue White Illustrated

"It's just a very balanced place," Humphries said. "When I was looking at all these schools, Penn State's com- bination of academics, plus the foot- ball team, was just too good to pass up. That was the 7rst thing I was looking for on my checklist. I wanted to 7nd the best school I could aca- demically that also o8ered me a chance to play for a great team. "But also, their coaches are great. They're all very good people. When I talk with them, no matter who it is, I feel a good connection with them. It never feels like I'm talking to a coach. I also just really like the town. When I went out and checked out all of these other schools, it was hard to 7nd a town that compared to State College. It's not a very big town, but State Col- lege o8ers so much." This past season, Humphries led Sachse to an 11-1 overall record. He recorded 51 tackles, 7ve interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. He also scored on an inter- ception and a fumble recovery. So, who could be next for the Lions? As of mid-January, it was believed that the sta8 had one, possibly two scholarships remaining for the 2017 class. James Franklin and his assistant coaches were prioritizing four-star defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields, who took his o9cial visit to campus on the weekend of Jan. 13-15. Castro- Fields was expected to make his deci- sion on Jan. 23. Alabama and Maryland were the other two schools in his top three. There are also a handful of prospects who were thought to be considering o9cial visits during the 7nal weekend of January. The sta8 has been in contact with tight end Peyton Hendershot of Lizton, Ind.; wide receiver Mark Webb of Warmin- ster, Pa.; defensive lineman Josh Paschal of Olney, Md.; and linebacker Nathan Proctor of Indian Head, Md. Webb and Hendershot were expected to take o9cial visits that 7nal week- end, but their plans could be im- pacted by Castro-Fields' decision. ■ Four recruits seek head start by enrolling at PSU in January P enn State welcomed four new play- ers to its roster on Jan. 9, as defen- sive back Lamont Wade, o8ensive lineman Mike Miranda, linebacker Brelin Faison-Walden and wide receiver K.J. Hamler o9cially began classes at the start of the spring semester. While all four prospects ranked near the top of the sta8's recruiting board at their respective positions, Wade was the most coveted of the group. A 5-foot-9, 190-pound 7ve-star prospect from Clairton, Pa., he is not only the top- ranked player in Pennsylvania this year but also earned the title as the nation's No. 1 cornerback. He's ranked ninth overall, at any position, making him only the second Penn State recruit since 2002 to earn a top-10 ranking, nation- ally. The other was Derrick Williams in 2005. Because of that, Wade will have some high expectations in the fall. He's al- ready talked openly about contributing during his freshman season, but it's still unclear what position he will play. That won't be worked out until spring prac- tice, but both safety and nickel back are realistic options. We feel that nickel back may be the position he's best suited for, especially if he wants to play cornerback down the road, but the depth chart hints that safety may pres- ent the best opportunity. Either way, we don't see a redshirt coming anytime soon. Hamler, who is rooming with Wade this semester, saw his senior season end before it really started. Following an im- pressive junior campaign at St. Mary's in Orchard Lake, Mich., the 5-9, 165- pound receiver decided in June to join IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. But he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a preseason game, forcing him to sit out the season. Since then, Hamler hasn't discussed his rehabilitation with the media, so it's unclear how much he'll be able to con- tribute, or if he can contribute at all, once spring practice begins in March. We do expect him to be on the 7eld come August, but with players like DeAndre Thompkins and Brandon Polk ahead of him, a redshirt season makes sense. There's no reason to rush Hamler back with two proven players ahead of him. O8ensive line coach Matt Limegrover will have another young, talented inte- rior lineman to mold this spring in Mi- randa. At 6-3, 295 pounds, the Stow, Ohio, native could play o8ensive guard later in his career, but he's expected to work out at the center position this spring. The easy pick here would be for Mi- randa to redshirt, but as Limegrover and o8ensive coordinator Joe Moorhead proved this past season with Connor McGovern, they're not afraid to throw freshmen into the mix if they prove they're ready to contribute. With Brian Gaia leaving, the center spot will be wide open this fall, so don't be surprised if Miranda contributes earlier than ex- pected. At the very least, he has an ex- cellent shot at seeing his name appear somewhere on the two-deep. Miranda will room with Faison- Walden this semester. A four-star line- backer from Grimsley High in Greensboro, N.C., Faison-Walden committed to Penn State in July, but he went on to take official visits to Michi- gan, North Carolina State, Georgia and Virginia Tech before deciding to stick with the Nittany Lions. At 6-1, 200 pounds, Faison-Walden is expected to

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