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F E B R U A R Y 2 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 8 For the third consecutive recruiting class, Penn State made the offensive line a priority, bringing in four prospects: C.J. Thorpe, Michael Miranda, Robert Martin and Desmond Holmes. James Franklin hit on what he likes from all four during his news conference. On Thorpe: "He's got something that I think most coaches are looking for. It's hard to find. He's an offensive lineman with a nastiness to him. He plays with a really nasty demeanor. He wants to fin- ish it. He wants to be physical. When you can find guys like that, they're really valuable. On Miranda: "Miranda is another one who really, really plays with a nastiness. You watch his highlight tape. There was one game where this one kid, at one point I kind of felt bad for him. I mean, he's just pancaking him over and over and over and over again. When we had a chance to get him early on in the process, and after he committed to us, everyone came back in and offered him." On Holmes: "Des Holmes is a guy who came to camp. Massive human being. ... You're talking about a 6-5, 320-pound kid with really light feet. He hadn't really showed it to that point on film yet. But I think after camp, we felt really comfortable offering him. His senior year I thought was really good. We talked to him about finishing people, playing with a toughness. I thought he really showed that his sen- ior year." On Martin: "Rob is blue-collar, hard- nosed. His high school coach played in the NFL. Great high school program. He's a swing guy who can play multiple positions. I'm really excited about Robert because he doesn't have a hair on his face. [He] looks like he's about 14 years old. He's about 275 pounds right now. He has so much room for growth." A year ago, the staff landed three four-star offensive linemen. This year's class has only one four-star player in Thorpe, but don't let the rankings fool you. It's another excellent crop of big men. Of the four signees, Thorpe and Miranda are the most likely to con- tribute early in their careers, but both Holmes and Martin have extremely high ceilings. Don't be surprised if all four of these young men are contributing in a few years. Brooks is key signee On the surface, it looked as though Penn State pulled off a miracle when it landed four-star linebacker Ellis Brooks just a week after Dylan Rivers decommitted. However, as Franklin explained, the staff had been in con- tact with Brooks and his family for months leading up to signing day. The reason Penn State hadn't extended an offer was because of previous commit- ments. Penn State's pursuit of Brooks "prob- ably wasn't as quick as people think," Franklin said. "We've been in steady contact with Ellis for a long time. He was very active in hitting me up on Twitter, direct message. I did the same thing, [as did] Coach [Brent] Pry. A lot of people say, 'How come you didn't keep offering guys?' We don't nor- mally do that. We don't offer a lot of players. "Then once we get commitments and people tell us they're coming, why are you going to keep offering other play- ers if you can't take their commit- ment? Maybe we're a little old school like that, but that's what we're com- fortable doing. That's how we would want to be treated. As parents, that's how we would want to be treated as prospects." With the addition of Brooks, Penn State now has a true box linebacker to go along with Brailyn Franklin and Brelin Faison-Walden, both of whom are ex- pected to play outside at either the Will or Sam position. The Class of 2018 also offers a lot of linebacker talent, so this will be a priority again next year. But Penn State has added a player to play each of the three linebacker positions in this year's cycle. Looking ahead It's no secret that Penn State is off to an excellent start with the Class of 2018. In addition to five-star defensive end Micah Parsons, the Lions have gotten commitments from four players with four-star ratings and two who have re- ceived three stars from Rivals.com. If they are able to build on their fast start, their Class of 2018 will most likely be one of the best in the nation a year from now. But a lot of questions remain. One big one: Will Penn State be able to offer 25 scholarships? And maybe more impor- tant: Will the team's future classes be more balanced now that the impact of the NCAA sanctions has abated? "I don't think we'll get all the way to 25, but I think we can get close," said Andy Frank, Penn State's director of player personnel. "We're very fortunate right now. We're pretty close to bal- anced across the board. I think you're going to see even numbers. I don't think you're going to see one position that re- ally jumps out at you as a big number, or see one position that's a small number. It's going to be pretty balanced across the board." Because of the sanctions, the Lions were able to take only 19 prospects in 2012 and 16 the following year. Those shortfalls had a ripple effect that left the team thinner in some areas than in others and dictated the composition of subsequent recruiting classes. As Penn State moves forward, it's important for the staff to get back to balanced num- bers. It was a priority this year, and that will continue to be the case in 2018. PSU continues to bolster offensive line 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 S I G N I N G D A Y N O T E B O O K

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