Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
P L A Y E R B I O S Nittany Lion defensive backs coach Terry Smith in atten- dance, Wade put on a show. He racked up 128 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and that wasn't even the most eye- opening aspect of his performance. He also intercepted four passes, leading Clairton to a 46-14 victory. Shortly a?er he and his family got home that evening, Wade was on the phone with both Smith and Franklin, listening as the two coaches extended a scholarship o=er from Penn State. Wade had another special performance this past October, as Clairton hosted local powerhouse Aliquippa for the ;rst time in 84 years. The game was a marquee event for two teams that had combined to win 28 WPIAL championships. A?er Clairton surrendered a ;rst-quarter touchdown, Wade took control, rushing for touchdowns of 46, 60, 70 and 73 yards. He ;nished with 259 yards rushing and added two passing touchdowns and an interception on de- fense, as the Bears romped to a 52-16 victory. His per- formance cemented his place among the best in Clairton history. "It's tough to explain to those outside our commu- nity how much that game meant to everyone in Clair- ton," said Carlton Wade, Lamont's father. "Aliquippa is a bigger school and they have a long history of producing great players. We're just a small Class A school, so for them to beat another great school in Aliquippa the way they did that night, it was one of the biggest wins in school history. "To see Lamont play the way he did, we were all so proud of him. That's something that will be talked about in our community for years." By the time his high school ca- reer was over, Wade had earned 34 scholarship o=ers. Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State and Oklahoma were just a handful of the schools that pursued him, but it was also becoming clear that Penn State's coaches had put them- selves in an excellent position by the time his junior season was ;nished. However, Wade was never in a rush to make a verbal commitment, as he wanted to make sure that he never wavered once he gave his word. "We always thought that once he makes a commitment, that's it," Carlton Wade said. "He was never going to be one of those guys who makes a commitment then visits other schools. That's not how this should work. When you give someone your word, you need to stand by that. It shows everyone the kind of person you are. "At Penn State, we always loved their coaching sta= and their academics. We always knew that they were on the rise, but he wanted to make sure that they took a step in the right direction on the ;eld this season, especially considering that they had two new coordinators. As everyone knows, they ex- ceeded everyone's expectations." Wade took his o>cial visit to University Park on the week- end of Nov. 5-6 for the game against Iowa. He also took o>- cial visits to Tennessee (Oct. 15-16), West Virginia (Dec. 2-3) and UCLA (Dec. 10-11). A week a?er his ;nal visit, he was once again in the spotlight, as he announced in front of hun- dreds of friends and family members that he had chosen Penn State and would be taking classes in January as an early enrollee. An Under Armour All-American, Wade helped Clairton go 52-5 during his career. He ;nished with 8,712 yards of total o=ense and scored 121 touch- downs. He was ;rst-team All-State his sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as the Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania in 2016. While those stats would make any parent proud, Wade's family is even more grati;ed by his success o= the ;eld. He was an honor roll stu- dent in nearly every semester throughout his three-and- a-half years at Clairton, and he showed leader- ship both on the ;eld and in his community. "I'm extremely proud of everything he's done these past few years," Carlton Wade said. "The kid is a very smart young man. If he really wants something, he always goes out and gets it, regardless of what's in his way. I'm very proud of him. He's worked very hard to be able to enroll early, which is a major ac- complishment within itself. That's going to allow him to grasp some schemes and concepts before the rest of the class gets there. That should put him on the ;eld sooner, so I can't say enough about how proud I am of him. Even if he's not able to play a?er col- lege, I know he's going to get an excellent de- gree and be successful in whatever he ends up doing. That alone is a blessing." ■ Rivals.com LAMONT WADE