Blue White Illustrated

I f there's a catchphrase that Penn State fans associate with James Franklin, it's the one he uttered on his 1rst day as the Nittany Lions' head coach: Dominate the state. Franklin didn't mince words when he sat in front of the media that day in January 2014. He knew the message he was sending, and in every one of his re- cruiting classes, he has followed through on his pledge to land many of Pennsylva- nia's best high school prospects. But there are 49 other states, and it's also become clear during the past three years that Franklin is trying to take the program to a new level, a national level. As part of that e2ort, he and his sta2 have ventured into the Southeast, pulling in Grant Haley, Torrence Brown and Chris- tian Campbell, among others. The latest prospect from that region to sign with the Lions is cornerback D.J. Brown. Brown, who hails from Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga., said he didn't follow Penn State when he was younger. "Growing up in the South, it was always Georgia, Alabama, Florida. I was follow- ing Tim Tebow and Cam [Newton]," he said. "The 1rst time I really heard about Penn State was the scandal. Honestly, when Coach [Terry] Smith came to the school to recruit me, I didn't think twice about it. Penn State was far from a dream school or anything like that." As time went on, Smith became a key factor in Brown's recruitment, just as he had with the team's other Georgia play- ers. Smith, who recruits the Atlanta area for Penn State, built a strong relationship with Brown before most other Power Five programs o2ered. More important, he also showed Brown's family that he was committed to being much more than just another football coach. "He was the 1rst thing that really stood out to me," Brown said. "Without Coach Smith, I don't know if I would have ever even visited Penn State. He made it clear to me and my family that he was always going to look a4er me and take care of me, and that meant a lot to my family." But like so many prospects who end their recruitment early – Brown commit- ted April 25, three days a4er visiting for the 2016 Blue-White Game – the 5-foot- 10, 175-pound cornerback considered a few other programs that made a major push a4er his announcement, notably Colorado, California and Mississippi State. However, a4er considering o3cial visits to all three schools, as well as oth- ers, he decided to not explore those op- tions. "It had nothing to do with Penn State or anything like that," Brown said. "It was mainly just because I committed so early and then I had a lot of other schools, schools that I wasn't really talking to be- Penn State assistant plays pivotal role in Brown's choice | CLICK HERE to see video of Brown in action. THE BROWN FILE STATS Finished his career with 136 tackles, 27 pass break-ups, 17 inter- ceptions and four forced fumbles... Was a four-year letterman at Creek- side High... Helped Creekside claim regional championships during his sophomore and junior seasons... Let- tered twice in track and field HONORS Named a three-star re- cruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 58 player in Georgia and No. 56 cornerback nation- ally... Named All- Region his last three seasons... Chosen to play for the U.S. U19 National Team in the North American Championship game Rivals.com o2enses were planning on how to run away from him. He really learned to use his hands and became violent with his hands, and his pursuit to the football im- proved tremendously. … It was just pretty hard to [block] him." With both of last season's starters mov- ing on, Penn State has two vacancies at defensive end. Gross-Matos wasn't promised anything, but with the Nittany Lions o4en rotating six or more players throughout a game, it's possible that he could play a signi1cant role as a true freshman. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer made that clear throughout his recruit- ment. "He plays a lot of guys on that defensive line," Gross-Matos said. "He made it a point when he was recruiting me that he wasn't recruiting me to wait it out a year. He wanted me to come in with the mind- set that I should be able to compete." As his Penn State career approaches, Gross-Matos is taking that advice to heart, and he intends to maintain his steadfast approach with or without his favorite jersey number. "I don't know if I'll be able to get the number that I wish for," he said. "It's not looking like it." No. 55 is already taken by defensive tackle Antonio Shelton, and No. 5, which is open a4er the graduation of Nyeem Wartman-White, will be selected based on seniority. ■ SEE BROWN PAGE 54

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