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Size, speed help Hansard develop into elite prospect I ncoming Penn State football recruit Fred Hansard began his athletic career as a soccer player. Try to imagine Hansard, who now stands 6-foot-4, 307 pounds, clearing his own path. "I was always the biggest kid and was pretty fast and I think it helped me in playing football," he said. Hansard didn't begin playing football until he entered the sixth grade. It was the end of his soccer career, but the start of a pretty good one in his second sport. As was the case when he was playing soccer, he was one of the biggest players on the 6eld, but he was also surprisingly fast. That combination of quickness and strength eventually turned Hansard into a four-star prospect at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J. "There aren't too many guys in the country who can do athletically what he does at his size," said Hun School coach Todd Smith. "He's a 310-pound kid who has run a sub-5.0 [40-yard time]." Showing tremendous versatility, Hansard has the ability to play any- where on the defensive line. At The Hun School, he did just that. He could be found at nose tackle in a 3-4 defense and he also lined up as a defensive end when the team went to a 4-3. "Playing all along the defensive line really helped me," Hansard said. "It's much di7erent playing defensive end than nose guard, but I feel I can con- tribute anywhere Penn State needs me." Hansard was also a three-year starter on the o7ensive line, seeing action at le9 tackle, but he was recruited by Penn State and others to play defense. His disruptive potential, both as a pass rusher and as a run stopper, was entic- ing to the many schools that pursued him. Hansard, who lives in Burlington, N.J., attended Camden Catholic High in Cherry Hill his 6rst two seasons. He then spent three years at The Hun School, which is allowed to use four postgraduate students per year. Handsard didn't have much of a repu- tation among recruiters before he got to The Hun School, but once he estab- lished himself, that all changed. Said Smith, "He went from zero o7ers to 35 o7ers in about a month." In the summer of 2016, entering his 6nal season, Hansard made a verbal commitment to the University of Florida. He decommitted in late No- vember a9er taking an o8cial visit to Penn State, where he attended the Nit- tany Lions' regular-season 6nale, a 45- 12 victory over Michigan State. | THE HANSARD FILE STATS Was a three-year letterman and two-time captain at The Hun School... Finished his senior season with 59 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles HONORS Named a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 2 player in New Jersey and No. 137 player nationally... Was a first-team USA Today All-State choice... Was NJ.com's All-Prep A Defensive Player of the Year Rivals.com He recorded 17 sacks that year, while 22 of his 32 total tackles went for a loss. He also batted down three passes and earned All- State honors for the 6rst time in his career. He performed so well that once he became a senior, Van Acker decided that nose guard would remain his primary position. Based on the opponent, the coaches would move Franklin around to di7erent positions, exploiting the most favorable matchup. They did the same on o7ense, too, with Franklin seeing time at receiver, running back and quarterback and scoring at least one touchdown from each spot. He was a formidable prospect on of- fense; Kansas even recruited him as a re- ceiver. But it was on defense where he shined brightest, and not just because of his athletic advantages. As he played more positions, he developed a deeper under- standing of the defense and became the eyes and ears of the coaches on the 6eld. "We would have basically a chemistry of where I needed to be," Franklin said. "I would tell them what I was feeling and what was going on on the 6eld. I would communicate to them: 'This is what I'm seeing. This is what they're running to an extent. This is what the o7ensive line is doing.' And they would move me place to place so [the opponent] couldn't get to me and so I could stop the o7ense." As a senior, Franklin was once again named All-State, tallying 42 tackles, 29 of which went for losses. He also had eight sacks, two blocked kicks and four forced fumbles. Recruited to PSU by defensive coordi- nator Brent Pry and Sean Spencer, Franklin is hoping to continue that type of production in college. "I have good instincts, I have sacri6ced my body for the ball and to make tackles," he said. "I play sideline to sideline and I can cover." Measuring 6-foot-1 and weighing 205 pounds as of late April, Franklin is set to begin his career as a linebacker. Which linebacker spot, however, remains to be seen. Throughout his recruitment, Pry compared Franklin to recently graduated linebacker Brandon Bell, and it's possible that he will see time at both Sam and Will before, 6nally, settling into a spot. ■

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