Blue White Illustrated

I f everything plays out as expected, Penn State's Class of 2017 will go down as one of the team's best in the past two decades. The Nittany Lions ranked 12th in the na- tion according to Rivals.com, their best 5nish under head coach James Franklin. Even if you look past what the class's 24 members accomplished on the 5eld during their high school careers, the group stacks up very well. It features leaders at every position, and one of the best examples is wide receiver Cameron Sullivan-Brown. At 6-foot-0, 180 pounds, Sullivan- Brown made it clear early in his high school career that he had what it took to play with the nation's best. When you add in the fact that the Bowie, Md., native is one of St. Vincent Pallotti's best student- athletes, holding a 3.30 grade-point aver- age, it's easy to understand why he earned more than 30 scholarship o7ers, many from the East Coast's top FBS programs. "I began playing football when I was just 6," Sullivan-Brown said. "Growing up, it was always just something I loved doing, but once I got into high school, that's when I realized that I had the po- tential to play in college. I started on the varsity team as a wide receiver my fresh- man year and I then played both ways my sophomore year. "That always kept me motivated in the classroom. Not only did I want to make sure I was always there for my teammates and coaches, but I also knew that I had to stay on top of my grades if I was going to play another four years." A9er Pallotti won the Maryland Inter- scholastic Athletic Association B Confer- ence championship his sophomore year, Sullivan-Brown began to grab the atten- tion of nearly all of the region's top pro- grams. However, he wasn't able to visit most of those schools until his junior sea- son. The Nittany Lions had been recruit- ing him for almost a year before he was able to check them out for the 5rst time. Sullivan-Brown brings leadership skills to PSU | THE SULLIVAN-BROWN FILE STATS Set school records for most career catches (149) and receiving yards (2,846) ... Career yardage total is the sixth- highest in Maryland high school football history... Was a team captain as a senior, leading St. Vincent Pallotti to a 10-2 record and MIAA B Conference championship HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 10 player in Maryland and No. 68 wide receiver nation- ally... Was a second-team USA Today All-State selection... Was first-team All-Conference his sophomore, junior and senior seasons... Invited to play in the Mary- land Crab Bowl and Big 33 game Rivals.com That turned out to be the only o8cial visit he would make. Hansard said he had been too quick to commit to Florida, adding that Penn State felt like the best 5t. "Penn State was one of the 5rst schools to talk to me and [was] my mom and dad's favorite since the start of recruiting," he said. "I got up there for my o8cial visit and it was everything I was looking for." A9er committing to Penn State, Hansard said other schools still at- tempted to recruit him. "I thought recruiting was over, but there were schools still trying to 5ght for me," he said. "I had to tell them it was over." Hansard will soon be taking summer courses and working out at Penn State. He is going in with the goal of contribut- ing as a freshman this fall. "I know there's a lot of competition," he said, "but I'm hoping to help the team this season." He will major in communications, with an eye toward television. Smith said he believes Hansard will be able to take his game to a higher level once he's enrolled at Penn State. "I'm excited for him to get into a full- 6edged program where they monitor what he's eating, and he'll get to work with a full-time strength and condition- ing coach," Smith said. Hansard is also excited. "I have to work on my technique and hands," he said. "Coach [Sean] Spencer can help make me a better player." As he gets set to begin his Penn State career, Hansard is reaping the bene5ts of all the choices he's made along the way, including the 5rst one: the choice to change his focus to football. "I don't think I would have gone this far if I stayed with soccer," he said, laughing. "I think I made the right decision." ■ CLICK HERE to see video of Hansard in action. CLICK HERE to see video of Sullivan-Brown in action.

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