Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
B y now, Nittany Lion fans are well aware of James Franklin's ability on the re- cruiting trail. Beginning with his 7rst full class in 2015, Penn State has secured 38 commitments from prospects who have earned a four-star ranking or better from Rivals.com. Not only is that the team's best four-year stretch over the past two decades, but that number is incomplete, as the sta8 still has to 7nish o8 the Class of 2018. Expect it to grow in the months to come. But one thing that has sometimes gone overlooked is the sta8's ability to identify talent before its competitors. One of the best examples in the team's most recent class is wide receiver Mac Hippenhammer. A 5-foot-11, 170-pound slot receiver from Fort Wayne, Ind., Hippenhammer didn't come onto the radar screen until June 2016, when he attended one of the sta8's satellite camps in Ohio. Once he was able to show the coaches in person what he could do, it didn't take long for things to get serious. "Before that camp, Coach [Josh] Gattis followed me on Twitter, but we weren't really talking," Hippenhammer said. "I actually reached out to Coach Gattis to start it all. He was saying that he liked my 7lm but wanted to see more from me. "So I attended their satellite camp at Bowling Green. I actually didn't test that well. I could have done better with my 40 time, but once I got the opportunity to show what I could do during one-on- ones, I felt like I killed it. I think that made up for some of my testing times." While he didn't leave with an o8er that day, Hippenhammer knew he'd caught the coaches' attention when most mem- bers of the Nittany Lions' sta8 followed him on Twitter just a few days later. By the end of the week, Hippenhammer had what he called his "7rst real big o8er," but it wouldn't be his last. As was the case with several of Penn State's previous under-the-radar prospects, many of the Nittany Lions' rivals took notice immedi- ately, as Iowa, Michigan State and Indiana all o8ered within a matter of days. About a month later, Hippenhammer visited Penn State for the 7rst time. The sta8's annual Lasch Bash barbecue in July proved to be a perfect opportunity, as it allowed him to get to know not only the coaching sta8, but also the players who had already committed. "Honestly, I thought I was going to be uncomfortable," Hippenhammer said. "I'm used to the Midwest schools, like Michigan State, Indiana and Notre Dame. I thought [Penn State] would be a lot dif- ferent, and it was to some degree, but I loved it. I loved the scenery around cam- pus and really everything I saw. "But maybe most importantly, I really liked all the guys I met. I became close with Sean [Cli8ord] right away. We really connected a:er meeting each other, and I got to know a bunch of the other com- mits, too. Of course, the coaches were also great. I really fell in love with Penn State then." Hippenhammer also checked out Michigan State, Iowa and Wake Forest that summer. While each school had a lot to o8er, Penn State had the complete Hippenhammer stays the course with PSU | mostly As and Bs and reported to have scored a 1230 on his SATs. The progress was enough for head coach James Franklin to formally present the op- portunity for Bolds to join the Nittany Lions. At 4 a.m. on signing day, Franklin passed along a letter of intent. Two hours later, Bolds faxed it back, signed. He had almost committed to Penn State following an o9cial visit for the Iowa game in November. "It was just an amaz- ing time," he said, but his father was un- able to make the trip, so they decided to hold o8 on a decision. He later o9cially visited Rutgers, one of his only remaining suitors, before 7nally signing with PSU at the last minute. Although it was a winding path to his commitment and a welcome relief once it was over – "A weight li:ed o8 my shoul- ders," he called it – Bolds is eager to begin the next step in his journey. "I'm more anxious to make a new name for myself," he said. "Going through high school, you learn from past mistakes and it's all about getting better from them and moving on from them. So going into college I'm making a better name for myself and starting out fresh, and hopefully I'll put myself in position to play on Sundays." ■ THE HIPPENHAMMER FILE STATS Was a four-year letterman and two-time captain at Snider High... Finished his senior season with 1,720 all-pur- pose yards and 18 touchdowns... Posted career totals of 1,788 receiving yards (a school record), 3,744 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns... Earned three letters as a short- stop on Snider's baseball team HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 5 player in Indiana and No. 61 wide receiver nation- ally... Was a first-team Associated Press All-State choice as a senior... Was an Indiana Football Coaches As- sociation Top 50 selection in 2015 and '16 Rivals.com