Penn State Sports Magazine
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have had much of a presence previously. "Where I probably notice it the most right now is nationally," Franklin said. "I think it's helped us a little bit regionally, but I think where it's probably had the biggest impact is nationally. Guys who are top players in Texas, guys who are top players in Florida, guys who are top players all over the country that we've reached out to, we are pretty quickly getting into their top 10s. That doesn't always mean you're going to get them, but there are more players nationally who are high-pro6le players who I think we're involved with than [has been the case] probably for a long time." Franklin added that Penn State's ele- vated national pro6le is going to allow the coaching sta7 to be more discrimi- nating in its evaluations. "It's going to put us in some tough sit- uations where we're going to have to make some tough decisions at the end of the process," he said. "We may be turn- ing down really good players, which I think is the position you want to be in." Oh, it's de6nitely the position you want to be in. Then again, I'm not the one who has to tell these families the bad news. That's why they're paid the big bucks and I'm here writing about it. At that same event, Franklin was also asked if his sta7's approach has changed at all recently. He said that it hadn't, noting that the biggest change has been the attention that Penn State has re- ceived in recent months. "There are just more people who have watched us play and have gotten to know us," he said. "And I would say they're probably in areas that we haven't re- cruited as much before. From our time in the SEC [while coaching at Vanderbilt], those contacts have really been pretty good since we've been here. But areas like Texas that we haven't been involved in heavily, I think that's where I've seen the biggest di7erence recently." As most readers already know, Franklin and his assistants will leave no stone un- turned. Since arriving in Happy Valley, they've proven what hard work and a team e7ort can accomplish on the re- cruiting trail, even a8er seasons that didn't produce the number of wins that most were hoping for. Now, following all of last year's suc- cess, Penn State 6nds itself back in the top-10 discussion. If the Lions are able to live up to those expectations, don't be surprised if they're consistently in the top 10 of another ranking every Febru- ary. That's only becoming more attain- able as the nation's best prospects begin to show serious interest in wearing the blue and white. ■ At least three recruits planning to enroll in January P enn State's Class of 2018 is far from complete, and even for those who have already committed, there's still another a decision to be made. Three prospects in the Nittany Lions' class appear to be on pace to graduate early from high school, which would give them the option of en- rolling early at Penn State. In February, linebacker Jesse Luketa of Mercyhurst Prep in Erie, Pa., announced shortly a8er his commitment that he planned to graduate early, and two other prospects – four-star tight end Zack Kuntz of Camp Hill, Pa., and three-star safety Isaiah Humphries of Sachse, Texas – revealed in May that they, too, intend to begin their Penn State careers in January. "I've always had it in the back of my mind to graduate early, mainly because I've seen friends of my brothers do it in the past and it worked out great for them," Kuntz said. "I've taken extra credits each year so I could put myself in a position where I could enroll early if I wanted to. "Since I committed, I've spoken to the coaching sta7 about the possibility of early enrollment, but it's something I talked about month a8er month with my family. We felt it would bene6t me to fol- low through and go early." Humphries has a similar view. He said he began taking high school classes when he was in middle school. About a year ago, he began planning an early graduation in the hope of enrolling in college in January. "I feel like if I go there early, I'll be able learn the defense, get my body right and get classes out of the way," he said. "Dur- ing the season then, things won't be as cluttered for me as they will be for the guys who are just coming in. Plus, if I go early, I'll be able to get my degree faster." Like Kuntz and Humphries, Luketa said his decision to enroll early was motivated by a desire to ease the academic transition from high school to college. But while his classwork was the focus, he also sees the move bene6ting his game on the 6eld. "I feel like it'll be a huge factor for my development because I get to jump-start my transition from the high school level to the collegiate level," Luketa said. "Not only will it be easier for me to adjust to all the schoolwork in the o7-season, but I'll also begin working with the team in the weight room. That will help me get an understanding of what to expect come camp. "It will also allow me to soak in infor- mation from veterans like [Jason] Cabinda and [Manny] Bowen. Of course, I get to spend a lot of quality time with Coach [Brent] Pry, too." By the time December's signing period arrives, Luketa, Kuntz and Humphries will likely be joined by one or two other prospects in Penn State's class. While the majority of the team's verbally committed players have already con6rmed that they won't enroll early, future linebacker/de- fensive end Nick Tarburton said last month that he's planning a January ar- rival in University Park. "I'm getting it 6- nalized right now," he said. "We sent it in to the NCAA last week." The Lions are expected to sign close to 25 players in the Class of 2018. Early en- rollees can only be backdated to previous classes if the current class (2018) goes over the limit of 25 scholarships. For now, that appears to be unlikely. –R.S.