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August, the 8rst of whom was four-star o9ensive guard Juice Scruggs. Despite living in Ashtabula, Ohio, Scruggs plays his high school ball at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pa. During the past year, the 6-3, 270-pound interior lineman earned more than a dozen scholarship of- fers. LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina and Pitt all extended of- fers, but this race was always between two schools: Penn State and Ohio State. "I picked Penn State because every time I went to Happy Valley, it felt like home," Scruggs said. "The coaches treated me like family. They kept it real with me and didn't sugarcoat things to get their point across. Also, the other commits in the 2018 class were reaching out to me. That was a big deal to me. I felt comfortable." The Lions then added two defensive tackles the following week in Owings Mills, Md., native P.J. Mustipher and Cincinnati native Aeneas Hawkins. Mustipher announced his commitment on Aug. 7. A four-star prospect from the McDonogh School, he is the younger brother of Notre Dame o9ensive lineman Sam Mustipher. Just like his older sibling, P.J. was one of Maryland's most coveted prospects, earning 16 scholarship o9ers. Penn State, Alabama, Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Tennessee and Virginia Tech ultimately emerged as his top schools. Mustipher earned an o9er from Franklin and his sta9 back in March 2015. He took a half-dozen visits to Penn State, three of which have been in the past four months. His most recent trip was for the Lasch Bash, but Mustipher also partici- pated in Penn State's Whiteout Camp the night before. A member of the Rivals250, Mustipher became the 16th four-star prospect to verbally commit to Penn State's Class of 2018. That's the most that the Nittany Lions have recruited in a single class, sur- passing their Class of 2006, which saw Joe Paterno and his sta9 sign 14 four-star prospects and one 8ve-star prospect. As of mid-August, that number stood at 17 four-star prospects, as Hawkins an- nounced his commitment on Aug. 10, just a few days a:er Mustipher. A 6-3, 260-pound defensive tackle from Moeller High School, Hawkins is the son of former NFL defensive back Artrell Hawkins. He had earned more than 40 scholarship o9ers beginning in his soph- omore season and ultimately narrowed his list to Penn State, Alabama, Cincin- nati, Ohio State and USC. When it came time to make a decision, he chose be- tween the Nittany Lions and Bearcats. "I've liked Penn State ever since I took that 8rst visit there," Hawkins said. "They surprised me ever since I took that [8rst] visit there [in July 2016]. I didn't think they would become a school that I would be this big on, but their coaching sta9 has done a phenomenal job recruit- ing me. The 8rst time, it almost felt fake when it comes to how hands-on they are with all of their guys and how important it is for them to build a relationship. Since then, I've gone on to visit [Penn State] a few more times and nothing has changed at all. They really do a great job at making you feel welcomed, making you feel like you're family. "Then, when you talk to the players there, they all say the same thing. I've gotten to know Antonio Shelton, who's another Ohio guy. He's talked to me a few times about how that relationship and that bond doesn't change at all when you're on campus. So that's important to me. Obviously, they're a big-time football program, but I know they also really like what I can bring to their defense because I'm an athletic three-technique [defen- sive tackle]. I think I 8t their scheme re- ally well, too, so there's a lot to like. I didn't even mention the excitement around their Class of 2018 right now. They're one of the best in the country and that's not going to change anytime soon." Following Hawkins' commitment, Penn State moved back to No. 1 in the Rivals.com 2018 team rankings, edging out Miami and Ohio State. With only two scholarships re- maining, it's unlikely that the Nittany Lions will 8nish with the No. 1 class in the nation, but they're on pace to rank some- where in the top 8ve. If they do, it will be the team's best 8nish since Rivals.com began issuing its rankings in 2002. Penn State's best class to date was the Class of 2006, which 8nished sixth nationally. ■ Lions' list grows shorter as class nears completion E xpectations on the recruiting trail have been high ever since James Franklin took over the Penn State program nearly four years ago, but a:er last year's Big Ten champi- onship, Nittany Lion fans were eye- ing big things in the Class of 2018. Now, with only days remaining until the start of the 2017 season, it's safe to say that Franklin and his sta9 have delivered on those hopes. Following a very impressive 8ve- week stretch in July and August dur- ing which the sta9 added 10 new players to the class, including seven four-star prospects, the Nittany Lions had 23 verbal commitments. With 17 four-star players in that group, the most in school history, Penn State found itself atop the Ri- vals.com team rankings as of mid- August, edging out Miami and Ohio State, which sat at second and third, respectively. But with the class all but 8nished – Penn State isn't expected to take more than 25 players in 2018 due to the 85-scholarship limit – the sta9 may be forced to make some tough decisions with just two scholarships remaining. As of this writing, there were 8ve players who we believe are the most realistic options to 8nish o9 the class. Because all of them rank near the top of the sta9's board at their respective positions, it will most SEE CLASS PAGE 66

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