Blue White Illustrated

R E C R U I T I N G S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 14 Prospects headed to Penn State for rivalry game Penn State is set for its first big recruiting weekend of the season when Pitt comes to Beaver Stadium for the first time in nearly two decades. With only two scholarships in the Nit- tany Lions' Class of 2018 still unfilled, most of the visitors will be from the Class of 2019. Three notable 2019 prospects have already confirmed their plans to attend, one of whom is State College native Keaton Ellis. Two weeks ago, the three-star corner- back visited Penn State on two occasions. He met with the coaching staff and toured facilities on Thursday, Aug. 24, then re- turned two days later to watch practice. "I really liked the energy at practice," Ellis said. "It was very competitive, but also chill. Everyone was really focused. Specifi- cally, I really liked Coach [Terry] Smith's coaching style. He wasn't out there yelling at guys. He just told them straight up what they did wrong and how to fix it. I liked that." Two of Virginia's top 2019 prospects, de- fensive end Brandon Smith of Mineral and running back Jordan Houston of Oakton, both confirmed that they, too, plan to be in State College this weekend. Over the past six months, Smith has made three unofficial visits to Penn State, the most recent of which was in July for the Lasch Bash barbecue. Now, he and his fam- ily are planning to return for what's ex- pected to be one of many college visits this fall. It will also be his first opportunity to see a game in Beaver Stadium. "I'm very excited to be at my first Penn State game," Smith said. "I'm just looking to see the whole PSU game environment. I've heard the stories and can't wait to see it in person." Smith and his Louisa County teammates started their season on a winning note Aug. 25, defeating Courtland, 41-7. Smith had 15 tackles, including five tackles for loss, in the victory. Houston's Flint Hill team won't begin its season until Friday night, but the three- star running back is off to a great start fol- lowing last season's ankle injury, as he rushed for two touchdowns, including an 80-yard score, in his team's first scrim- mage. He spoke about it with Penn State running backs coach Charles Huff last week. "We have a great relationship," Houston said. "Coach Huff is hilarious. He's always asking about my family and how I'm feel- ing. I also talked to Coach [James] Franklin, too. They were both asking about how my scrimmage went and who we play next, plus things like my weight and health. "It felt good to be able to tell them I feel 100 percent and that I scored two touch- downs in the last scrimmage. It feels good to be back." The Nittany Lion coaching staff is ex- pected to host at least 50 of the region's top prospects, including many of the players who have already committed to Penn State's Class of 2018. Blue White Illustrated will have a much more complete list toward the end of the week at its website, bwi.rivals.com. R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M Smith poses with defensive coordi- nator Brent Pry. The defensive end from Mineral, Va., has made three unofficial visits to Univer- sity Park in the past six months and will be re- turning this weekend to see the Nittany Lions take on Pitt. Photo courtesy of Smith family

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