Blue White Illustrated

P enn State landed its 9rst 2019 commit- ment on Sept. 9, as State College native Keaton Ellis verbally committed to head coach James Franklin following the Nit- tany Lions' 33-14 victory over Pitt. It was no secret that the Lions were the team to beat for the three-star corner- back. Since receiving the o:er in June following an excellent performance at the sta:'s Elite Prospect camp, Ellis has been on campus about a half-dozen times. The 6-foot-0, 160-pounder held only two o:ers, from Bu:alo and Syra- cuse, and had been expected to wait in the hope that other programs would step up their pursuit, but he ultimately de- cided to end his recruitment in Septem- ber. "Penn State checked all the boxes for me," Ellis said via text message. "The fact that my family is so close was huge for me. Penn State is a great school academ- ically as well. The family atmosphere was big, too. I really felt the love from all the coaches. "Obviously, they have elite-level facil- ities, too. The fan base and game day at- mosphere are unmatched. I mean, the list goes on and on. I just felt like... I couldn't find anything better anywhere else." Ellis wasn't the only top 2019 prospect in attendance for the Pitt game. Running back Jordan Houston of Oak- ton, Va., is another prospect who is lean- ing toward the Nittany Lions. Houston earned an o:er from the sta: in June 2016 following an excellent performance at one of their Elite Prospect camps. He then su:ered a major injury to his 9bula and ankle during his sophomore season but has since rebounded nicely, earning o:ers from Boston College, Tennessee and Vir- ginia Tech following camps this past summer. His visit for the game against Pitt was Houston's third since the spring. Consid- ering that his mother attended Penn State, it appears as though the Nittany Lions should be considered solid fa- vorites, although he continues to say that he has no plans to end his recruitment in the near future. One other elite 2019 prospect who made the trip for the game against Pitt was defensive end Brandon Smith of Mineral, Va. Smith, who plays at Louisa County High, is quickly emerging as one of the mid-Atlantic region's top pass rushers. Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State are just a few of the top schools that have already extended offers, but the Nittany Lions offered before the majority of their competition and they've also built an excellent relation- ship with Smith and his family, which is why we expect them to be serious play- ers with the 6-3, 218-pound Rivals100 prospect. Also on hand for Penn State's noncon- ference season were three potential 2018 recruits. De- fensive ends Micah Parsons and Jayson Oweh attended the Georgia State game, while safety Kwantel Raines watched the victory over Pitt. Parsons, a 9ve-star prospect according to Rivals.com, backed away from a previ- ous verbal commitment to Penn State but is still considering the Nittany Lions, along with Ohio State and Nebraska, among others. Likewise, Oweh has the Buckeyes and Lions high on his list, as well as Notre Dame. Raines has been on Penn State's radar for more than a year now. But with few scholarships remaining in this class and the coaches focused on positions of greater need, it looks as if the sta: would have to miss out on other players for him to ultimately end up signing with the Nit- tany Lions. Two other noteworthy recent visitors were Class of 2019 wide receiver John Metchie and Class of 2020 running back Chris Tyree. Metchie, who's originally from Canada but now plays at Saint James School in Hagerstown, Md., earned an o:er from Franklin following the sta:'s Underclass- men Showcase in July. Since then, he's been regularly speaking with multiple as- sistant coaches. Tyree attended the Georgia State game along with Metchie. Despite the fact that he just started his sophomore season, he holds offers from Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Virginia Tech and West Vir- ginia. Penn State joined the race in June after Tyree attended an Elite Prospect Camp. ■ State College DB is first to join Class of 2019 | TOP PROSPECT Ellis committed to the Lions while visiting for the Pitt game. Photo courtesy of Ellis family

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