Blue White Illustrated

THE LATEST Almost all of our col- leagues were saying that the Buckeyes were the team to beat, and that may yet turn out to be the case. But Smith has been showing a lot of interest in the Lions lately, and if anyone is going to knock o3 Ohio State, it's them. Follow- ing trips to both University Park and Columbus this past summer, he has now set all 2ve of his o4cial visits. Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State and Southern Cal will all host Smith before the end of Oc- tober. He'll be in Beaver Stadium when the Nittany Lions play host to Michigan on Oct. 21 for an uno4cial visit, and he is planning to return to campus in De- cember for an o4cial visit. It's also ex- pected that he will head west over Thanksgiving weekend to take an o4cial visit to Oregon. Regardless of where he stands a5er those trips, Smith isn't ex- pected to decide until Jan. 1, as he's slated to make his announcement at the Under Armour All-America Game. Houston Grith ★★★★ Saf., 6-1, 192 Bradenton, Fla. IMG Academy SCHOOLS Penn State, Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio State THE LATEST Gri4th has only taken one visit to Penn State – it was in March – but he told Rivals.com at IMG Academy's media day in early August that the Lions were on his short list. Gri4th also said that he would like to take an o4cial visit to Penn State for the game against Michigan. However, with the sta3 now focused on Rasheed Walker and a hand- ful of defensive linemen, it's unclear if he'll still visit PSU this season. The sta3 will continue to stay in touch, but defen- sive backs aren't a priority now that only two scholarships remain. A member of the Rivals100, Gri4th is ranked No. 47 overall. He's the sixth-ranked safety and 12th-ranked prospect in Florida. Kwantel Raines ★★★★ Saf., 6-2, 200 Aliquippa, Pa. Aliquippa SCHOOLS Penn State, Florida, Ken- tucky, Pitt, West Virginia THE LATEST As is the case with Grif- fith, Penn State will continue to con- tact Raines, but we're under the impression that he can't make a com- mitment at the moment. There's been some speculation recently that he's not as high on Pitt as was previously thought, but Raines hasn't said that himself, so until he updates his status, we still believe the Panthers are the team to beat. Penn State hosted Raines for its game against Pitt, and we wouldn't be surprised if he visits again later this season. But Franklin and his staff are going to have to miss out on a few prospects before Raines can make a commitment. ■ FANTASTIC CUISINE EXCEP TIONAL ATMOSPHERE Colleg W ve Av . College & Cato carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 Corner of C Corner of Cricklewood Dr. and Toftrees Ave. carnegieinnandspa.com | 814.234.2424 . Colleg W. College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com ve Av . College & Cato 814.861.3463 gigisdining.com

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