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verbal scholarship o;ers to 78 prospects in the Class of 2019. In years past, roughly 60 to 70 percent of those early scholarship o;ers went out to prospects in the Mid-Atlantic or Midwest, but that's not the case in 2019, as Penn State has extended just over half (41) of its scholarship o;ers to players from the South or West. The majority of those scholarships have gone out to prospects in three states: Texas (eight), Florida (six) and Georgia (six). While it's still early in the cycle, it appears as if the sta; has gained the most traction with those in Florida and Geor- gia. In Florida, assistant coach Terry Smith has built a strong relationship with cor- nerback Myles Bell of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. The three- star prospect visited University Park in June and has since been speaking with Smith on a weekly basis. Bell was also ex- pected to attend the game against Michi- gan on Oct. 21. "From my :rst visit, I loved everything about the university," he said. "Right now, they stand number one. I don't want to rush anything, so I'm going to take my time with my decision, but right now, they're number one." O;ensive lineman Will Putnam of Plant High School in Tampa has also taken multiple visits. The nation's third-ranked o;ensive guard, Putnam recently at- tended the game against Indiana, making the trip with future Nittany Lion and cur- rent high school teammate Judge Culpep- per. "They are heading in a very good direc- tion and they have a great support sys- tem," Putnam said. Smith has also grabbed the attention of cornerback D.J. Turner of North Gwin- nett in Suwanee, Ga. Current Penn State cornerback Grant Haley has proven that this sta; has an eye for under-the-radar talent in the greater Atlanta area. How- ever, with o;ers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Okla- homa and many others, Turner is now very much on the radar screen. Fortunately for Penn State, the sta; had an eye on the three-star player before most others, earning a visit last season and then again this past summer for the Lasch Bash barbecue. Like Bell, Turner was also expected to be back on campus for the game against Michigan. "The thing I like about Penn State the most is their coaches. They make you feel a part of their family," Turner said. "They've also been honest with me the whole time throughout the recruiting process." The Nittany Lions have also been mak- ing inroads with a few prospects in states they rarely recruit. One of those players is tight end Hudson Henry of Pulaski Acad- W ith Penn State's Class of 2018 about 90 percent complete, James Franklin and his assistants :nd themselves in an excellent position to carry over that suc- cess in next year's class. Through their first four home games, the Nittany Lions have already hosted more than a dozen 2019 prospects who have earned scholar- ship offers from the staff. In addition, the Lions have re- ceived their first commitment in next year's class, as three-star cornerback Keaton Ellis of State College decided to end his recruitment and commit to his hometown school just minutes after the victory against Pittsburgh last month. Ellis wasn't the only notable junior in attendance that day, as Rivals250 de- fensive end Brandon Smith and three- star running back Jordan Houston also were on hand for the Keystone Classic. A native of Mineral, Va., Smith has emerged as one of the top targets – and possibly the top target – for Penn State along the defensive line. Smith's father has consistently informed us that the Nittany Lions are in an excellent posi- tion to not only make his son's top :ve, but also to potentially earn a commit- ment. The same can be said of Houston. After missing out on his sophomore season due to a broken leg and ankle, he is beginning to earn the attention of schools all across the region. Tennessee and Virginia Tech both offered this past summer, joining Penn State and Boston College. Considering that his mother is a Penn State graduate, we ex- pect the Nittany Lions to be serious contenders. Penn State's night game against Geor- gia State saw four notable prospects make the trip: defensive tackles Antonio Alfano and Steven Faucheux, as well as cornerback Cam'Ron Kelly and wide re- ceiver John Metchie. Alfano, who is from Rahway, N.J., has now taken seven unof- :cial visits to Penn State dating back to his freshman year. Faucheux camped at Penn State this summer and earned an o;er that a

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