Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/895642
N O V E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 15 Penn State hosted linebacker Kane Pat- terson of Nashville, Tenn., for his first un- official visit to University Park two weeks ago for the White Out game against Michi- gan. Listed at 6-foot-0, 205 pounds, Patter- son has been on the staff's radar since the spring. James Franklin and his assistants were hoping to see him in person at a satellite camp in June. He was unable to make that date work but has since been speaking with multiple members of the staff. "It all started back in March, because I remember my high school baseball season was coming to an end," Patterson said. "That's when I learned that Penn State was interested in me. Originally, they wanted me to come to their camp down at Middle Tennessee State [on June 4], but I had a baseball tournament that weekend. I wanted to come down aBer my game, but they told me not to worry about it and in- stead just try to come up for a game during the season. That's when we decided that I would come up for the Michigan game. "In between all of that, I started talking to E.J. Barthel on FaceTime and also Justin King. Through them, I was also able to talk to Coach [Brent] Pry and Coach Franklin. That's probably been going on for the past two months." In addition to meeting the staff in person for the first time, Patterson got his first taste of Penn State during his visit. "We were able to get there early in the day, so I was able to tour their facility. It was super nice," he said. "I also got to see 'College GameDay.' That was a fun experi- ence. "But one of the main things that I won't forget is going down on the field before the game. That was just crazy seeing the White Out from down on the field. I was right at the tunnel then when the team came out before kickoff. That really caught my eye seeing how energetic and crazy all the fans were. Overall, the traditions they have there are really cool." With three linebackers set to sign with Penn State in its Class of 2018, the Nittany Lions have only offered a few players at that position group in 2019. The linebackers they are pursuing are Kevin Harris and Owen Pappoe, who both play at Grayson High in Loganville, Ga., Shane Lee from Baltimore and Marcel Brooks of Flower Mound, Texas. The staff is also high on Brandon Smith of Mineral, Va. Smith could play linebacker or defensive end. Depending on when some of those prospects make a move, Patterson could be the next linebacker to earn an offer from Franklin. "They watched my film as a staff before I came down," he said. "They said that they're really interested in myself and a few other guys. They've only offered a couple guys so far, but they're still thinking about offering me. "I think it may depend on what happens with the guys who have already earned an offer from them. We'll see what happens, but I do think I have a pretty good chance to earn an offer at some point. That would be great if I did. I had a great time at Penn State." Patterson has already received offers from Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU and Mississippi. He's been able to visit Ala- bama, Mississippi State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Mississippi and Vanderbilt, while Duke, Kentucky and LSU are a few other schools he wants to see before the end of the season or in the spring. 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 R E C R U I T I N G Nittany Lions show interest in Tennessee linebacker KANE PATTERSON Bill Anderson