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"We're really senior-heavy this year, so Ta'Quan is not a captain for us, but as far as leadership goes, he's great. He's a great kid," Murray said. "He has great control of the huddle, and our guys believe in him. He doesn't get rattled at all and al- ways leads by example. "One thing we really love about him is that he really takes to our coaching. He's always trying to improve and is never afraid of competition. He really is every- thing that you look for in a quarterback, both mentally and characterwise. His football IQ is pretty high. He understands the game really well." During the regular season, Roberson completed 134 of 205 attempts (66 per- cent) for 2,112 yards, with 23 touchdowns and only 7ve interceptions. He also racked up 433 yards rushing and four touchdowns. "There are a lot of similarities between what we run and what he'll run in col- lege," Murray said. "He can make all the throws and he has an extremely strong arm. There are no issues with arm strength, that's for sure. He has a good re- lease and always works hard on his me- chanics. He's always working to improve, and that's evident by how much he watches 7lm. He takes that seriously. "On top of all that, if things break down he can run. He's got good speed and can be elusive, but he also runs with power. He's not afraid of contact and lowering his shoulder. His strength makes him very e8ective, but he's e8ective in both as- pects, running and throwing." The Nittany Lions are also pursuing one of Roberson's teammates, Ronnie Hick- man, a four-star safety in the Class of 2019. He and Roberson struck up a friendship years ago, but it's unclear to what extent, if any, his friend's commit- ment to Penn State will impact Hick- man's recruitment. "They're in the same class together and they're teammates. They've known each other since before they got to DePaul, so they have a tight relationship," Murray said. "At the same time, Ronnie is a really bright young man and he knows that he has to make the right decision for himself. Obviously, Ronnie and his family are super thrilled for Ta'Quan. Why wouldn't they be? "Does it help? I don't know if it helps [the Nittany Lions], but it certainly doesn't hurt. It's always nice to know a couple guys going in, but it's also differ- ent now than years ago. These guys all know each other. They all have relation- ships from the off-season. Our kids are usually working out with guys they're playing against. So some of them are going to end up together, some of them are going to end up playing against each other. I don't think this specifically is going to impact Ronnie's decision much." As of early November, Roberson had led DePaul Catholic to a 6-3 record. ■ White Out experience makes impression on 2019 prospects P enn State hosted more than 100 prospects last month for its biggest home game of the season against Big Ten East Division rival Michigan. The guest list was made up predomi- nantly of Class of 2019 prospects, as the sta8 played host to more than 20 high school juniors who had already earned a scholarship o8er from head coach James Franklin. Out of that group, defensive end Zach Harrison of Lewis Center, Ohio, was arguably the most notable prospect on campus. A potential 7ve-star prospect, Harri- son is the ninth-ranked player in the country and the second-ranked defen- sive end for 2019. His visit in October was his third to Penn State, as he previously made the trip in March and then again for the Lasch Bash barbecue in July. Ohio State is believed to be the favorite to earn his signature – Harrison visited Colum- bus the following week for the Buckeyes' game against Penn State – but if any team is going to knock them o8, the Nit- tany Lions are in the best position to do so. "The atmosphere was crazy," Harrison said. "There were so many fans there that showed up to support the team. There were some people out at like 3 a.m. lining up and getting ready for the game." James Franklin and his coaching staff also hosted linebacker Shane Lee of St. John's College High in Washington, D.C. The nation's 30th-ranked overall prospect, Lee has been on campus mul- tiple times during the past year. In fact, | ZACH HARRISON Rivals.com

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