Blue White Illustrated

James Franklin and his coaching staff signed 21 prospects during the first early signing period in Division I football. In the days leading up to the signing pe- riod, which began at 7 a.m. Dec. 20, Penn State had 20 verbally committed players in its Class of 2018. Of those players, wide re- ceiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts of Harris- burg, Pa., was the only one who didn't sign. That was expected, as Anderson-Butts still has work to do academically. The other 19 prospects all signed within the first few hours of the signing period. In addition to the players who had previ- ously committed, the Nittany Lions were able to sign two other Rivals250 prospects. The most notable addition was five-star defensive end Micah Parsons of Harris- burg. The nation's fiBh-ranked overall prospect, Parsons took 20 unofficial visits to Penn State. He had committed to Franklin in February 2016 during a junior day. However, it quickly became clear that he wasn't going to completely shut down his recruitment, as he took multiple unoffi- cial visits in the months that followed, most notably to Georgia, Ohio State and Southern Cal. Parsons remained committed for more than a year, but he did eventually decide to open up his recruitment this past April fol- lowing a visit to Penn State for the Blue- White Game. At the time, it looked as though the Nittany Lions were going to miss out on Pennsylvania's highest-ranked prospect since defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, who signed with Florida in 2010. However, Franklin and his assistants con- tinued to stay in touch with Parsons and his family, and those efforts were ultimately successful, as the Harrisburg High stand- out became the second five-star Pennsyl- vania prospect to sign with the Nittany Lions in the past year, joining Class of 2017 defensive back Lamont Wade. "I just wanted to be home with my broth- ers and bring back the glory," Parsons told Rivals.com analyst Adam Friedman follow- ing his commitment. "I took all my visits and I'm glad to be back and committed. The coaches never gave up on me since my freshman year. I've had a few bumps and transitions, and they never moved on from me. They always stayed in my corner, and that means a lot." He added, "It means a lot to be close to home and know that my family, my friends, and my city are behind me. That's why a lot of people stay home. I want to be the best athlete to ever come from Harrisburg. I can do that at Penn State." A U.S. Army All-American, Parsons was named both the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year in the Mid-Penn Com- monwealth division this season. He was also a four-time All-State selection by the Pennsylvania Football Writers Association. Joining Parsons as a late addition to the class was four-star wide receiver Jahan D E C E M B E R   2 7 ,   2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 17 Committed play- ers, along with a few uncommitted prospects, gather in Penn State's locker room for a photo during a visit weekend in early December. Photo courtesy of Luketa family 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 enjoy early-signing windfall

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