Blue White Illustrated

Signing Day 2018

Penn State Sports Magazine

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Now that college football has adopted an early signing period, the traditional signing day isn't quite as dramatic as it was as recently as last year. But even with most players inking their letters of intent in December, the February signing date is more than just a closing ceremony of sorts for the recruiting cycle. For Penn State, which landed 22 players during the early signing period, most of the remaining drama centered on Rasheed Walker, a four-star offensive tackle from Waldorf, Md. Walker had been consider- ing Ohio State and Virginia Tech in addi- tion to the Nittany Lions, and he was originally set to make his announcement at 11 a.m. at North Point High School. That announcement got pushed back to noon due to a two-hour weather delay at the school, leaving a lot of Penn State fans feeling anxious as they watched a grainy webcast of the signing ceremony Wednesday morning. But the Nittany Lions eventually got their man, as Walker donned a Penn State cap and signed his letter of intent, becoming the 23rd and final prospect in the Class of 2018. "I feel like I have a really good opportu- nity up at Penn State and they can get me to where I need be," the 6-foot-6, 295- pound lineman told Rivals.com. "It's a great school with great academics and a great football team. I love the tradition and the area. I felt like that was the place for me." A four-year letterman and three-time team captain at North Point, Walker an- chored an offensive line that led the Ea- gles to a 12-1 record in 2017 and the team's first appearance in the semifinals of the state playoffs. North Point aver- aged 37 points per game during Walker's final season. He also excelled on the de- fensive line, finishing with 63 tackles as a senior, including 11 sacks. As a junior, he had 35 tackles and four sacks. James Franklin said the staff likes Walker's physical skills and his attitude, noting that he's just as adept at run blocking as he is at pass blocking. "You watch his tape, and he's got tremendous athleticism and length," Franklin said. "But the thing that's amazing is that he watches tape and not only is he good in space, but he's physical. A lot of times you can find offensive tackles who are good pass protectors, but they aren't very physical in the run game. He plays with a nasty streak." Walker is a member of the Rivals250, checking in at No. 65 overall and is listed as the No. 2 player in Maryland and the No. 7 offensive tackle nationally. He was a first-team USA Today All-State choice following his senior season and also S I G N I N G D A Y R E P O R T F E B R U A R Y 8 N E W S L E T T E R M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 8 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 1 BIG FINISH PSU adds a key player to one of the most celebrated classes in school history Walker (left) is the nation's seventh-ranked offensive tackle according to Rivals.com. He became the final addition to Penn State's 2018 recruiting class when he signed with the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. Photo cour- tesy of Rivals.com

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