Blue White Illustrated

Smaller class expected in 2019 BWI takes a position-by-position look at the Lions' needs in the next recruiting cycle | W ith few scholarship seniors on Penn State's 2018 roster, the Class of 2019 is expected to be a bit smaller than in previous years. There are only 10 seniors listed on the current ros- ter, and only two players – running back Andre Robinson and kicker Alex Barbir – have transferred out of the program in re- cent months. Heading into spring prac- tice, Penn State had 87 players on scholarship. It will be forced to get that number down to 85 by the end of training camp in August. Because the coaches have relatively few scholarships to o6er, it's hard to calculate the Nittany Lions' needs. Here's a look at what we believe to be the sta6's priorities as the spring evaluation period ap- proaches: Quarterback PLAYERS ON 2018 ROSTER 5 PROJECTED SIGNEES 2 Penn State has already earned a com- mitment from three-star New Jersey prospect Taquan Roberson. However, the Lions have contin- ued to o6er scholarships to other prospects over the past few months, making it clear that they would like to take two quar- terbacks in 2019. Is that because Tommy Stevens is planning to be a graduate transfer once he earns his bachelor's degree in May? Only time will tell. What we do know is that Charlotte, N.C., native Garrett Shrader is at the top of the sta6's board. He's been on campus a few times during the past year and is expected to visit again March 26. James Franklin and o6ensive coordi- nator Ricky Rahne have also garnered the interest of four-star prospect Taisun Phommachanh of Avon, Conn. Phom- machanh camped at PSU last summer, then attended the game against Pitt in September. He is ex- pected to visit Penn State again at some point this spring. Running back PLAYERS ON 2018 ROSTER 5 PROJECTED SIGNEES 1 or 2 The Nittany Lions have already ex- tended nine scholarship o6ers at running back, but in recent months it's become clear that the sta6 is focused on 5ve-star recruit Devyn Ford. The Sta6ord, Va., native, who last season was a teammate of future Nittany Lion o6ensive lineman Nana Asiedu, has been regularly visiting PSU during the past year, with the most recent trip taking place Feb. 19. Ford is also seriously considering Clemson, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, so we expect him to continue visiting schools this spring. In fact, Ford is expected to use one of his 5ve o7cial visits – which players can now F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G QUARTERBACK TARGET The coaching staff would like to add another quarterback to its upcoming class, and Shrader of Char- lotte, N.C., is one of the top-rated passers in the country. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

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