Blue White Illustrated

For daily and breaking news updates on Penn State football recruiting, visit bwi.rivals.com. use from April 1 to June 24 – to attend the Blue-White Game on the weekend of April 20-22. He hopes to make a decision later in June. If the Lions are able to land Ford, we be- lieve they could get away with taking only one running back, but they would prefer to sign two. Other players to keep an eye on include Noah Cain of IMG Academy in Florida, Sampson James of Avon, Ind., and Keilan Robinson of Washington, D.C. Wide receiver PLAYERS ON 2018 ROSTER 9 PROJECTED SIGNEES 1 or 2 If he hasn't already, new wide receivers coach David Corley should invest in a frequent flyer program, as Penn State is searching far and wide for its receivers in this recruiting cycle. As of early March, only one regional prospect – John Metchie of Saint James School in Hagerstown, Md. – was being heavily pursued by the Lions. Originally from Canada, Metchie plans to attend a prep school next fall before enrolling at the college of his choice in January 2019. We believe that Penn State is the team to beat, but he re- cently received offers from Michigan and Notre Dame, so the coaches may have to work a bit more than they originally planned. Aside from Metchie, the sta9 has ex- tended o9ers to prospects in Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee. The two prospects who have spoken most favorably of Penn State in recent months are Kyle Ford of Orange, Calif., and David Bell of Indi- anapolis. Ford is hoping to visit before the end of spring practice, while Bell recently visited for the 8rst time Feb. 3 for junior day. We believe that Metchie will end up at Penn State, but if the sta9 strikes out on some of its other top targets at the po- sition, it's possible that they could take only one receiver in 2019. They would prefer to take two, however. Tight end PLAYERS ON 2018 ROSTER 5 PROJECTED SIGNEES 0 or 1 Franklin has consistently emphasized that he wants to have a balanced class every year. However, we believe it's un- likely that Penn State will add a tight end in 2019 unless the sta9 8nds someone it really likes. Chicago native Jahleel Billingsley 8ts that description. A four- star prospect who stands 6-foot-5, 227 pounds, Billingsley visited for the Feb. 3 junior day and spoke highly of the trip, noting that PSU "felt like home." That's usually a good sign, but it's important to note that Purdue was the only other cam- pus he had seen leading up to that visit. He's since visited Michigan, and the Wolverines o9ered at the end of February. They're going to be contenders for Billingsley, and he also received an o9er in March from Ohio State, but we still like Penn State's chances. In addition to Billingsley, Penn State has extended o9ers to six other tight ends, none of whom have visited. Four-star prospect Hudson Henry of Little Rock, Ark., has spoken highly of PSU and said he would like to visit this spring, but nothing had been scheduled as of early March. O'ensive line PLAYERS ON 2018 ROSTER 16 PROJECTED SIGNEES 3 No matter how many scholarships they have in any given year, you can count on the Lions adding at least a few TOP PROSPECT Ford is ex- pected to attend the Blue- White Game, but PSU will have plenty of competition for his signature. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

• Cover