Blue White Illustrated

J U N E 8 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 fact that they have that man leading their program." A member of the Rivals100, Smith earned 25 verbal scholarship offers. Ala- bama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Virginia Tech were some of the bigger programs that he visited during the past year, and he also took an official visit to Texas A&M in late April. He had developed a good relationship with Jimbo Fisher and his staff dating back to their time at Florida State. Smith attended the Rivals/Adidas 3 Stripe Camp this spring, taking home MVP honors at linebacker. That per- formance earned him an invitation to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in June. Ranked No. 53 overall nationally, Smith became the first linebacker to join Penn State's 2019 recruiting class. The Nittany Lions are expected to take one more player at his position. TYLER RUDOLPH On the same day that Smith committed, the Lions received more good news when Rudolph, a 6-1, 205-pound defensive back from Oakdale, Conn., an- nounced that he, too, would be joining the class. Rudolph was recruited by Terry Smith to play corner- back, but he could also see action at safety at the col- lege level. A standout at St. Thomas More, Rudolph earned 21 scholarship of- fers over the past year. He ultimately narrowed his list to five schools: Penn State, Clemson, Florida, Michigan and Ohio State. Rudolph's interest in the Nittany Lions began to pick up last July when he at- tended the staff's Underclassmen Com- bine. He returned in November, attending the Lions' final home game against Nebraska. While on campus, he picked up an offer from Franklin. The nation's 22nd-ranked cornerback, Rudolph took two additional visits this off-season, attending a Junior Day in February before taking an official visit on Blue-White Weekend. "It's amazing up there," Rudolph said. "From the fans to the players on the team and the coaches, it's amazing." Ranked No. 203 overall in the nation and No. 2 in Connecticut, he became the fourth defensive back to verbally commit to this year's class, joining Wilson, Brisker and State College cornerback Keaton Ellis. Penn State is expected to take five defen- sive backs, with safety being the most important position moving forward. HAKEEM BEAMONA member of the Ri- vals250, Beamon originally committed to North Carolina in June 2017, but it quickly became clear that the 6-3, 255- pound defensive end wasn't done look- ing at other schools. Penn State was one of the first programs that emerged, as Beamon and his mother visited twice this past season for games against Georgia State and Michigan. In March, Beamon backed out of his commitment to the Tar Heels, announc- ing that he would be considering Ala- bama, Clemson, Ohio State, South Carolina and Penn State. Of those schools, the only one besides Penn State to receive a visit was Ohio State, with Beamon traveling to Columbus in April. Once he returned to University Park on May 12, it became clear that the Lions were in an excellent position. "This was the first time that I actually got to see their whole school and their fa- cilities," he told Blue White Illustrated a few days aAer his visit. "I saw the locker room, the weight room, stuff like that. I liked everything. I really liked their weight room and the presentation they showed us about academics. Also, their locker room is really nice. Everything is up to date. It's pretty sweet." Beamon's mother also had good things to say about the academic presentation that they received. "They have a variety of degree programs that are pursued by their football players," Felecia Beamon said. "I really liked that. I think they also have a pretty good structure in place for the kids to get the help that they need. I was really impressed." Beamon came away im- pressed after visiting Penn State twice last fall and again in May with his mother. Originally com- mitted to North Carolina, the Rivals250 defensive end took a visit to Ohio State but later chose PSU. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com

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