A week ago I asked if there was a chance Penn State could see a bump in recruiting leading up to National Signing Day after winning the Big Ten championship. The answer appears to be an emphatic “Yes” after Penn State’s latest addition to the Class of 2017. Cornerback Lamont Wade from Clairton has committed to Penn State.
According to the composite rankings from 247 Sports, Wade is a four-star recruit and the second-ranked recruit in Pennsylvania and fifth cornerback in the nation. Wade committed to Penn State over Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Tennessee and UCLA and held offers from a good number of quality programs like Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma and more. The decision reportedly came down to Penn State and West Virginia. Tennessee was a favorite early in the season. Wade made an official visit to UCLA earlier this month, a day after receiving a home visit from James Franklin.
Being one of the top recruits in the state of Pennsylvania, Wade was always on the Penn State radar. It turns out, Penn State hitting a hot streak to go on to win the Big Ten championship may have had quite the impact.
“The thing that I said in my head, if Penn State could win I would love to join that program,” Wade said to 247 Sports. “They showed me that they could win, winning that Big Ten championship and now I’m ready to go.”
Wade will start getting ready to go soon, as he is scheduled to arrive on campus in January. That makes him eligible for spring football practices and the spring game. Getting on campus early also gives Wade a chance to start preparing for a new position if necessary. Wade told 247 Sports the coaching staff wants to see how he looks as a safety in the backfield.
So, going back to the idea of a recruiting push from the Big Ten championship, Penn State has added three four-star players to the Class of 2017, including Wade. Four-star cornerback Donovan Johnson from Michigan gave his verbal last week. Wide receiver KJ Hamler committed a few days prior. Penn State’s recruiting class has moved up to No. 13 in the 247 Sports composite team rankings, inching a little bit closer to the top 10. The possibility of Penn State landing a top 10 class may not be totally unrealistic, if it can flip a couple of Georgia commits from Pennsylvania scheduled to visit Penn State in January before signing day.Running back D’Andre Swift, the top-ranked recruit from the state, and wide receiver Mark Webb, the fourth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania, are both committed to Georgia but getting a January visit leaves the door open at least a bit for the possibility of making one final push to keep them closer to home.
Running back D’Andre Swift, the top-ranked recruit from the state, and wide receiver Mark Webb, the fourth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania, are both committed to Georgia but getting a January visit leaves the door open at least a bit for the possibility of making one final push to keep them closer to home.
Regardless of what happens, Penn State has generated momentum in the recruiting game despite being in the dead period of the recruiting calendar. If nothing else happens, Penn State is once again looking to bring in a talented and quality recruiting class in 2017.
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