All your Troys belong to us.
Troy Apke, ladies and gentlemen!
Stats
Home/HS: Pittsburgh, PA/Mt Lebanon
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 187 lbs
Recruited by: Charles London
Starz 'n Sheetz
Stars: 3*: 247, Rivals; 4* Scout
Offer Sheet: Bowling Green, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Minnesota, Pitt, Toledo
Cinema
The Tale:
Picking up an offer from the Nittany Lions after their first junior day in February, Apke took a few months (and no doubt countless conversations with his father and former coach, who played LB for Pitt in the '80s and currently coaches on Paul Chryst's staff, respectively), to pull the trigger.
Apke had already been in town in the fall for the Ohio State game, and, despite the loss, no doubt was impressed with the atmosphere. He reportedly took the junior day to help get to know the staff better before making his decision. He had already been to football camp in Happy Valley last summer.
Outlook:
After being used sparingly at Mount Lebanon as a sophomore, in his junior year Apke took off, catching 54 receptions for 1048 yards (over 19 YPC) and 13 TDs.
Apke may be the only wideout taken in what expects to be a small class that many experts were predicting wouldn't have a single WR in it. This is, after all, a position so stocked with talent that O'Brien's moved two guys (Trevor Williams and Malik Golden) to the other side of the ball this spring alone. The fact that Apke's coming to University Park, then, probably has a lot to do with him; the staff obviously saw a lot he liked.
By some accounts coming to the recruiting game a little late, Apke certainly has impressed with his massive increased production as a senior, and PSU wasn't the only one impressed.
He's the fourth commit for the 2014 class, and has Pitt message boards in a tizzy. Can you smell the Panther tears? I can, and it's kinda okay (read: awesome).
Welcome to Penn State, Troy!
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