Committany Nation: Recapping Maryland Visits

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Recapping The Visitors

Despite the noon kick and somewhat soggy weather, Penn State hosted a number of prospects last Saturday. Perhaps the most critical was 2017 DT Ben Hutch, who was on his official visit to Happy Valley.

Hutch is a raw prospect, but at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, he’s loaded with potential. While it appears Hutch enjoyed his visit to Penn State, it’s still doubtful that he joins the Nittany Lions. Bobby Petrino and Louisville will be tough to beat here.

Another prominent visitor was 2019 DT Antonio Alfano, who’s shaping up to be a Top-50 level prospect in two years.

This was Alfano’s (he’s on the far left) fifth known visit to Penn State, having visited for camps the previous two summers, a game last season, and Junior Day 2016. It’s fair to expect the normal big programs as suitors for Alfano — Ohio State, Notre Dame, etc. — but the Nittany Lions are obviously off to a fantastic start with the 6-foot-5, 255-pound DT.

Possibility Of Flipping Notre Dame Commits?

With Notre Dame off to a 2-4 start, questions are rising about Brian Kelly’s job security, whether it be for this season or next season. If the Irish continue to struggle, could Penn State realistically flip any of the Pennsylvania commits (most notably, LB David Adams, DT Kurt Hinish, and OT Robert Hainsey) Notre Dame currently has?

To be honest, it’s not likely. Adams and Hinish committed to Notre Dame pretty early, and at least to the outsiders perspective, seem like Irish commits through and through — the same way the Brendan Mahon’s or Marcus Allen’s of the world stayed committed to Penn State through turmoil. Hainsey might be a little different since he was pegged for Michigan State at one time, but he too seems pretty solid to the Irish.

Of course, this doesn’t mean James Franklin isn’t trying. According to Hainsey’s 247Sports profile, Franklin and Josh Gattis visited IMG Academy on October 10. So while, at this point, it doesn’t seem all that realistic, it appears that Penn State is turning up the heat.

2018 WR Lands Offer

North Carolina athlete Tre Turner picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions earlier this week, as Penn State joins the likes of North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Florida, Florida State and many other who’ve offered the 6-foot-4, 175-pound sophomore.

Penn State already has one wide receiver — four-star Justin Shorter — committed in the 2018 class, but expect James Franklin and company to take at least one more next year.