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STATE COLLEGE — The die-hards among the Penn State fanbase found themselves crowded around computers and smartphones on Wednesday afternoon, waiting for one last recruiting announcement.

At Beaver Stadium, Penn State coaches and staffers were doing the same thing.

Though the live stream from Riverdale Baptist High School in Maryland was cutting in and out, it wasn’t hard to tell what the end result was when applause erupted from the recruiting lounge above the stadium’s media room.

Four-star defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields had picked Penn State, allowing the Nittany Lions to close out their 2017 class with a flourish on national signing day.

He chose Penn State over Maryland and Alabama, admitting to the Washington Post he didn’t make up his mind until “literally five seconds before I put the hat on.”

Lions coach James Franklin briefly delayed the start of his press conference to wait for the announcement. After a brief round of congratulations and backslaps, he hustled downstairs to discuss a 21-man class that checks in at No. 15 nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

“Just really proud,” Franklin said. “I think the thing that probably jumped out to me is we’ve been recruiting most of these guys for a long time — anywhere from two to three years with most of these guys.

“This morning, Skyping with them all, it was just impressive, to be honest with you, how articulate these guys were. How appreciative they were. That’s the type of high school programs they come from, the parents. It was really nice.”

It was also a change from last February, when a four-game losing streak and some coaching staff defections led to the Lions striking out on nearly all of their late targets, including a handful of players who had been committed to program.

This time, there was little worry about losing anyone in the 11th hour.

As it was, the activities began well before sunrise in Happy Valley when Franklin announced a verbal commitment at 6:08 a.m. A few minutes later, New Jersey defensive lineman Corey Bolds confirmed it came from him.

The three-star tackle from Garden State powerhouse Paramus Catholic at one point held offers from some of the country’s top programs — Michigan, Ohio State and national champion Clemson. But those opportunities almost certainly were no longer on the table leading up to signing day, as it looked like Bolds might be staying near home to play for Rutgers.

Bolds’ pre-dawn commitment likely came after another top target told the staff he was headed elsewhere.

Penn State had been trying for a last-minute flip of Mark Webb, a four-star wide receiver from Archbishop Wood outside of Philadelphia. But while Webb had taken an official visit to Penn State this past weekend — followed by his father spending most of Tuesday night posting pro-Lions pictures on social media — he ultimately stuck with his commitment to Georgia and signed with the Bulldogs.

In the end, the Lions brought in the No. 3 class in the Big Ten, behind Ohio State and Michigan, fueled by an impressive crop on defense.

With the late addition of Castro-Fields, eight of Penn State’s 11 four-star recruits were on the defensive side of the ball. And the headliner is already on campus.

Defensive back Lamont Wade — rated by one service as the top corner in the country — enrolled in January and wasn’t sold on the Lions until seeing them surge to a Big Ten title.

Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, a Pittsburgh native and former high school coach in the area, was heavily involved in recruiting Wade.

“I’ve been recruiting Lamont for four years, even before I came here,” said Smith, who doubles as Penn State’s defensive recruiting coordinator. “He’s a tremendous talent.”

At 5-foot-9, Wade doesn’t have ideal size, but Smith noted that the Clairton grad is “the ultimate competitor.”

“When you look at the guys we recruited this year, I don’t think there’s anyone that matches his competitive spirit. … He has so much heart, and you really need a few guys like that in your locker room.”

Wade is perhaps the most likely player in the class to see the field as a true freshman and Smith said he could even see the field on offense and special teams as well. But the focus will be on the secondary first and foremost.

Penn State also managed to load up on both sides of the line with Pittsburgh’s C.J. Thorpe leading the group on offense and Virginia’s Yetur Gross-Matos on the defense.

Franklin called Thorpe “a grown man” at 314 pounds and pointed out how he plays with an edge, a trait shared with the Lions’ three other offensive line signees in Mike Miranda, Robbie Martin and Des Holmes.

“Well, if you put those four guys in a room and say that the guy who leaves out of this room is going to come out with a scholarship, I don’t think any of them would walk out of the room,” said receivers coach Josh Gattis, Penn State’s offensive recruiting coordinator. “I think they would just tear each other all up.

“Those guys have a mean streak. And when you put on their tape you see they’re on the ground, but they’re not on the ground because they’re falling. They’re on the ground because they’re driving their opponent on the ground. So that was one of the things that you look at.”

On the other side, the 6-foot-5 Gross-Matos led all Virginia high school players in sacks in 2016 and may have the highest ceiling of anyone the Lions signed.

“I know this sounds ridiculous because I know he’s a four-star recruit, but you say the sleeper of the class and he may be the sleeper of the class,” Franklin said. “He came to camp and ran one of the more ridiculous times that I ever timed a guy for the position he plays. He’s just going to get bigger. He’s just going to get stronger. He’s going to get more explosive. He’s 6-5, 240 pounds right now and he’s playing basketball. We’re really, really excited about him.”

Penn State head coach James Franklin closed out national signing day with a 2017 class ranked 15th nationally by 247Sports Composite.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_PSU-SigningDay.jpg.optimal.jpgPenn State head coach James Franklin closed out national signing day with a 2017 class ranked 15th nationally by 247Sports Composite. Derek Levarse | Times Leader

By Derek Levarse

[email protected]

ON THE WEB

For video highlights of all of Penn State’s newest recruits as well as an interactive map of the class, visit tlgets.me/psu

Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse

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