How is Penn State preparing for a busy White Out recruiting weekend?
Penn State football is preparing for what will likely be its biggest recruiting weekend of the year on Saturday when Minnesota visits for the Lions’ White Out game at Beaver Stadium.
The annual event always attracts an enormous recruiting crowd. Blue-White Illustrated’s Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder have been building a list of expected high school prospects for subscribers all week.
An updated rundown is at this link.
A key Class of 2023 target at a position of need has since been added. A Class of 2024 five-star has confirmed his travel plans, as well.
It goes without saying that many hands are involved in pulling off the enormous logistical effort that brings an incredible number of prospects to town. It is the program’s marquee recruiting showcase opportunity of the season. But, it presents plenty of challenges, too.
“This is going to be an opportunity for you to be able to get a bunch of people on campus,” head coach James Franklin said. “I think we have to be upfront and honest with a lot of them. It’s not a normal game day where we’re going to be able to spend a lot of time with them.
“Not just because of all the things that are going on from a White Out perspective, but also just the numbers. Just the raw numbers that there are of prospect, big-time prospects that are going to be here. It takes a lot of organization.”
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Penn State does have helping hands
Franklin gave a special shoutout to the Lion Ambassadors. The group is known for its excellent knowledge of campus and ability to give tours and answer questions for any prospective student visiting campus.
“The Lion Ambassadors has been really valuable for us to work with the university and get experts about what it’s like to be a student at Penn State, and be able to give tours and answer questions, especially on days like Saturday where the numbers are going to be too much for just our football staff to handle,” Franklin said.
Franklin also touched on the other logistical challenges Penn State and its recruiting visitors will deal with this weekend.
“The other thing is making sure recruits and prospects understand this is not a game for you to bring your buddies from high school,” Franklin said. “It’s your parents, and that’s it. If you want to bring buddies from high school, it’s another game. We got a big recruiting ticket allotment for the whole athletic department. But this weekend tests you. It takes a lot organization. And also, just making sure people [knowing what they] are getting themselves into coming into town and parking and all those other things. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Penn State-Minnesota starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
