‘It just felt special’: Penn State players look back on their recruitment

Wednesday is Early National Signing Day, a time for college football recruits across the nation to fire up those fax machines and officially pledge to enroll in a specific school.

So, ahead of James Franklin and the Nittany Lions again reeling in one of the nation’s top classes, we decided to look back on the commitments of current Penn State players and why they decided to make Happy Valley home.

We recently asked five current players the same question — What was the moment you knew Penn State was the right place for you? — and, from time to time, asked a follow-up. Here’s what those players said:

Safety Nick Scott (2014 class)

“I did an unofficial visit, I think it was a junior day or something I was up here. And I hadn’t come up with the mindset to commit but, after spending about 3-4 hours seeing the sights, going to the stadium and everything, I was sold right away and I committed that day.

“It just felt special. And, like I said, I knew where we were at and I knew everything that happened. And I wanted to be a part of building this program back up.”

Cornerback Amani Oruwariye (2014 class)

“I remember when I came up here, just seeing snow for the first time and going to Beaver Stadium, just seeing all the tradition here and just meeting all the guys I’m surrounded with. I just knew this was the place for me.”

(Was there a particular moment you knew?)

“I don’t know if there’s an exact moment. But, over the course of everything, throughout the course of the official visit, that’s when I was like, this is the place for me.”

Safety Garrett Taylor (2015 class)

“I came up here, I think my senior year of high school. I came to the Michigan State game; that was my official visit, and I had a great time at the game. I met a couple guys on the the team that night, and I woke up in the morning and I went into Coach Franklin’s office with my family. And I just looked at my parents and told them I really felt at home, and they backed me 100 percent. So that was pretty cool.

“But, from the moment I stepped on campus, I knew this place was special, and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Defensive end Shareef Miller (2015 class)

“I knew Penn State was the right school for me when I went to the White Out game and I was like, ‘Yeah, I need to play here.’ But, signing day, yeah, everything was just right for me — school-wise and just the coaches. And the 2015 class, all the dudes, we were real close and stuff like that. So everything just matched.”

(What White Out were you at?)

“2014, I was at that one. It went to four overtimes, and I was there. I said, ‘I got to play here — somehow, some way.’”

Punter Blake Gillikin (2016 class)

“I know exactly when that was. So, when I came on a visit — I think it was senior year summer — I knew exactly why this place was for me. I had been to other places, and this just felt like a home away from home — from the culture the coaches have created, to the support from the academic side.

“I got to talk to advisers from different areas at that school, and that showed me they were invested in both the athletic piece and the academic piece. And that was really important to me.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2018 at 2:39 PM.