The Penn State football program has rescinded its scholarship offer to a recruit linked to an investigation of alleged hazing, bullying and sexual assault at a New Jersey high school, according to a reports from recruiting websites Rivals.com and Lions 247.
Myles Hartsfield, a three-star recruit, is no longer part of the Nittany Lion Class of 2015. The senior is the team captain at Sayreville High School, which has cancelled the rest of its season in light of the alleged attacks. Seven players, ranging in ages from 15 to 17, are facing charges in the alleged four attacks on four freshmen.
There has been no confirmation that Hartsfield is one of the players who have been charged, since their identities as minors have been shielded. A report says Sayreville police cruisers were sighted at Hartsfield’s house on Friday evening around the time that the players involved were brought in to be charged by the authorities.
While not allowed to comment on specific recruits prior to a recruit signing a letter-of-intent, Penn State coach James Franklin did confirm last week that he had an oral commitment from a Sayreville High School player.
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“You guys know just as much as we do at this point,” he said Wednesday. “We are waiting to hear.”
Prior to Saturday’s 18-13 loss at Michigan, Penn State said in a statement that it would continue to monitor the Sayreville situation.
The Sayreville case is especially sensitive at Penn State, which received some of the harshest penalties in college sports history in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. The former assistant football coach was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse of young boys over 15 years in the summer of 2012. Three former school officials still are awaiting trial for an alleged cover-up of Sandusky’s crimes.
Hartsfield, a six-foot, 190-pound safety/running back, had committed to Penn State in June. He had been expected to sign a letter-of-intent during the national signing period in February.
Hartsfield reportedly had additional scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Rutgers and West Virginia when he committed to Penn State.
With Hartsfield’s removal, Franklin’s recruiting class for 2015 was trimmed to 19 players. The class is still ranked among the Top 10 by multiple recruiting services.
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