Penn State is set to host a number of underclassmen visitors on Saturday as nearly turns its full attention to the Classes of 2019 and 2020.
First, though, is that little matter of wrapping up the Class of 2018, which will take place next Wednesday when the traditional National Signing Day is held.
Head coach James Franklin and his staff have never been shy about staying busy and recruiting the present class while also hosting future classes, especially once the calendar flips to February. Hence, this gathering, which will include a few headline prospects like:
**New Jersey four-star guard Caedan Wallace
**Maryland three-star receiver John Metchie
**Harrisburg three-star linebacker Andre White Jr.
**Virginia offensive lineman Jakai Moore
**Indiana offensive lineman Cole Brevard (per 247Sports)
The first four prospects are Class of 2019 recruits while Brevard is a 2020 target.
"I'm excited to see the school itself and a little more of the academic side," Metchie told PennLive.
Added Wallace: "I'm probably looking more on the academic side on this trip, and seeing some stuff around campus."
Moore said he wants "to see what all the hype is about in Penn State," and the group is a good sampling of what recruits are wondering about when they come to campus; there are some who know a lot and want to get deeper into the details, and then others who hope to get a wide overview about the school, see the facilities for the first time, and so on.
It's why PSU is expected to have a number of these visit weekends over the next couple of months: More dates generally equals a spread out attendance, which means recruits can get more personal time with coaches and staff.
One other new element that will change from past underclassmen visit weekend events is the new official visit period. It starts on April 1 and runs through the end of June, and will, for the first time, give juniors the chance to do in the spring and summer what every class before them could only do in the fall: Visit and experience a school for 48 hours on the program's dime.
That, too, will change the numbers game when it comes to February and March visitors compared to years past.
"I think we'll be likely to find that we'll have less unofficial visitors in over the same period of time, because if we're not bringing in a kid officially, we're competing with someone who might be trying to bring him in officially during that same time period," Penn State director of player personnel Andy Frank said in December. "So, if [a recruit] has four free weekends in the summer, and we're trying to get one of those weekends unofficially, and there's 10 other schools saying 'we'll bring you in officially,' we're going to lose out on some of those kids coming unofficially, and that's going to be across the board."
Stay tuned for updates all day on Saturday as the Lions look to add to their two-member Class of 2019.