Penn State’s success in the south has been up and down over the years, but Pike Road High School outside Montgomery, Ala., may be a program that fans need to keep an eye on in the years to come.

That relationship was kickstarted a few months ago when the Nittany Lions added wide receiver Harrison Wallace to its 2021 class about a week before the early signing period. Although Wallace's recruitment moved quickly, James Franklin and his assistants left a very strong impression on head coach Patrick Browning.

“I’ve been in touch with [Taylor] Stubblefield a good bit and then directly with Coach Franklin,” Browning said. “Coach Franklin does a great job touching base with me. If one of our kids gets an offer that I feel like he needs to see, I’ll send it to him and he always responds saying thanks or they’re going to look into it. He does a good job. I’ve told you before that I’m so impressed with him. Next to Coach [Nick] Saban, he’s got one of the tightest recruiting process I’ve seen.”

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