WHAT HE DID A four-year letterwinner, Wade capped his dazzling high school career by returning interceptions for touchdowns in three consecutive games as a senior, helping Clairton win its third consecutive WPIAL Class A championship. He also played running back for the Bears and finished his career with 7,079 rushing yards, the third-best total in WPIAL history. He had 2,368 yards and scored 40 touchdowns as a senior.

WHAT HE WON You name it, Wade won it. He was a consensus All-State choice, shared the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s WPIAL Player of the Year award and played in the Under Armour All-American game, serving as captain for Team Armour. In addition to his five-star designation, he is rated by Rivals as nation’s top cornerback, as well as the top prospect in Pennsylvania and No. 11 overall prospect in the country.

WHERE HE VISITED Pick a school – any school – and chances are, its coaching staff would have loved to get Wade on campus for a weekend. He was recruited nationally, with everyone from Alabama to UCLA to Oklahoma expressing interest. Wade visited Tennessee and West Virginia in addition to Penn State and also gave UCLA some consideration before choosing the Nittany Lions on Dec. 17.

QUOTABLE Carlton Wade (father): “He’s a very smart player. He picks up stuff very easily. He’s also a very physical player. He can bump receivers off the line and then make sure that he’s able to run with them. He never shies away from contact. ... For his age, he’s developed into a solid defensive back.”

PHIL’S TAKE Wade enrolled at Penn State in January and is expected to see action this spring at nickel back and/or safety. He has sub-4.5-second 40-yard speed, excellent press one-on-one coverage ability and is a good tackler who provided superb run support from his cornerback position in high school. He also was an outstanding running back, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn State used him on offense at some point in his career. I do not expect Wade to be redshirted as a freshman.