STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Lamont Wade's mind was made up about his college choice, but like all elite college football prospects there were some questions that were better suited for future teammates than for the coaching staff.
"Miles (Sanders) was actually my host for my official (visit) so for us both being Pittsburgh boys we kind of had that connection," Wade, the former 5-star Clairton cornerback, said. "He said nothing but good things about this place, so I kind of felt the same and felt ready to take that next step."
Following up on promises the coaching staff made to prospects during their recruitment, vows of early playing time and competing for starting spots isn't something to be taken lightly. Penn State promised Sanders that he'd get on the field somehow, someway as a true freshman -- if he was ready. Buried behind Saquon Barkley at the time that meant limited carries for Sanders, but the Lions followed through by getting Sanders on the field as a kick returner during his freshman season.
That move usually has a trickle-down effect as other prospects watch and see how many freshmen play and if maybe they too can see the field early -- especially for the most highly-touted signees.
"That means you can trust what they’re saying," Sanders said. "Some coaches promise that to some players and it never happens. That’s when the player gets to start thinking like, 'Did I make the right choice and everything?' I think that’s very important. It just builds that trust and a good relationship between coaches and players.”
That key detail helped Wade feel a little better about the prospect of him playing early, something that became a reality after he early enrolled last January. Starting cornerback John Reid went down with a season-ending knee injury in spring ball and suddenly Wade saw the field both at cornerback and on special teams this past season.
"You’re going to always hold yourself to a very high standard and that’s something my mom was kind of telling me that I hold myself to an impossible standard sometimes," Wade said. "But, just being able to get my feet wet, get playing time on defense, contributing on special teams it was really good for me."
Coming in and playing right away is the goal of every freshman signee, but for the elite of the elite, the highly-touted prospects who received mailboxes stuffed with hand-written letters from schools all over the country, seeing a fellow freshman play early as promised perhaps means more than any amount of lip service that's delivered by a staff during their recruitment.
With Penn State's last three recruiting classes going from No. 20 to No. 15 and now No. 4 in the nation while landing Sanders, Wade and most recently 5-star signee Micah Parsons, the Lions' recruiting success to some degree can be traced back to Sanders and Wade opting to go to Penn State. They were both the highest-ranked players in their classes, much like Parsons is in the 2018 group, and all three hail from the Keystone state.
As James Franklin has said before, current players can be a team's best asset when trying to land a prospect because they won't hold back. If a staff promised them early playing time and it didn't happen it's a safe bet that the player is going to tell other prospects what his experience was really like. When it goes well, it's a huge recruiting mechanism. When it doesn't, it can have prospects looking elsewhere.
It's also why Franklin heaped praise on Sanders and Wade last month during the early signing period as the Lions inked Parsons, knowing that Sanders and Wade -- coupled with the Lions' on-field success of course -- helped make Penn State an attractive spot for the Harrisburg High standout.
"Miles Sanders is a guy that jumped on board with us at a time that we were really kind of trying to get this thing rolling," Franklin said last month as the Lions celebrated the early signing period. "He got it going and the following year it was Lamont Wade and now this year it's Micah Parsons from different parts of the state."
Wade trusted Franklin and staff and certainly was aware of Sanders seeing playing time as a true freshman, much like Reid, the cornerback, did ahead of him and like Barkley did ahead of Reid. Penn State played three true freshmen this past season with Wade, cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos all seeing the field.
They haven't shied away from putting freshmen out there and while the depth issues that once plagued the team that stemmed from NCAA sanctions are more balanced now, Parsons, the 5-star linebacker/defensive end signee, arrived on campus Sunday and looks to see the field next season.Whether that's at middle linebacker or in certain pass rush situations at defensive end will be sorted out in the coming months, but seeing both Sanders and Wade in the two previous classes play right away at deeper position groups was a feather in the Nittany Lions' cap and certainly a talking point during Parsons' visit.
"I kind of knew Micah was coming here all along," Wade said of his new teammate, who verbally committed as a sophomore and then decommitted before ultimately signing at the same place.
Sanders said he took a backseat in the Lions' landing of Parsons, letting Wade explain to Parsons much of what Sanders imparted to Wade the year before. That message has remained consistent and will be one that some high schooler will be keeping a close eye on next season to see how many freshmen play and if he too will be able to contribute early.
"When I hosted Lamont I was just telling him, like, this university is the place to be as far as education and the football experience," Sanders said. "I’ve heard all good things here and if he wants to be a part of it he should come. He’ll have a great chance to play."
And then Sanders smiled and continued: "He played a lot this year so you can’t go wrong with this group."