For Philadelphia wide receiver William Fuller, all it took was a visit to Penn State during its Junior Day on February 18 for Happy Valley to become his perfect match.
The event fell before the Nittany Lions had earned a single recruit from that class, but Fuller was quickly sold, he said.
“Ever since I went up there for Junior Day, that became a dream school for me,” Fuller said of his future university. “So when I got that offer, it was a great feeling.”
Fuller had to wait until June to get his offer, but when he did, he left offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Temple behind in favor of Penn State. According to Scout.com, Fuller is a four-star recruit and in the nation’s top 40 wide receivers.
For Fuller, the commitment was all about Penn State’s new slew of coaches. He said they were the biggest factor in his decision.
“How it’s all put together with all the NFL experience and the college experience at the highest level,” Fuller said about the coaching staff. “So I think they’re gonna put the players in the best position to be great and go to the next level.”
Fuller said simply being around O’Brien is a neat experience.
“When I got my offer and I was talking to him in his office, I saw pictures of him with Tom Brady and Randy Moss,” Fuller said. “That’s really cool to be in his presence, and he’s been in their presence, so that’s really cool.”
The 6-foot-1, 163-pound Fuller remains the only wide receiver in Penn State’s 13-member 2013 recruiting class. Zach Bradshaw, who committed Wednesday, is listed as a wide receiver, but is expected to play linebacker at Penn State.
According to his player page on ESPN.com, Fuller runs a 4.53 40-yard dash and “has redeeming qualities as a lanky and lean late bloomer physically with adequate speed and good height.”
He currently attends Philadelphia’s Roman Catholic High School, and noted that Penn State’s academics were also an important reason for his commitment.
Fuller also weighed in on the NCAA’s new four-team playoff system set to be adopted in the 2014 season that will end the Bowl Championship Series. He said he thinks this is how college football should have been for a while because it’s fairer this way.
