web1_TL_Crime-Police_Logo.jpg

Wilkes-Barre police: Plymouth woman had drug paraphernalia

License plate reported stolen in Wilkes-Barre

STATE COLLEGE &#8212; Three members of Michigan&#8217;s spotlight-grabbing 2016 recruiting class were originally committed to Penn State. Cornerback Lavert Hill, defensive lineman Michael Dwumfour and kicker Quinn Nordin all signed with Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines.It&#8217;s that last recruit that will probably be remembered most by Nittany Lions coaches, players and fans.Harbaugh infamously staged a sleepover at Nordin&#8217;s house last month shortly after the start of the final in-person contact period for coaches.&#8220;One of the most comfortable (beds) I&#8217;ve ever slept in,&#8221; Harbaugh said at Michigan&#8217;s &#8220;Signing with the Stars&#8221; extravaganza, which featured legends from football (Tom Brady), baseball (Derek Jeter) and even pro wrestling (Ric Flair).&#8220;I slept in Quinn&#8217;s sister&#8217;s room. She wasn&#8217;t there.&#8221;Good to know.Neither Michigan nor Harbaugh&#8217;s name was brought up by Penn State coach James Franklin on Wednesday.Well, not directly.Franklin was asked generally about &#8220;unconventional methods&#8221; that popped up on the recruiting trail this cycle.&#8220;We want to be creative, not creepy,&#8221; Franklin concluded.&#8220;I appreciate other people being creative and thinking outside the box, and we&#8217;re going to try to do the same things. But, like anything in life, there is a fine line to it.&#8221;One can read into that however they choose.What is certain is that Harbaugh&#8217;s recruiting blitz certainly paid off for the Wolverines, who signed the country&#8217;s No. 5 class, led by the crown jewel &#8212; the nation&#8217;s consensus top recruit, New Jersey defensive lineman Rashan Gary.Harbaugh estimated that he actually held &#8220;four or five&#8221; sleepovers at recruits houses in January.&#8220;Just having fun,&#8221; Harbaugh said. &#8220;If people criticize that, then so be it. We&#8217;re enjoying the heck out of it.&#8221;Rivalry renewed?One school that was named on Wednesday was Penn State&#8217;s traditional archrival Pitt.The Lions and Panthers clashed plenty of times on the recruiting trail this winter and the teams will finally settle things on the field again with the start of a four-year series in September.When new Lions recruit Daniel Joseph was being introduced during a signing day ceremony, Penn State&#8217;s Blue Band played him a welcome, which was punctuated by a &#8220;Beat Pitt&#8221; chant.But when Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith &#8212; the Lions&#8217; primary recruiter in the Steel City &#8212; was asked if the rivalry was already blooming again, the Pittsburgh native shot it down.&#8220;In my opinion, no,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;We talk about dominating the state and we have more top-10 recruits. We got the best player in the state of Pennsylvania. We got the top two players in the state of Pennsylvania, (Michal) Menet and Miles Sanders. We got the number one kid, the best kid out of Pittsburgh and Miles Sanders is going to be a great impact.&#8220;We&#8217;re getting the kids we want. We&#8217;ll continue to recruit hard and be selective. Penn State&#8217;s not a place for every kid out of Pennsylvania, but Penn State&#8217;s a great place for the kids that we choose to bring to Penn State.&#8221;Special signingsFor the first time in five years, Penn State added a scholarship player on special teams on signing day. Two of them, in fact.Georgia natives Alex Barbir (kicker) and Blake Gillikin (punter) both came aboard on Wednesday and could have a chance to contribute right away.Since the Lions signed Sam Ficken in February 2011, they have relied on walk-ons to handle kicking and punting duties, mainly because scholarship reductions that stemmed from NCAA sanctions forced their hand.The results haven&#8217;t always been pretty, particularly on punts and kickoffs.&#8220;You could probably make an argument over the last two years that maybe four games could come out differently if we could have been a little more consistent on special teams in terms of swinging field position and things like that,&#8221; Franklin said. &#8220;These two guys come in that we&#8217;ve seen kick in person and have been very, very successful at camps that they&#8217;ve gone to and have been very successful in games.&#8221;On the moveAs for returning players, Smith said that Nick Scott will move from running back to safety this offseason.Scott, a strong all-around athlete, might have gotten lost in a crowded backfield that will feature Saquon Barkley and Sanders heavily. Redshirt freshman Andre Robinson will also join the mix with Mark Allen and Johnathan Thomas.Last year&#8217;s starter in the early going, Akeel Lynch, announced Wednesday that he will be transferring to Nevada to play his final collegiate season after he graduates from Penn State in the spring.<style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Signing-Day-Harbaughs_Sopr201623185845649.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (right) didn&#8217;t need to dab with former Notre Dame boss Lou Holtz to grab signing day headlines, but he did it for good measure. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web1_Signing-Day-Harbaughs_Sopr201623185845649.jpg</photo0><caption0>Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh (right) didn&#8217;t need to dab with former Notre Dame boss Lou Holtz to grab signing day headlines, but he did it for good measure. </caption0><photoCredit0>Carlos Osorio | AP photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Derek Levarsedlevarse@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta>Big Ten recruiting rankings(Via 247Sports Composite)1. Ohio State (4th nationally)2. Michigan (5th)3. Penn State (19th)4. Michigan State (21st)5. Nebraska (24th)6. Wisconsin (32nd)7. Maryland (42nd)8. Iowa (47th)9. Minnesota (48th)10. Northwestern (52nd)11. Indiana (57th)12. Illinois (71st)13. Rutgers (74th)14. Purdue (81st)</factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</shirttailMeta></div>

Recruiting styles clashing for PSU, Michigan