Nittany Lions flip three-star WR

Emery Simmons, a three-star wide receiver prospect out of South View (Fayetteville, N.C.), made the call for the Nittany Lions via Twitter. Simmons was a surprise addition to Saturday's Lasch Bash, but the trip was enough for him to make the move, despite the fact that it was his first visit to Penn State.

"The family based environment and just the love that Coach Franklin has for his guys," Simmons said, when asked what impressed him the most. "I just love everything about the program."

Simmons earned an offer from Penn State back in May. His commitment to the Lions is his third in the past five months, beginning with a pledge to Indiana in March, followed by a flip to North Carolina in June, and finally to the Nittany Lions on Saturday night.

Rivals.com analyst Adam Friedman was able to scout Simmons at North Carolina's Freak Show camp last month. It was at that camp that Simmons caught the attention of North Carolina's staff.

"Simmons was the consensus top wide receiver at the Freak Show on Saturday night," he wrote following the camp. "He popped a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash and defensive backs had a hard time sticking with him in one-on-ones. Simmons is very strong and easily broke press coverage with proper hand techniques. Once he got into the open field his route running skills took over and he had no problem creating separation."

Emery becomes the 13th verbal commitment in Penn State's Class of 2019, and he joins John Dunmore among the wide receiver prospects to pledge to play for the Nittany Lions. Penn State was expected to take just two wide receivers in this year's class.

Blue White Illustrated will have much more on Simmons in the coming days.