Despite pushing back his weekend visit to Penn State one day due to change in his travel plans, Damascus linebacker Zach Bradshaw made it back to State College on Sunday to meet with the Nittany Lions' staff once again.
The trip turned out to be better late than never.
A few days after leaving Happy Valley, Bradshaw gave a verbal commitment to the Nittany Lions.
"Zach talked to Coach Johnson this morning and committed to Penn State," said Bradshaw's father, Mike Bradshaw. "So he got to share the news with Coach Johnson and I guess the entire coaching staff was on the phone with him.
"Zach is excited and Penn State is excited. As a family we're all just thrilled with his choice. He had a lot of great options and the final four schools that he selected were all great opportunities. He had to make those phone calls to the other schools this morning, that's a tough thing for a 17-year-old to do. The last phone call was the easiest one, I guess."
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound rising senior chose the Nittany Lions over scholarship offers from Michigan, Northwestern, South Carolina and Virginia, among others. He was recruited for the Nittany Lions by Penn State assistant Larry Johnson and will play outside linebacker at the next level.
Bradshaw was a second team all-state and a second team all-Metro selection as a junior.
He took two trips to Penn State in a three-week stretch.
"We went up to Penn State on Sunday because his flight was delayed getting in from Honduras. There's a ton of things to love about Penn State, from the football program to the education to the location of the school," said the elder Bradshaw. "We hadn't met Coach Vanderlinden before, so the primary reason for going up there was to meet him. We had lunch with him and Coach Johnson and then spent time in the position room just watching film.
"Coach Vanderlinden was very excited about Zach's potential. They want him to play that outside linebacker position, they want him to play in space. They want him to be on the field. They see him as a guy who can cover a tight end or cover a slot receiver in man coverage and be able to make plays on the run and in space as well.
"It's a little surreal right now, it's a major relief. The recruiting process is a blessing but it's also a grind, and it's good to be at the end of it. In the end he's very comfortable with his choice and the family is as well.
"We're excited to be a part of the Penn State family."
He becomes the 13th member of the Nittany Lions' Class of 2013 and the second linebacker in the class, joining New Jersey prospect Brandon Bell, who committed last week. He is the Nittany LIons first commitment from the state of Maryland in this cycle.
Bradshaw is rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports and is the No. 34 athlete nationally. He is ranked as the No. 9 player in Maryland.
