The Laurel Highlands football program has had a lot of success and has won a lot of games over the last few years.
4-star wide receiver Rodney Gallagher, who signed with West Virginia in December, was a big reason for that, but he wasn’t the only talented player on the Mustangs team.
Sophomore Antwan Black Jr. was another highly skilled player, and that skill was recognized nationally as he earned his first Division I offer.
But it wasn’t just any D-I offer.
This one came from James Franklin and Penn State.
Black, who plays cornerback, running back and wide receiver at Laurel Highlands, was in attendance for Penn State’s Junior Day when he received the big news.
Courtesy Antwan Black Jr.
The Laurel Highlands football program has had a lot of success and has won a lot of games over the last few years.
4-star wide receiver Rodney Gallagher, who signed with West Virginia in December, was a big reason for that, but he wasn’t the only talented player on the Mustangs team.
Sophomore Antwan Black Jr. was another highly skilled player, and that skill was recognized nationally as he earned his first Division I offer.
But it wasn’t just any D-I offer.
This one came from James Franklin and Penn State.
Black, who plays cornerback, running back and wide receiver at Laurel Highlands, was in attendance for Penn State’s Junior Day when he received the big news.
Nittany Sports Now spoke with Black Sunday, and he recapped his big for us. First thing I asked him was, considering he hadn’t received an offer yet, did he think that the first one could come this weekend from Penn State?
“Coach Terry (Smith) has been the coach at Penn State recruiting me,” said Black. “But he wasn’t there at Junior Day this weekend, so I was a little nervous and didn’t know if I would be getting the offer or not. But, while I was at my third photo shoot, one of the coaches came up to me and said Coach Franklin wants to talk to you.”
“When he said that, I got really nervous, and I wasn’t expecting that. I walked into his office, and I was nervous. I shook his hand, and we sat down. We started talking, and he said that Coach Terry loves you, and he talks about you every day. He then asked me how my grades were. After that, he told me that we would like to offer you a full ride to Penn State. When he said that, I was shocked. I didn’t move; I didn’t smile. Coach Franklin then said to me, ‘It’s OK to smile because I know that you want to smile so hard right now.’ And that’s when I started smiling, and I told him thank you and that I’m beyond blessed for this opportunity.”
Black still had excitement in his voice when talking to me about that memorable moment with Franklin, as he realized the importance of that offer and what it means for his future.
“That news from Penn State meant the world to me,” said Black. “I’ve been dreaming about this (receiving a D-I offer) since I was a kid, and I have hard times with my family, and this college opportunity is just one way for me to advance, and with this offer, more paths will now open up for me and my future.”
“Right after getting the offer, I called my mom and told her everything that happened. She told me how proud she was of me and that I earned it because of how hard I worked. I also called Rodney (Gallagher) and told him. I then announced it on Twitter, and my phone started blowing up.”
Although he plays multiple positions now in high school, Black tells NSN that Penn State is recruiting him to play cornerback.
This was the first offer for Black, but considering it came from Penn State and the fact that he’s still only a sophomore, expect the offers to start rolling in over the next two years for Laurel Highlands defensive back Antwan Black.
