It was a busy weekend in Happy Valley between State Patty’s Day celebrations and a flurry of prospects from the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes in town for junior day. Around 100 prospects took part in the day’s events, which included a tour of campus and the team’s facilities, along with a rundown of both the program’s philosophies and what Penn State has to offer academically. Basically, picture the visit you took to campus with your parents when you were a prospective student, only mix in plenty of football with the opportunity to receive a scholarship, and viola, you have Penn State’s junior day.

Junior day serves as an essential part of the recruiting process, where both prospective players and their potential coaches get a chance to interact in person, while players get a feel for what the program is all about. Players who have already committed — such as Lavert Hill, Shane Simmons, and Miles Sanders — and prospective players alike took to State College to take a first hand look at what it’s like to be a Nittany Lion.

Penn State didn’t land any additional commitments for either of the 2016 or 2017 classes this weekend. However, the team did get a leg up on a few notable prospects, extending offers to nine prospects

The list of offered prospects includes:

2016 DT Christian Colon (Three-star prospect/Charlotte, N.C.)

“@INDYBOY_91: Out here Loving penn state #WeAre pic.twitter.com/4ryeVC7WY7” yeah buddy

— Kaseem Vauls (@KVauls) February 28, 2015

2016 DT Mike Panasiuk (Three-star prospect/Roselle, IL)

2016 DT from Illinois “@MikePanasiuk97: Penn State Just Offered! @coachjfranklin @SpenceChaos @RickyRahne pic.twitter.com/1w1dH45Iwv” — Eric Sion (@ericbsion) February 28, 2015

2016 S Demetric Vance (Three-star prospect/Detroit, MI)

Blessed to say my 13th offer is by Penn State University #WEARE pic.twitter.com/6iMNqKB4H6

— VANCE (@Demetricvancejr) February 28, 2015

2017 LB Avery Roberts (Wilmington, DE)

Attended Junior Day at Penn State, and blessed to be leaving with an offer….Is this a good look for me? pic.twitter.com/eD4y3gzMsi — Avery Roberts (@AveryLB11) February 28, 2015

2017 LB David Adams (Pittsburgh, PA) 

Beyond Blessed to say that I’ve received an offer from Penn State University #LBU #WeAre pic.twitter.com/CPowcTJbX2 — David Adams (@David_Adams1335) February 28, 2015

Not every prospect was able to attend junior day this weekend, however. 2016 quarterback commit Jake Zembiec–tabbed by some as the eventual replacement for Christian Hackenberg–remained at home in Rochester, New York, feeling seemingly disappointed that he could not make the trip

Wish I could have been at junior day today. #PennState pic.twitter.com/0f1o6BPLUy — jake zembiec (@jakezembiec) February 28, 2015

Overall, it was a solid day for James Franklin and co. on a recruiting note, as they gained a substantial advantage on the recruiting trail for the classes of 2016 and 2017. Though recruiting is a never-ending operation, events like junior day can help reap some serious benefits when all is said and done.