HS FOOTBALL: Pottsville's Palko signs at Penn State

Dec. 23—POTTSVILLE — For Joey Palko, it wasn't about the money.

It was all about the opportunity to fulfill a life-long dream.

The Pottsville Area High School senior defensive end signed a PRO (preferred run-on) offer Wednesday morning to continue his athletic and academic careers at Penn State.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder had verbally committed to accept a full scholarship and play at Bucknell University on Aug. 9, but changed his mind after Penn State assistant recruiting coordinator Rashad Elby persuaded him to attend the Nittany Lions' win over Maryland on Nov. 12 and defensive line coach John Scott Jr. made him an offer later that day.

"Growing up a Penn State fan, it was a dream of mine to always play for Penn State," Palko said. "It was an opportunity I couldn't take down. I said to myself that if I went to Bucknell I would spend the rest of my life wondering 'What if?' I had taken that opportunity.

"I believe that I'm a kid that is very good at overcoming challenges and this is something I'm ready to do. I'm very excited for it."

Palko signed his official National Letter of Intent papers during a ceremony in the high school library that included his parents, Joe and Pam, sisters Brooke and Logan, Pottsville Superintendent Sarah Yoder, high school principal Tiffany Hummel, head football coach Tom McGeoy and athletic director Eric Rismiller.

Penn State coach James Franklin spoke to Palko during the ceremony via Facetime on Palko's cellphone, and Franklin's staff put Palko's name up on the Nittany Lions' giant recruiting board at the Lasch Football Building alongside the 22 scholarship signees Penn State landed during the first day of the early signing period.

"We had a great conversation," Palko said of the Facetime call. "He told me how excited he is to get me up there and get me going. It's going to happen fast. I was really excited about today.

"The second that I signed the papers it really hit me that I'm going to Penn State and going to be working out with the best in the world. It was thrilling. Can't be more excited."

Palko saw varsity action all four years at Pottsville, playing special teams as a freshman before starting the past three seasons at defensive end.

The 18-year-old Pottsville resident notched 22 tackles and four sacks as a sophomore, then recorded 35.5 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks as a junior, including eight tackles in a District 11 Class 4A semifinal loss to Allentown Central Catholic.

He had 24 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three sacks in seven games this past season as the Tide went 5-6 and beat Big Spring in the Eastern Conference Class 4A championship game. Palko also started at tight end this season for the Crimson Tide, hauling in 13 passes for 236 yards and two touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.

Injuries prevented Palko from reaching his full potential, as a bone bruise suffered in a loss to Northwestern Lehigh forced him to miss several games his junior season, and a broken right hand sustained on the second day of two-a-day practices this season forced Palko to sit out the Crimson Tide's first four games.

"It was physically and mentally very hard," Palko said of missing the first four games. "Physically, with the surgery, I couldn't move my arm very fast for three weeks and it put me back slightly conditioning wise. Mentally it was tough not being part of a sport that I gave my all to and made decisions around."

It was during his recovery from the bone bruise that doctors discovered a patella tendon issue in both of Palko's knees that forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 basketball season. He underwent a tenjet procedure to clean out his knees and recovered in time to throw the discus and shot put for the Crimson Tide track and field squad.

Palko said he's full healthy — "I'm in the best shape of my life" — and quit playing basketball to focus on preparing to go to Penn State for summer workouts.

"During my junior year I had a bone bruise injury against Northwestern Lehigh and it very immobile and I wasn't my true self for about two weeks," Palko said. "That wasn't my true injury. I had an injury called patella tendonosis, a patella tendon problem that built up over time. Basketball wasn't the best thing for it. I had procedures on it my junior year and since then it's been amazing.

"With my opportunity and my commitment to go to Penn State, that's why I'm all in right now with football and chasing my dreams."

Palko said his college recruitment began after his junior season when he attended several "Junior Days" at multiple Patriot League schools, Navy, Temple and Kent State. He then attended camps over the summer at St. Francis (Pa.), Holy Cross, Lehigh, Colgate and Bucknell, receiving full scholarship offers from St. Francis, Lehigh and Bucknell. He verbally committed to the Bison in August.

Penn State's Elby reached out to Palko on Twitter for the Lions' first home game Sept. 10 against Ohio and Palko didn't respond. Elby tried again later in the season, and Palko decided to attend the Maryland game in November with one of his close friends, fellow Penn State recruit Joey Schlaffer of Exeter Township.

"The second time he simply said, 'No interest here?'" Palko said of Elby's Twitter message. "I told him there was interest, that I love Penn State, but I was committed to Bucknell. He said 'Nothing is official until you sign.' He said come up with (Schlaffer) and I agreed.

"I went up to the Maryland game. I went without my parents, that's how unofficial it was. We were eating at the buffet and the defensive line coach (John Scott Jr.) pulled me over and told me that Penn State wanted to make me a PRO offer. He said, 'We see it in your film. You can go to Bucknell and be a stud there and an all-league guy. But we think that you could come here and do something special.' "

Palko is the second Pottsville player in the past three years to accept a PRO offer with Penn State, following linebacker Bobby Walchak, a 2021 graduate.

Palko is good friends and workout partners with Walchak and talked with him prior to accepting the offer from Penn State.

"He told me that it's not going to be easy," Palko said. "He told me that there are some days where it's very hard, but it's one of the coolest experiences you'll ever have. He said competing at the highest level with all these dudes, it's kind of fun challenging yourself. It determines who you are and the kind of person you are. I was all for it."

A PRO offer is essentially a roster spot. The offer includes no scholarship money, but has the perks a scholarship player would get, like clothing, meal plans, travel costs and academic advisement. Palko will have to pay tuition and room and board.

Choosing paying for a chance to play for the Nittany Lions over a full scholarship wasn't a hard decision, Palko said. He plans to study finance at Penn State.

"To me, turning down the money that was given to me for Bucknell to play at Penn State, I didn't think twice," Palko said. "I'll gladly pay for the chance to chase my dreams."

Contact the writer: Lboyer@republicanherald.com; 570-628-6026; @pubsportsboss on Twitter