Against the advice of family and friends Jamil Pollard was the first recruit to commit to Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. When NCAA penalized Penn State, Pollard had to decide to stay with the school or leave. (16:24)

As a child in New Jersey Jamil Pollard dreamed of playing football for Penn State. In high school he pursued his dream – and used football to overcome a horrifying personal tragedy. As one of the nation’s top high school defensive tackles in 2011, Pollard was a step away from Penn State. And then came the child rape scandal that sent former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky to prison. Against the advice of family and friends Pollard became the first recruit to commit to Penn State in the wake of the scandal. But when the NCAA penalized Penn State with sanctions, Pollard had to decide whether to stick with his dream or punt. E:60 was there as he made his surprising decision to go to Rutgers.