But when Manheim Central’s All-State wideout sat down to make his college decision, he passed up the money — for now — and went with his heart.

Zug has accepted Penn State’s offer to be a preferred walk-on.

The 6-4, 185-pounder, who caught 78 passes for 1,268 yards and 22 touchdowns for the Barons last fall, will report to Happy Valley on June 26, where he will work out with scholarship athletes and other veterans.

As a preferred walk-on, Zug will be given every opportunity to make the traveling team, but he will have to pay for tuition, room and board and books until he earns a scholarship.

Other walk-on players and non-scholarship players can’t work out with the team until fall practice, which is in early August.

So Zug will get a nice head start.

Zug said he made his decision after Penn State offensive line coach/recruiting coordinator Bill Kenney told the Barons’ star that he was very high on the Nittany Lions’ wish list.

“Coach Kenney told me that they wanted me all along,” said Zug, who was named the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 Wideout of the Year, Defensive Back of the Year and Outstanding Back of the Year last fall, when Central went 12-2 and won the District 3 Triple-A championship but fell to Pottsville in the state semifinals.

“He told me they had a feeling they were going to get Chris Bell, who is one of the best receivers in the country — and that he’d be a scholarship guy for sure. But he said I was the second receiver they wanted.

“He told me everything I wanted to hear, and that caught my eye. They want me to be there June 26. And he told me I could earn a scholarship as late as the start of my second year or as early as after this summer’s camp.”

Bell, from Norfolk, Va., who is rated by Rivals.com as the 11th-best wideout prospect in the country, has given a verbal commitment to Penn State, and he’s expected to sign a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday.

Penn State has also received a verbal commitment from wideout Cedric Jeffries from Egg Harbor, N.J.

Penn State is also believed to be in the running for Virginia native Vidal Hazelton, who is the No. 2 wideout prospect in the country according to Rivals.com.

Hazelton is also considering USC and UCLA, and he isn’t expected to make his decision known until Wednesday.

Zug had athletic scholarship offers from Navy, Delaware, Richmond, Stoneybrook, Albany, Lafayette and Lehigh.

And Connecticut, which plays in the Big East, offered him preferred walk-on status.

But Zug, whose older brother, David, is a senior at Penn State, went with the Nittany Lions, who went 11-1 last fall and ended the season with a Big Ten title and a victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl.

“Without a doubt, Graham is one of the top couple of football players we’ve ever had here,” Central coach Mike Williams said.

“So we’re happy for him. He’s our first Penn State connection, and it’s thrilling to know we’re going to have a player at one of the best programs in the country.”

Penn State will lose just one wideout — former walk-on Ethan Kilmer — to graduation, but there are rumors floating around that Justin King could be switched to defensive back.

Deon Butler, Jordan Norwood, Derrick Williams, Brendan Perretta, Terrell Golden and Jim Kanuch are all set to return.

And Mark Rubin, who injured his ankle before the start of last season and used a medical redshirt, will also return.

Despite the logjam, Zug is hoping to make a good enough impression that he can get some playing time.

“There were just so many more reasons to go to Penn State — even without the scholarship to start,” said Zug, whose dad, David, is a Penn State grad.

“Penn State has been my dream school all along, so this is definitely a dream come true. I’ve basically grown up at Penn State. My parents have had season tickets forever, and I’ve been going to games there since I was a little kid.”

The next time Graham Zug is in Beaver Stadium, he’ll be in uniform — not watching from the bleachers.