Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1026347
Penn State picked up commitment No. 16 Tuesday morning, as cornerback Joey Porter Jr. of Pittsburgh announced that he plans to sign with the Nittany Lions. A three-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Porter had made no secret of his strong interest in Penn State. With four de- fensive backs already on board, Porter was in a tough position, but the Lions' needs changed recently when freshman cornerback Jordan Miner was forced to give up foot- ball after being diagnosed with a heart condition. Miner's exit forced the staff to add another cornerback. Porter is the son of Joey Porter Sr., a for- mer All-Pro linebacker with the Steelers who now coaches the team's linebackers. The North Allegheny High standout made his most recent visit to Penn State in July for the Lasch Bash barbecue. He's expected to return later this month for the game against Ohio State and will take an official visit in December along with the rest of Penn State's committed play- ers. Porter's commitment comes just a few days a>er head coach James Franklin and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith scouted his game against Central Catholic. He had three tackles and an interception in North Allegheny's 27-9 victory. Porter burst onto the scene this past spring, adding offers from LSU, Miami, Nebraska and Ohio State, among others. The Nittany Lions waited until early April, extending a verbal scholarship offer dur- ing an unofficial visit. It appeared as though LSU and Pitt were the Lions' top competitors, but Porter made it clear throughout the process that he was high on Penn State, especially after the Lasch Bash. With Porter on board, the Lions have five defensive backs in the Class of 2019. The others are Keaton Ellis, Tyler Rudolph, Marquis Wilson and junior college prospect JaQuan Brisker. The coaching staff would still like to add another safety, with New England native Lewis Cine top- ping their wish list. While Porter is being recruited as a de- fensive back, there's no guarantee he will remain in the secondary for the duration of his college career. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he could outgrow the position in the com- ing years and end up playing linebacker, just like his father. Porter is the ninth-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 54th cornerback nationally in the Class of 2019. He's only the second in-state prospect commit to Penn State this year, joining Ellis, who is from State College. S E P T E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 15 R Y A N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M R E C R U I T I N G Porter becomes latest DB to join Lions' class CLASS OF 2019 NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Hakeem Beamon DL 6-3 255 ★★★★ Chesterfield, Va. Lloyd C. Bird JaQuan Brisker DB 6-2 200 ★★★ Monroeville, Pa. Lackawanna College Lance Dixon LB 6-2 200 ★★★ West Bloomfield, Mich. West Bloomfield John Dunmore WR 6-3 170 ★★★★ Hollywood, Fla. Chaminade Madonna Keaton Ellis DB 6-0 160 ★★★ State College, Pa. State College Area Devyn Ford RB 5-11 195 ★★★★★ Stafford, Va. North Stafford Michael Johnson Jr. QB 6-3 202 ★★★★ Eugene, Ore. Sheldon Joey Porter Jr. CB 6-2 185 ★★★ Pittsburgh, Pa. North Allegheny Taquan Roberson QB 6-0 198 ★★★★ Wayne, N.J. DePaul Catholic Tyler Rudolph DB 6-1 205 ★★★★ Oakdale, Conn. St. Thomas More Emery Simmons WR 6-1 186 ★★★ Fayetteville, N.C. South View Brandon Smith LB 6-3 218 ★★★★ Mineral, Va. Louisa County Caedan Wallace OL 6-4 330 ★★★★ Princeton, N.J. Hun School Anthony Whigan OL 6-5 295 ★★★ Great Mills, Md. Lackawanna College Marquis Wilson DB 6-0 175 ★★★★ Windsor, Conn. Windsor Saleem Wormley OL 6-4 300 ★★★★ Smyrna, Del. Smyrna * As of Aug. Sept. 11 P E N N S T A T E C O M M I T M E N T S * C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9 PORTER