Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1201503
Cornerback Jalen Cheek 6-2 190 ★★★ Atco, N.J. Winslow Township Tony Grimes 6-1 180 ★★★★ Virginia Beach, Va. Princess Anne Jordan Hancock 6-1 165 ★★★★ Suwanee, Ga. North Gwinnett Kalen King 5-11 175 ★★★★ Detroit, Mich. Cass Tech Jordan Oladokun 5-11 165 N/R Tampa, Fla. Gaither Steven Ortiz 5-11 175 ★★★★ Goodyear, Ariz. Desert Edge Devonta Smith 5-11 170 ★★★ Cincinnati, Ohio La Salle Shafeek Smith 5-10 165 ★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Imhotep Charter Safety Derrick Davis 6-0 193 ★★★★ Monroeville, Pa. Gateway Jeffrey Davis Jr. 6-0 165 ★★★ West Hartford, Conn. Kingswood Oxford Tysheem Johnson 5-9 180 ★★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Neumann-Goretti Javon Mcintyre 6-1 181 ★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Imhotep Charter Jaylin Mines 6-1 189 ★★★ Oak Park, Mich. Oak Park * As of Jan. 12 | S A F E T Y C O R N E R B A C K Penn State signs 27 in December A s expected, on Dec. 16, the 7rst day of the early signing period, Penn State signed all 27 of the prospects who had committed to the Class of 2020. Four-star o8ensive lineman Olu Fashanu was the 7rst player to be announced, signing his letter of intent at 7:29 a.m. The entire class was o9cial by lunchtime. Early in the morning, during Penn State's webcast of its signing day event, James Franklin teased the addition of a 28th commitment. Later that morning, it became clear that defensive end Fadil Diggs of Camden, N.J., was having sec- ond thoughts about signing with Texas A&M. He even called the coaching sta8 the night before to discuss the possibility of switching his commitment, but when it came time for the four-star prospect to make a decision, Diggs ultimately signed with Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies. "I think overall we were able to really sign a complete class," Franklin said. "We like to sign a player at each position every single year so you don't get out of whack in terms of your scholarship numbers and your distribution by position, as well as by year. I think we did a good job of that. … I've been scared in my past about O- line and D-line depth, and we've contin- ued to make that a focus. We're in a pretty healthy spot right now [compared to] when we 7rst got here and the situation we walked into. So I'm pleased with that." At the end of the signing period, the Nittany Lions were 14th in the Rivals.com Team Rankings, and their placement hadn't changed as of early January. Penn State could still potentially drop a spot if Notre Dame, which sits at No. 15, adds a top-ranked prospect before signing day on Feb. 5. But even if that does happen, it appears likely that Franklin and his as- sistants will sign their fourth consecutive top-15 recruiting class, and their 7:h in the past six years. It's also still possible that Penn State will add a player. O8ensive lineman Devin Willock of Paramus, N.J., surprised many, including the coaching sta8, when he decommitted from the class and switched his commitment to Georgia a week before the start of the December signing period. That scholarship could poten- tially be used on another player, although it should be noted that any further addi- tions would likely require more transfers TOP PROSPECT Jacobs, a four-star linebacker, is the most highly rated player in Penn State's class, rank- ing 77th in the Ri- vals100. Photo courtesy of Rivals.com