Blue White Illustrated

NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Nate Bruce OL 6-3 325 ★★★ Harrisburg, Pa. Harrisburg Liam Clifford WR 6-1 190 ★★★ Cincinnati, Ohio St. Xavier * As of March 8 C L A S S O F 2 0 2 1 P E N N S T A T E R E C R U I T S * that the coaching sta5 has to get him on campus soon if they want to stay in this race. He's arguably one the top three overall o5ensive prospects for 2021. OL TRISTAN LEIGH Leigh has taken four visits to Penn State, including two visits since October. He's consistently sug- gested that PSU will be one of his top 4ve schools, but it also feels like a few other programs have caught up to the the Nit- tany Lions in recent months. Clemson of- fered a scholarship at the end of January, and that could prove to be a game- changer, as Leigh has always spoken highly of the Tigers. Two other schools to watch are LSU and Ohio State. TE MOLIKI MATAVAO Following Nick Elksnis's decommitment, Penn State needs to add a tight end. California resi- dent Brock Bowers is also high on the sta5's recruiting board, but I give Matavao a slight edge. A Rivals100 prospect from Nevada, Matavao is planning to visit Penn State for the 4rst time March 28. He's al- ways spoken highly of Tyler Bowen and is planning to return for an o6cial visit this summer. Georgia, Oregon and Washing- ton are also 4rmly in the mix. WR KADEN PRATHER Prather has been to Penn State seven times dating back to July 2018. That's by far the most visits he's made to any school. However, he's also seen his scholarship count more than double since December, so spring visits will give us a better feel for who Penn State's competition is. Prather visited Maryland, Pitt and South Carolina in Jan- uary, but keep an eye on schools like Ala- bama, Ohio State and North Carolina. OL NOLAN RUCCI Rucci is not only the second-ranked player in Pennsylvania for 2021, but he's also a Penn State legacy, as his father, Todd, played for the Nittany Lions in the early 1990s. Since September 2018, Rucci has taken 4ve uno6cial visits with the sta5, but he also grew up attend- ing games, so he's very familiar with the program. He's also spoken very highly of new o5ensive line coach Phil Trautwein. A few other programs to monitor include Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. OL LANDON TENGWALL The nation's 47h-ranked o5ensive tackle, Tengwall has already taken 10 visits to Penn State, which is more than double the number he's taken to any other school. He's also already admitted that he's focused on Penn State and Notre Dame, with a deci- sion expected to come before the Blue- White Game. Tengwall is planning to take two more trips to South Bend: an uno6- cial visit in March and an o6cial visit in early April. But all signs point to the Nit- tany Lions here. WR DONT'E THORNTON Unlike so many players who decommit from a school, Thornton, one of the nation's top 10 re- ceivers, is still seriously considering his original choice. His relationship with Stubble4eld is o5 to a strong start, so there's reason for fans to feel optimistic about the sta5's chances with Thornton. But don't underestimate the competi- tion, as Oregon, LSU and Tennessee are all angling for an o6cial visit. One visit he knows he'll take is to Notre Dame in April. QB CHRISTIAN VEILLEUX Caleb Williams may be Penn State's top quar- terback prospect in the Class of 2021, but the Nittany Lions are likely behind Clem- son, LSU and Oklahoma on his list of fa- vorites. Veilleux, meanwhile, has Penn State among his top options and is also an excellent prospect coming o5 a very strong junior season. He's planning to make a decision this spring or early in the summer. DEFENSE DE AARON ARMITAGE Penn State has hosted Armitage for 4ve uno6cial visits since the start of the 2018 season. There's no shortage of competition, as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State and others have hosted him a few times. He's also plan- ning to check out Cal, Florida and Stan- ford in March, followed by a return trip to Notre Dame. I expect to see Armitage back at Penn State once spring practice begins. The Irish may be PSU's top com- petitors at the moment. LB JAMARI BUDDIN The Lions have hosted Buddin three times since June 2019. He admitted that Penn State was one of his top schools following his visit on Feb. 1, and I expect the Lions to host him for an o6cial visit if he's still undecided in May or June. That said, it does feel as if Michi- gan has an edge heading into spring prac- tice. Minnesota and Purdue are expected to host Buddin in March. SAF DERRICK DAVIS Davis has been tough to get a read on in recent months. We know he's been in State College a lot over the years – including two visits since October – but he also hasn't opened up much with the media. Some believe that Ohio State may be emerging as the fa- vorite, while others are picking Clemson. Penn State has also been considered the favorite at di5erent points, so it feels like no one truly knows where Davis is leaning at the moment. Along with Rucci, he's one of the top uncommitted prospects in Pennsylvania, so landing him would be a coup for James Franklin and his sta5. D E F E N S E

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