Blue White Illustrated

These 10 prospects will bear watching in the months to come T he Penn State coaching sta9 8nds it- self in a good position with its Class of 2021. Beginning in April, James Franklin and his assistants added nine prospects to the class in four weeks. Christian Veilleux, Zakee Wheatley, Kalen King and Jaylen Reed were just a few of the players to announce during that stretch, but there are still plenty of other prospects to follow in the months ahead. With the Memorial Day weekend now behind us, it's an opportune time to look at the 10 players who I believe Penn State fans should be following closely this summer. In addition to being ranked high on the sta9's recruiting board, I also fac- tored in PSU's chances with each player. Let's take a closer look, beginning with those who just missed the top 10. Honorable mention There are probably 10 prospects who could have made this group, but I'm going to limit it to 8ve. We'll start with running back Donovan Edwards. He has emerged as Penn State's top prospect at the posi- tion, which is why he needs to be men- tioned here. With that said, the Lions have work to do, and it's a position that they could a9ord to skip if they aren't able to land an elite player like Edwards. Some will probably be surprised to see cornerback Tony Grimes absent from my top 10. Make no mistake, he's a very im- portant recruit for Penn State. But there's a lot that still has to play out here. I think North Carolina is surging with Grimes, while Georgia and Ohio State are also very much in the mix. The Lions may be on the bubble to make his top three. Defensive tackle Kelvin Gilliam Jr. also has to be mentioned. He's believed to be a Penn State lean at the moment, but keep an eye on Oklahoma. He wants to visit the Sooners as soon as possible. However, there's also been speculation that he might decide to commit later this sum- mer now that the NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period to July 31. For now, he's saying that he's in no rush. The 8nal two prospects who just missed the list are o9ensive linemen Rocco Spindler and Diego Pounds. Spindler is an interior lineman from Michigan. He recently narrowed his list to Penn State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State. The Fighting Irish and Wolverines are believed to be PSU's top competitors. The Lions are 8rmly in the mix but aren't considered the fa- vorites. Pounds announced his top 15 last month, but for the most part, he still has a ways to go. Penn State is believed to be in his top 8ve, even though he hasn't vis- ited campus. Pounds recently said that his relationship with Phil Trautwein and the rest of PSU's coaching sta9 is among the best he's formed so far. 10 | Jamari Buddin SCHOOLS Penn State, Boston College, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue ANALYSIS Penn State doesn't have to add another linebacker in this class, but Buddin, a three-star prospect from Belleville, Mich., is still one of the sta9's top targets. Michigan and Penn State were originally believed to be his top two schools with the other 8ve trailing, but now there's some talk that the Wolver- ines may be fading and the Spartans could be PSU's top competitors. Buddin has no timeline for a decision, but sources have suggested that he could be someone to watch in June. 9 | Khalil Dinkins SCHOOLS Penn State, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia ANALYSIS Following a few down years in Pennsylvania, Franklin and his sta9 are putting a major emphasis on the Key- stone State to 8nish out this class. That's a trend you'll notice on this list. Dinkins, a three-star prospect from Wexford, is versatile enough to play a few positions, but Penn State likes his potential best at tight end. The North Allegheny standout is in no rush to decide, but I expect the Nittany Lions to be among his top three schools when the time comes. 8 | Tristan Leigh SCHOOLS Penn State, Alabama, Clem- son, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Okla- homa, UCF, USC, Virginia, Virginia Tech ANALYSIS You could make the case that the 28th-ranked overall prospect in the Class of 2021 should be higher on this list, but I get the impression that Penn State has faded a bit here. The Lions should make his top 8ve, but at one point it felt like the four-star o9ensive tackle from Fairfax, Va., was destined to end up at PSU. I don't feel that way now, which is why I bumped Leigh down a bit. The good news for the Lions is that he doesn't appear to be close to deciding. That gives Franklin and Phil Trautwein plenty of time to make up ground. As for now, all signs point toward Clemson. 7 | George Wilson SCHOOLS Penn State, Arizona State, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wake Forest ANALYSIS Wilson announced his top seven schools on May 10, only to add an o9er from North Carolina the following day. I've been told by a few colleagues that the Tar Heels are very much in the mix for the three-star defensive end from Virginia Beach, Va. Wilson also appears to have serious interest in Arizona State and South Carolina, neither of which he's visited. O:cial visits should come this season, but keep an eye on the Tar Heels. He's already visited Chapel Hill. 6 | De'Jahn Warren SCHOOLS Penn State, Georgia, Mary- land, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee ANALYSIS Penn State has plenty of A N A L Y S I S B Y R Y A N S N Y D E R

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