Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1315054
F O O T B A L L R E C R U I T I N G Four-star WR joins Class of 2022 Anthony Ivey becomes second wideout to claim spot in Nittany Lions' class | P enn State picked up another Class of 2022 commitment in early Novem- ber with the addition of four-star wide receiver Anthony Ivey. A member of the Rivals250, Ivey re- ceived an o8er from the Nittany Lions more than a year ago, and he's only climbed higher up the recruiting board in the months since. He took four visits to University Park in a 7ve-month span, the most recent of which was for last year's White Out victory against Michigan. Ivey's decision came down to Penn State, Arizona State and West Virginia. He said his relationship with Taylor Stubble7eld played a big role in his choice. "He's a really cool guy. He's funny and relatable," Ivey said. "I get along with him well. He's just a cool guy. We text a lot throughout the week and then we talk on the phone probably once or twice a week, too." In addition to the coaching sta8, Ivey also has a close relationship with quarter- back and fellow Class of 2022 commit Beau Pribula, who joined the Nittany Lions' class back in August. Living just 45 minutes apart, the pair worked out to- gether throughout the spring and sum- mer and have since become close friends. "I talk to Beau all the time," Ivey said. "We text and FaceTime. We've hung out a couple times and have worked out to- gether, too. He's de7nitely someone I consider a friend." Playing in just four games this season, Ivey totaled 546 yards on 23 receptions, averaging an eye-catching 23.7 yards per catch. He also scored eight touchdowns. Ivey is the seventh player to join the Nit- tany Lions in that class, with 7ve of those players holding a four-star rating. As of late November, Penn State's class for next year ranked third in the nation. However, the Class of 2021 is strug- gling to gain momentum. Back on Nov. 7, the Nittany Lions suffered another major loss, as the staff 's top remaining prospect, safety Derrick Davis Jr., chose LSU over Penn State and Ohio State. The Pittsburgh native took visits to Colum- bus, Ohio, and Baton Rouge, La., in the weeks leading up to his decision, hoping to get a better feel for both towns since he couldn't actually meet with anyone associated with either football program due to the dead period. Davis has never met LSU head coach Ed Orgeron or any- one on his staff, yet he still chose the Tigers over Penn State, a school he vis- ited 11 times. In the weeks since missing out on Davis, James Franklin and his sta8 have handed out a number of scholarship o8ers for the Class of 2021. One of the more notable of- fers they extended went out to running back Deshun Murrell of Centreville, Ala. Previously committed to UCLA, Murrell opened up his recruitment on Nov. 23, but even before that, he had been speaking with running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider and other members of the sta8 almost daily. "I like that Coach Seider is just easy to talk with, easy to relate with," Murrell said. "It's not like I'm talking to a robot. NEWEST LION Ivey chose the Nittany Lions after building a strong relation- ship with re- ceivers coach Taylor Stubble- field. He's also gotten to know future Penn State QB Beau Pribula. Photo by Ryan Snyder