Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1349632
players below. The NCAA has once again extended the dead period, this time until June 1, so visits won't be taking place until the summer. But there's reason to believe that the most recent extension will be the last. If visits do resume beginning in June, the summer will be one of the most im- portant periods in recent memory for Franklin and his sta8. Below is our list of the top 10 o8ensive recruits who Penn State fans need to watch as we head into the spring. Jacob Allen OL | 6-5 | 277 Princeton, N.J. Hun School The Nittany Lions extended an o8er to Allen back in April 2020, so Phil Trautwein has been building a relation- ship with him for just about a year now. So far, Rutgers and Penn State have been the most consistent schools with Allen, and we expect both programs to host him for visits shortly a9er the dead period ends this summer. Allen has visited Rut- gers already, while programs like Alabama and Texas have extended o8ers in recent months. But for now, it feels as though he's a prospect Franklin and his sta8 should be able to land. Tyler Booker OL | 6-5 | 315 New Haven, Conn. IMG Academy (Fla.) Booker grew up in New Haven and now attends IMG Academy. Like Allen, he was one of the 7rst prospects Trautwein heav- ily pursued a9er joining the sta8 from Boston College. Over the past year, that relationship has become as strong as any Booker has formed, and it now feels as though he may very well be Penn State's top o8ensive line prospect in this class. Booker hasn't been able to see campus yet; he was supposed to visit the weekend the NCAA shut down all in-person re- cruiting. But that should change this summer. One factor to bear in mind is that the competition will be intense. Even if they make his top 7ve, the Nittany Lions will surely be going up against the nation's top programs. Ramon Brown RB | 6-0 | 195 North Chesterfield, Va. Lloyd C. Bird Brown doesn't speak with the media much, but sources have suggested that he's very interested in the Nittany Lions. Ja'Juan Seider has been in contact with Brown throughout the fall and winter, and that's put PSU safely in his top 7ve, prob- ably even top three. West Virginia, Vir- ginia and Virginia Tech are the three other schools most o9en mentioned in connec- tion with Brown. He's visited all three of those schools already, and we expect Penn State to be one of the 7rst he sees this summer. Ryan Brubaker OT | 6-6 | 280 Denver, Pa. Cocalico Brubaker just picked up an o8er from Phil Trautwein on Feb. 23. Although it came a bit later than some might have ex- pected given that he grew up outside of Reading, he's still an in-state prospect who now holds an o8er. Penn State is o9en- times selective when it comes to Keystone State prospects. Brubaker, who's also the son of former PSU o8ensive lineman Je8 Brubaker, is very familiar with the pro- gram, although he's never attended a true regular-season game in Beaver Stadium. He has been to a few spring games, how- ever. Brubaker has only seen one school so far, visiting Liberty last summer, and even that was a self-guided tour, so there's a long way to go here. Now that he has an o8er, we expect Franklin and his sta8 to be in the mix until the very end. Darrius Clemons WR | 6-4 | 210 Portland, Ore. Westview It's not o9en that Penn State gets seri- ously involved with prospects from Ore- gon, but the Nittany Lions are on pace to make Clemons' top 7ve. One thing that's really helped here is his relationship with verbally committed receiver Kaden Saun- ders, as the two have become friends in recent months. Auburn, Oregon, Notre Dame and Stanford are also heavily re- cruiting Clemons, while Alabama, Clem- son, Florida and Texas A&M can't be ruled out. Visits this summer will prove crucial with the Rivals250 prospect, as Clemons has only seen a few schools so far. Cristian Driver WR | 6-1 | 170 Argyle, Texas Liberty Christian Driver may be listed as a safety by Ri- vals.com, but Penn State likes him best as a wide receiver. That shouldn't be a major surprise considering that his fa- ther, Donald Driver, was a four-time Pro Bowl receiver and Super Bowl champion during his 14-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. During his time with the Packers, Driver was coached by James Franklin, and the two remain friendly to this day. That's part of the reason why Cristian is so important to the staff. Driver still hasn't been able to visit Penn State, but we expect him and his family to make their way to State College this summer. Taylor Stubblefield and the entire offensive staff have made him a priority. Andre Greene Jr. WR | 6-3 | 180 Richmond, Va. St. Christopher's Greene is one of the best wide re- ceivers on the East Coast, but he's also one of the quietest when it comes to dis- cussing his top schools and his recruit- ment in general. To be fair, there's only so much to discuss when you haven't been able to visit schools for an entire year. Sources have indicated that the Nittany Lions should make his top 10, but they may have a tough time cracking his top five or so. Clemson hasn't of-

