Blue White Illustrated

T here's still a month and a half to go until the NCAA's mandated dead pe- riod is scheduled to end on June 1, but schools all across the country are gearing up for what many expect to be a wild summer on the recruiting trail. After 14 months without any in-person recruit- ing, reports suggest that the NCAA's Di- vision I Council is discussing a resumption, and maybe more important, is looking to establish the rules that will guide the first few months after the pan- demic abates to the point where campus visits can take place. One major question is whether there will be a limit on how many players a school can host at a given time, and if so, how that will impact camps. Penn State usually hosts hundreds of players for each individual camp. Its Lion Strong seven-on-seven tournament in June 2019 saw upwards of 50 teams attend. When you include family, there were eas- ily 1,000 people spread out on the intra- mural fields that day. That seems unlikely in 2021, but it's one of several questions that need to be sorted out in the coming weeks. James Franklin and his staff aren't wait- ing for clarification when it comes to locking in official visits with their top tar- gets in the Class of 2022. As of late March, about a dozen uncommitted prospects had confirmed that they intend to take official visits to Penn State in June. The busiest weekend is shaping up to be June 11-13, with six players confirming their plans, including Penn State's most important prospect in the class, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. The 25th- ranked player in the nation, Dennis-Sut- ton is also expected to visit Alabama and Oklahoma, and maybe a few others, al- though most believe the Nittany Lions are the team to beat. Running back Nick Singleton of Shillington, Pa., is another player locked in for that weekend. The Rivals250 run- ning back actually has all five of his visits locked in already, beginning with Wis- consin the week prior, June 4-6. He'll then go to Northwestern (June 15-17), Notre Dame (June 18-20) and Ohio State (June 25-27). The Buckeyes remain Penn State's top competitors, with Notre Dame and Wisconsin considered sleep- ers. Singleton will be one of two elite run- ning backs on campus that weekend, joining Richmond, Va., native Ramon Brown. Brown also has a few visits locked in already, with West Virginia set to host him that first weekend, June 4-6. Then, after Penn State, he'll go to Virginia Tech (June 18-20) and Maryland (June 25-27). This will be his first trip to University Park. Brown has already seen the other three schools. Three other players expected to be at Penn State that weekend are cornerback Jaeden Gould of Oradell, N.J., safety Kevin Winston Jr. of Hyattsville, Md., and defensive lineman Joe Strickland of Indi- anapolis. Gould narrowed his list to Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers and USC in February. The Wolverines are believed to be PSU's top competitors. Strickland came to Univer- sity Park with his mother for a self- guided tour back in January, but he's never actually met with Franklin or any of the assistant coaches. He's another player who is thought to be leaning toward the Nittany Lions. Winston doesn't have any true favorites at this time, but Penn State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are among the top schools that have extended offers so far. The following weekend, June 18-20, is also setting up to be a big one for Franklin and his staff. The top player confirmed as of this writing was Cristian Driver, an athlete from Argyle, Texas, outside Dal- las. The son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, Cristian is one of Penn State's top overall prospects in this year's class. He doesn't speak with the media much, so it's hard to gauge his interest, but we know one school he will likely visit is Wisconsin, as his family still has ties to the area. Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M are also pushing for official visits. Penn State will also host another prospect from outside the region in cor- nerback Ryan Turner of Miramar, Fla. "Penn State was my first offer," Turner said. "They've kept it real with me from the start, so it's a no-brainer. I had to lock it in with them first." Turner has become close with Ja'Juan Seider and Terry Smith, and those con- nections should keep the Nittany Lions among his top three until the end. It won't be easy, however, with Clemson and Ohio State considered the competi- tion. Also, keep an eye on defensive end Anto Saka of Towson, Md., and linebacker Keon Wylie of Philadelphia, both of whom will visit that weekend. Wylie has been steadily moving up the staff's re- cruiting board following a good off-sea- son, while Saka earned an offer from the Lions earlier this month. Saka is set to take an official visit to Northwestern two weeks prior, June 4-5, while Wylie will be at Pitt from June 10-12. ■ Penn State eager for resumption of in-person visits | NICK SINGLETON Rivals.com

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