Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1400830
5 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M from McDonogh School in Baltimore, announced on July 22 that he had chosen the Nittany Lions. His recruitment cul- minated in one of the more anticipated announcements of the Franklin era at Penn State. Not only does he play for a school that has sent four players to the Nittany Lions in the past few years, but he also had made it clear for the better part of a year that Penn State was the school to beat. Of course, you can't have a five-star commitment without some drama, and Georgia provided plenty of that. At dif- ferent points in July, sources indicated that the Bulldogs were the team to beat, causing fans to wonder whether he was truly destined to play his college football at Penn State. But Dennis-Sutton did ul- timately pick the Nittany Lions, becom- ing the first five-star prospect to join the program since Micah Parsons in 2018. If it all ended there, Penn State's coaches and fans would have been elated with how everything turned out, but there were still four more Class of 2022 commitments to come, beginning with cornerback Cam Miller of Jacksonville, Fla., on July 26. Miller was followed by athlete Cristian Driver of Argyle, Texas, on July 29, and two players two days later: safety K.J. Winston of Hyattsville, Md., and linebacker Abdul Carter of Philadelphia. All told, the Nittany Lions picked up 12 commitments in July, seven of whom hold either a five- or four-star rating. On top of that, they jumped all the way to No. 1 in the Rivals Team Rankings, al- though they later slipped to No. 2 behind Notre Dame. And while they were filling up their 2022 class, the Nittany Lions were also making progress on its successor. On July 15, four-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier of Ashburn, Va., announced that he planned to sign with Penn State, having chosen the Lions over Notre Dame, Ohio State and Virginia Tech. The 6-5, 275-pound prospect is ranked 56 th nationally in the Class of 2023. While the Lions' recent surge may not have been as dramatic as the one in 2020 that featured the same number of com- mitments in just about half the time, it will be a run that fans won't forget any- time soon. Only time will tell if one of those players becomes the next Barkley, or even an impact freshman like Wash- ington. But if history has shown us any- thing, it's that some of these players may be the ones who take the program to a new level in the years to come. ■ P E N N S T A T E C O M M I T M E N T S * C L A S S O F 2 0 2 2 NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Drew Allar QB 6-5 220 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Medina, Ohio Medina Jordan Allen DB 6-0 180 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lafayette, La. Lafayette Christian Academy Kaytron Allen RB 5-11 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Norfolk, Va. IMG Academy (Fla.) Kaleb Artis DT 6-4 290 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Queens, N.Y. St. Francis Prep Alex Bacchetta K 6-3 200 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Atlanta, Ga. Westminster Abdul Carter LB 6-3 220 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia, Pa. La Salle College Jerry Cross TE 6-6 245 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Milwaukee, Wis. Rufus King Dani Dennis-Sutton DE 6-5 253 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Owings Mills, Md. McDonogh Cristian Driver Ath. 6-1 170 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Argyle, Texas Liberty Christian Zane Durant DT 6-1 260 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Orlando, Fla. Lake Nona Mehki Flowers Ath. 6-1 195 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Steelton, Pa. Central Dauphin East Anthony Ivey WR 5-11 180 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Lancaster, Pa. Manheim Township Tyler Johnson WR 6-0 175 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ridgeway, Va. Magna Vista Maleek McNeil OL 6-8 340 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cortland Manor, N.Y. Panas Cam Miller CB 6-0 180 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Jacksonville, Fla. Trinity Christian Academy Tyrece Mills Saf. 6-0 205 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia, Pa. Lackawanna College J.B. Nelson OL 6-5 320 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Pittsburgh, Pa. Lackawanna College Beau Pribula QB 6-2 205 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ York, Pa. Central York Kaden Saunders WR 5-10 170 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Westerville, Ohio Westerville South Drew Shelton OL 6-5 275 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Downingtown, Pa. Downingtown West Nick Singleton RB 6-0 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Shillington, Pa. Governor Mifflin Ken Talley DE 6-2 240 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia, Pa. Northeast K.J. Winston Saf. 6-2 190 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha Catholic Keon Wylie LB 6-3 210 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia, Pa. Imhotep Charter * As of Aug. 10