Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
5 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Bowl on Jan. 8. Singleton will then enroll at Penn State in January. KAYTRON ALLEN 5-11 | 222 | Norfolk, Va. Allen isn't one to talk much about his recruit- ment. Another standout prospect from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., he picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions in September 2019. He an- nounced his top schools back in January, a list that included Penn State, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, Texas and USC. Allen took official visits to Penn State, Florida, Georgia and Michigan State last summer and com- mitted to Penn State on July 16. He then took one final official visit to Florida State in November, but that was a precautionary trip, arranged after Franklin was mentioned as a potential candidate for the coaching vacancies at USC and LSU. Allen is a four-star prospect in the On3 Consen- sus rankings. He's listed No. 134 nationally and will enroll at Penn State in January. WIDE RECEIVER ANTHONY IVEY 5-11 | 175 | Lancaster, Pa. Penn State was the second Power Five program to extend an offer to Ivey. After a few early visits in 2019, Franklin and his staff watched a handful of games to start his sophomore season, offering at the end of September. Virginia Tech and West Virginia both earned visits before the dead period shut recruiting down the following spring, and by the summertime he had narrowed his list to Penn State, West Virginia and Arizona State. Auburn also made a late offer, but this was always Penn State's recruitment to lose, and Ivey ended up committing in October 2020. Ivey finished his career with over 2,000 yards re- ceiving and 21 touchdowns. He's a four-star player according to the On3 Consensus, sitting at No. 214 nationally. Ivey is also ranked sixth in Pennsylvania. TYLER JOHNSON 6-0 | 175 | Ridgeway, Va. Penn State extended an offer to Johnson in May 2021. He followed up on it by camping with the coaches in June. That proved to be a good decision, as Johnson put up some very impressive numbers, includ- ing a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and a 4.2-second shuttle. In fact, he was so impressive that Penn State welcomed him back for an official visit just two days later. By the end of that trip, Johnson had wrapped up his recruitment. In 2020, Johnson totaled 925 yards on just 25 catches, while also scoring 13 touchdowns. He then totaled 1,556 yards on 37 receptions and 13 touchdowns in 2021. Johnson is a three-star pros- pect in the On3 Consensus. KADEN SAUNDERS 5-10 | 160 | Westerville, Ohio Saunders was Penn State's first commitment in the 2022 recruiting class. The Westerville South prospect earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in March 2019 during an unofficial visit. He and his family made it clear at the time that Penn State had set a very high stan- dard for the schools that followed. Saunders would go on to visit at least 10 other schools that year, but by the end of 2019 he had taken four visits to Penn State, indicating that the Nittany Lions were the team to beat. The Under Armour All-American ultimately de- cided between Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia. He committed in July 2020. A late push from Alabama this past spring gave him something to think about, but Saunders never ended up visit- ing and remained loyal throughout. Saunders is a four-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus, coming in at No. 108 nationally and sixth overall in Ohio. He'll enroll at Penn State in January. OMARI EVANS 6-0 | 170 | Killeen, Texas Evans came to Penn State for an unofficial visit in June 2021, during which he did a private work- out with the coaching staff. It proved to be a wise decision. Evans ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and a 4.2-second shuttle, numbers that grabbed the staff 's attention immediately and prompted an offer before he left campus. He returned for an official visit when Penn State played Auburn in September, and that's when the Nittany Lions firmly became the team to beat. He went on to commit to Penn State on Oct. 2, choos- ing the Lions over Rutgers. Evans is a three-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus. Playing quarterback this past sea- son, he totaled 853 yards passing, 818 yards rush- ing and 16 total touchdowns. He'll enroll at Penn State in January. TIGHT END JERRY CROSS 6-5 | 255 | Milwaukee, Wis. Cross was the second player to join Penn State's Class of 2022. He earned an offer from then-tight ends coach Tyler Bowen in April 2020 and right away put the Nittany Lions on top. Wisconsin seemed to be in the mix, too, but Penn State added Cross to its class in late July of that year. He ended up only playing a handful of games his senior season due to an ankle injury but remained a four-star prospect according to the On3 Consen- sus. Cross will enroll at Penn State in January. OFFENSIVE LINE DREW SHELTON 6-5 | 275 | Downingtown, Pa. Shelton earned an offer from Penn State in May 2020. He took a self-guided tour a few months in August and fell in love with campus almost right away. Penn State's 2022 recruiting class is mostly done, but with the second National Signing Day a month away, it's possible that a player or two could still join. James Franklin remains interested in adding reinforcements along the offensive line. Before the early signing period, he and assistant coach Phil Trautwein had been pursuing two notable high school offensive tackles in Aamil Wagner of Cincinnati and Ty Chan of Groton, Mass. Wagner and Chan had been important targets for Penn State early in the 2022 cycle before they both commit- ted to Notre Dame. When coach Brian Kelly departed for LSU, Penn State tried a second time, but the two linemen followed through on their commitments. Most of Penn State's other would-be targets signed with their respective schools on Dec. 15, so if Franklin and his assistants decide to pursue a high school player, they will likely be starting from scratch. They're also not going to take players just to fill spots. Penn State has always been picky down the stretch, and there's no reason to think that approach will change. All of which means that any additions will likely come via the transfer portal. As of late Decem- ber, Penn State was pursuing offensive tackles Hunter Nourzad of Cornell, and Ryan Swoboda of Virginia. Nourzad was named a second-team FCS All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. Swoboda stands 6-foot-9 and is incredibly athletic for his size. The Lions do have a verbally committed prospect in their class who has not yet signed his let- ter of intent. Junior college safety Tyrece Mills was the lone player in the class who did not sign in December. Mills still has to finish academically at Lackawanna College in the spring. Because of a recent rule change aimed at curbing schools' ability to over-sign, the Nittany Lions must wait for Mills to be academically eligible before they sign him. — Ryan Snyder Options Dwindling, But Lions' Class Still Has Potential To Grow