Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M That gave him the confidence to commit to Penn State on Sept. 4, 2020. However, his recruitment wasn't entirely over. Shelton ended up enrolling at IMG Academy in Florida in the beginning of 2021, and that move sparked the interest of multiple Southern programs, most notably Florida. He took an official visit to Gainesville in June and followed that up with his official visit to Penn State a week later. After one more unofficial visit to PSU, he shut down his recruitment. Shelton is considered a four-star prospect in the On3 Consensus and is an Under Armour All-Amer- ican. JB NELSON 6-5 | 290| Pittsburgh, Pa. Nelson camped with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein at Penn State back in June. Once he ar- rived on campus, it took the staff only a few hours to extend an offer to the Lackawanna College pros- pect. Nelson, who weighed over 300 pounds at the time, put up some impressive testing numbers, including a 4.75-second shuttle. Nelson would go on to commit less than a month later on July 2. He earned five total scholarship offers, with Maryland, Ole Miss, North Carolina State and West Virginia also making a push in the summer. A three-star prospect, Nelson will enroll at Penn State in January. He's the top-ranked junior col- lege player in the country according to the On3 Consensus. MALEEK MCNEIL 6-7 | 340 | Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. McNeil earned an offer from Penn State in Feb- ruary 2021. Leading up to his decision, he totaled eight verbal offers, with Rutgers and Boston Col- lege being the other schools in his top three. McNeil ended up committing on May 1. He's a three-star prospect according to the On3 Consen- sus and ranks seventh overall in New York. DEFENSE DEFENSIVE END DANI DENNIS-SUTTON 6-5 | 255 | Millsboro, Del. Dennis-Sutton of the McDonogh School in Ow- ings Mills, Md., is Penn State's top defensive pros- pect in the 2022 class, coming in No. 44 in the On3 Consensus rankings. He earned an offer from Penn State in May 2019 and visited State College once before the pandemic shut down recruiting for most of 2020. He ultimately only took three official visits this past June, with Alabama and Georgia being the other two schools that hosted him. Georgia was Penn State's main competitor, but after thinking about it, Dennis-Sutton ended up continuing the McDonogh pipeline to Penn State. Dennis-Sutton broke his elbow prior to his senior season but still managed to collect seven sacks in seven games as he closed out his high school career. He'll participate in the All-American Bowl in January. KEN TALLEY 6-2 | 243 | Philadelphia, Pa. When Penn State landed Talley in September 2020, it added both a highly coveted prospect and someone who could help build the rest of the class. An On3 Consensus four-star defensive end, he totaled 95 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 12 sacks this past season. The performance earned him first-team U.S. Army All-America honors. Penn State graduate assistant Deion Barnes played a significant role in landing Talley's commit- ment, having coached the defensive end prospect at Northeast High before joining Franklin's staff in State College. That connection helped Talley earn an offer in June 2019. Besides the Lions, Talley strongly considered Michigan, Rutgers, Texas A&M and West Virginia, and he also looked at Pitt, Virginia and Tennessee. Talley ranks No. 11 in the state and No. 355 overall. DEFENSIVE TACKLE KALEB ARTIS 6-4 | 295 | Westbury, N.Y. Artis earned an offer from Penn State in Novem- ber 2020. He officially visited Auburn, Virginia and Penn State in the summer, but it was clear once he wrapped up his official visit to PSU on June 12 that the Nittany Lions were the team to beat. Artis committed on July 4. A four-year team captain at St. Francis Prep, he was limited this past season due to injury. Because of the pandemic, 2019 was his best season. He totaled 52 tackles that year, including 19 tackles for loss. An On3 Consensus three-star prospect, Artis checks in at No. 538 overall nationally. ZANE DURANT 6-1 | 255 | Orlando, Fla. Durant earned an offer from Penn State in Janu- ary. The Florida prospect took official visits to In- diana, Miami and Penn State, and the Hurricanes were PSU's true competitors here. Just like Artis, he committed to the Nittany Lions on July 4. Durant totaled 66 tackles as a senior, including 28 tackles for loss and a school-record 15 sacks. He also owns the Lake Nona High career records for most sacks (24.5) and tackles for loss (57). An On3 Consensus four-star prospect, Durant ranks No. 309 nationally and No. 39 at defensive tackle. He'll enroll at Penn State in January. LINEBACKER ABDUL CARTER 6-4 | 235 | Philadelphia, Pa. Carter earned an offer from Penn State in April 2020, but it was June 2021 when he became a must-have prospect for the Nittany Lions. Attend- Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was slowed by a preseason elbow injury but still managed to record seven sacks in seven games this past fall. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER