Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1445781
5 2 F E B R 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 big thing was how great the education and after-football aspect was, and how the school is able to exceed expecta- tions football and academic-wise. Penn State is definitely a top contender of mine. I plan on taking other visits and evaluating my options, but the program is definitely high on my list." Penn State also welcomed one of Ohio's top up-and-coming prospects in defensive end Michael Kilbane. A standout at St. Edward High in sub- 2022 COMMITS IN ON300 RANKINGS RANK NAME POS CHANGE 7th Drew Allar QB Up five spots from No. 12 16th Nick Singleton RB Up five spots from No. 21 20th Dani Dennis-Sutton DE Up 18 spots from No. 38 128th Abdul Carter LB Up 46 spots from No. 174 151st Kaytron Allen RB Up 50 spots from No. 201 210th KJ Winston S Up 71 spots from No. 281 223rd Kaden Saunders WR Up nine spots from No. 232 248th Drew Shelton OL Down 23 spots from No. 225 251st Cam Miller CB Down 56 spots from No. 195 The honors keep rolling in for Penn State running back Nick Singleton. On Jan. 20, the On3 five-star player was named the Maxwell Football Club's Offensive National High School Player of the Year. Singleton, who shined throughout his career at Governor Mifflin High in Shillington, Pa., had previously been saluted as Gatorade's National Player of the Year and was chosen as the All-American Bowl's Offensive Player of the Year. As a senior at Governor Mifflin, Singleton ran for 2,059 yards and 44 touchdowns, helping the Mustangs finish 10-1 and claim the Berks Football League Section 1 title. He averaged 12.4 rushing yards per attempt and 13.2 yards per touch, factoring in his four receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns on kickoff returns. Sin- gleton scored every 3.89 times he handled the football. Over the course of his four-year varsity career, Single- ton rushed for 6,326 yards, setting a Berks County record, and he scored 116 touchdowns on the ground. He will be honored at the 85th Maxwell Football Club National Awards Gala, which is set to take place March 18 at the Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. He's already on Penn State's campus, having enrolled in classes in January. During his trip to San Antonio to play in the All-American Bowl, Singleton said he's eager to make an impact in the Nittany Lions' backfield this coming fall. "I want to come in, start getting into the playbook early and then hopefully start early in my freshman year," he said. PSU PROSPECTS MOVE UP IN FINAL ON300 RANKINGS Penn State fans already had a lot to be excited about with the class of 2022, and that sense of anticipation was only heightened Jan. 24 with the release of the final On300 rankings. The big news surrounded defensive end prospect Dani Dennis-Sutton. Fol- lowing an excellent showing at the All-American Bowl in San Antonio in early January, the McDonogh (Md.) School prospect moved up 18 spots to No. 20 overall in the final ranking. That change also upgraded him to five-star status. But Dennis-Sutton was hardly the only future Nittany Lion who experienced a positive change in the final ranking. Penn State's other two five-star players — running back Nick Singleton and quarterback Drew Allar — also moved up. Singleton advanced five spots to No. 16 overall, while Allar also moved up five places, to No. 7. In addition, the Medina, Ohio, prospect is No. 2 at quarterback. Ohio State commit Devin Brown moved up 28 spots and is now considered the No. 1 overall prospect in the country. Behind those three, Penn State has six other players within the On300, four of whom moved up in the final ranking. Linebacker Abdul Carter, running back Kaytron Allen and safety KJ Winston were the three who made the biggest moves. Carter, who plays at La Salle College High in Glens- dale, Pa., is now the fourth-ranked player in Penn State's class, having moved up 46 spots to No. 128. "With Abdul Carter, we kept coming back to his speed and physicality," said Charles Power, On3's director of scouting. "Play speed is an important attribute at linebacker, and we thought he separated himself a bit among some of the others in that regard. That became more and more evident in going back and watching the video of the linebacker group." The running back Allen, who plays at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., now checks in at No. 151 overall, while Winston, a safety out of DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Md., rates No. 210 in the class. "KJ Winston just had a very good senior year at De- Matha," Power said. "He was named the All-Met De- fensive Player of the Year, and deservedly so. We liked Winston's instincts and ability to affect the game in dif- ferent ways. He's well-rounded with his ability to quickly diagnose plays, cover, make plays on the ball and tackle." Penn State freshman wide receiver Kaden Saunders also made a positive move, jumping up nine spots to No. 223 overall. The wide receiver class for 2022 ranks among the best in more than a decade. Saunders suffered a minor injury at the Under Armour All-America Game, which kept On3's scouts from making major changes to his ranking. Two other signees moved down, but still rank among the nation's top 300 recruits — offensive lineman Drew Shelton of Downingtown (Pa.) West checks in at No. 248 and cornerback Cam Miller of Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity Christian ranks No. 251. Overall, Penn State's class of 2022 is expected to remain somewhere around No. 7 in the On3 Consensus rankings once 247 and Rivals update their lists in the days ahead. — Ryan Snyder Maxwell Club Honors Nick Singleton As Nation's Top Offensive Player Singleton rushed for 2,059 yards and 44 touch- downs as a senior at Governor Mifflin High last fall. He attended the All-American Bowl in San Antonio in early January and is now enrolled at PSU. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER