Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
M A R C H 2 0 2 2 2 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State did not waste any time in its recruitment of three-star New York defensive lineman Kaleb Artis. Good thing, too. That display of early enthusi- asm was one of the factors that convinced Artis to sign with the Nittany Lions. The college football world was still locked down tight due to the pandemic when graduate assistant Deion Barnes began reaching out to Artis. Barnes, a former Penn State defensive lineman himself, would check in a couple of times each week. The Nittany Lions hadn't even ex- tended an offer yet, but Barnes made it abundantly clear that they were inter- ested, and the two hit it off right away. "From the start, he liked the way I worked," Artis told BWI. "I was doing workouts in the front yard at the time and posting them on Twitter. He would always tell me that if I needed help with anything, let him know. I liked that. "We clicked from the jump. He's a younger guy himself, so he keeps it real. Not saying that the older coaches don't, but it's always fun bonding with a coach in his mid-20s, especially a guy who's accomplished as much as he has. It's just a little different." Artis was only able to make one unof- ficial visit before the pandemic began — to Rutgers — but even with the COVID- related dead period in effect up through the first five months of 2021, he did some traveling, exploring Penn State, Auburn and Virginia last summer. Artis' school, St. Francis Prep in Queens, didn't play a football season that fall, but Penn State's coaching staff had already seen enough. The Nittany Lions extended an offer in November 2020, and Artis accepted it the following July, three weeks after taking an official visit to the school. He chose PSU over Auburn and Virginia. In Artis, Penn State is getting a sturdy 310-pound defensive tackle whose high school resume probably doesn't reflect his true college potential. Because of the pandemic, his junior season consisted of a handful of games last spring, and he was slowed by injuries last fall. His best season came as a sophomore, when he had 52 tackles including 19 tackles for loss. Artis ranks as the No. 555 overall pros- pect and the No. 61 defensive tackle in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Consensus. He's one of two defen- sive tackles in Penn State's 2022 class, joining four-star Florida prospect Zane Durant. Artis hasn't spent much time on cam- pus yet, but he's eager to get to PSU later this year. His online conversations with the staff over the past few years have been helpful and informative, but it was his of- ficial visit last summer that really whet- ted his appetite for what's to come. "I think I made a great choice," Artis said. "I see such a good [football pro- gram] that they have, but it's also a good school as well. It's great for academics, a great football organization and a really nice campus. "I just got a great feel for all the coaches while I was there. Being there in person is super important, because we were on Zoom calls for such a long time." ■ A strong sophomore season at St. Francis Prep in Queens, N.Y., helped turn Artis into a coveted recruiting target. He chose Penn State over Auburn and Virginia. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Nittany Lions' Head Start Helps Them Land Kaleb Artis M AT T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M KALEB ARTIS DT | 6-4 | 310 ST. FRANCIS PREP WESTBURY, N.Y. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE consensus ✪ ✪ ✪ 555 61 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ – 54 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ – 60 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ – 29 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ – 86 6 STATISTICS • Finished with 2.5 sacks during a senior season in which he was slowed by injuries, along with two sacks and two forced fumbles during his junior year. • Credited with 52 stops as a sophomore, including 19 tackles for loss. NOTABLE • Was a four-year team captain at St. Francis Prep. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Penn State on July 4, 2021. • Picked the Nittany Lions over offers from Auburn and Virginia. • Recruited by defensive line coach John Scott Jr. and graduate assistant Deion Barnes. • Officially visited Penn State on June 12, 2021. 2022 PROJECTION Coach James Franklin has said that he wants at to have at least five players in his defensive tackle rotation, and he has two in this year's recruiting class, with four-star Florida prospect Zane Durant joining Artis. Durant is already on campus, so if there's a spot in the rotation for a freshman following the departure of starter Derrick Tangelo and veteran backup Fred Hansard, the talented Floridian would seem to have a leg up. But at 310 pounds, Artis appears physically ready to compete. While a redshirt seems likely, it wouldn't be surprising to see him on the field at some point this coming fall. THEY SAID IT BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Artis has a le- gitimate chance to be the kind of difference-making defensive tackle that Penn State has been missing. He's working with a complete set of physical tools and can likely improve those as he matures in col- lege. He needs to learn how to use those tools more intentionally and to be more consistent from a fun- damental standpoint. Once he does that, there won't be many linemen who can match him."