Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
M A R C H 2 0 2 2 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Y ou won't find a commitment that was more celebrated by Penn State fans in the class of 2022 than the one that five-star defensive end Dani Den- nis-Sutton issued last July. Leading up to his decision, Dennis- Sutton may have been the most talked- about prospect among Penn State fol- lowers since linebacker Micah Parsons in 2018. Yes, the excitement surround- ing his recruitment surpassed that of quarterback Drew Allar and running back Nick Singleton, two other five-star prospects in the class. It wasn't particu- larly close, either. The major reason why was that the Nittany Lions had been battling Ala- bama and Georgia. They are arguably the two best programs in all of college football, and it's not often that Penn State's coaching staff is able to beat them out. The Lions have landed a few players who have earned offers from those two schools, but when Alabama and Georgia are pushing hard to the very end, one of them usually ends up with the player they're pursuing. Not this time. In early June, about seven weeks before Dennis-Sutton announced his decision, the NCAA had just ended its pandemic-initiated dead period, and schools across the country were push- ing to get Dennis-Sutton on campus. By this time, the Millsboro, Del., native had already narrowed his list to Penn State and the two SEC powers, but that didn't stop schools like Ohio State from trying to get a foot in the door late. For once, the Buckeyes didn't get their way. Dennis-Sutton ended up going to Al- abama first, officially visiting June 4-6, with trips to Penn State and Georgia the following two weekends, respectively. By the time he was done, it was clear that Georgia was Penn State's primary competitor. Leading up to that point, James Franklin and his staff had held the lead in this recruitment for nearly two years; Penn State was the only school Dennis-Sutton had visited before on- campus recruiting was halted. Once he saw Georgia, though, it gave him a lot to think about. "If you've never seen the facilities at Georgia and just the overall support down there, I would tell anyone to go check it out," Dennis-Sutton said a few weeks after he visited. "It's incredible what they've built down there. I don't know how anyone could go visit Georgia and not be impressed." By mid-July, Dennis-Sutton's deci- sion had become unbearably stress- ful. On one hand, he had a relation- ship with Penn State that went back to his freshman year. Between assistant coaches John Scott Jr., Ty Howle and Brent Pry, plus recruiting coordinator Kenny Sanders, who attended the same high school as Dennis-Sutton, Mc- Donogh School in Owings Mills, Md., he had forged a relationship that was unmatched. On the other hand, he had a real op- portunity to join the eventual national champion. In today's recruiting climate, most players in his position would end up picking Georgia. However, Dennis-Sut- ton isn't like most other teenage ath- letes. For him, this decision was about much more than just wins. "I genuinely love Penn State," he said. "It's not just about Coach Franklin and all the coaches there who I also love. For me, I love the atmosphere, the commu- nity, the people. I love it all, and that's what's important to me. That's why I came to Penn State." One stressful moment led to another Dennis-Sutton was pursued aggressively by both of last season's national championship finalists — Georgia and Alabama — but he chose Penn State, committing to the Nittany Lions in late July. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Lions Pull Off Recruiting Coup By Landing Dani Dennis-Sutton RYA N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M