Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A R C H 2 0 2 2 4 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he top junior college prospect in the country is already on Penn State's campus. Offensive lineman JB Nelson out of Lackawanna College is a key member of Penn State's 2022 recruiting class. The On3 Consensus rates him as the No. 1 overall junior college prospect, giving the Nittany Lions a crucial boost at a position of need entering the 2022 season. "JB is an extremely talented athlete," Lackawanna coach Mark Duda said. "He's very twitchy, quick, long and tall. He can make blocks other people can't make. He's an exceptional athlete. He's really gritty and tough and finishes blocks be- cause he wants to finish them." Penn State listed Nelson at 6-foot-5, 300 pounds when he signed his letter of intent at the beginning of the early signing period back in December. Nelson, who projects as a guard, is one of nine signees who enrolled early, al- lowing him to arrive on campus in Janu- ary and partake in winter workouts and spring ball. Lackawanna offensive coordinator Josh Pardini called Nelson one of the strongest players he's ever coached — a trait that will certainly benefit a Nittany Lion of- fensive line that seemed to be lacking in brute force during the 2021 season. "He's sneaky athletic because he's never in a bad position to get back into a good position," Pardini told BWI last summer. "It's rare that he gets beat across the face or up the field or takes a bad angle, and so you don't get to see that athleticism all the time, but what you do get to see is some- body who is just physically ready to play at the point of attack at that level. "In the run game, he changes the line of scrimmage. He gets the defense, un- derstands leverage, and opposing players' leverage. He does a great job of accelerat- ing defenders. If they want to go inside, he says, I'm going to take the inside, and he's going to go there fast and violent." Penn State was interested in Nelson as a high school prospect coming out of Mt. Lebanon High in Pittsburgh. But Nelson elected to go the junior college route and has since emerged as a top-level prospect who could help the Lions immediately. He chose Penn State from among a group of five offers that also included Mississippi, Maryland, West Virginia and NC State. He announced his commitment on July 2, 2021, citing Penn State's close re- lationship with Lackawanna as a major factor in his choice. Both of the Nittany Lions' starting safeties last year — Jaquan Brisker and Ji'Ayir Brown — were former Falcons players, as was backup offensive lineman Anthony Whigan. "I know they've been great with Lacka- wanna players," Nelson said following his commitment. "Another part is just that I had a talk with my whole family about it, and they all want me to go there. My mom really liked the school. She really liked the coaches, and we both felt like it felt at home there." With spring practice still weeks away, it's unclear whether he'll step right into a key role for Penn State, but Duda believes Nelson can make an impact, as have many other Lackawanna players before him. "The sky is the limit for him," Duda said. ■ Nelson is the No. 1 junior college prospect in the coun- try in the 2022 recruiting cycle according to the On3 Consensus. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER JB Nelson Adds Strength And Toughness To Offensive Line DAV I D E C K E R T | D AV I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M JB NELSON OL | 6-5 | 300 LACKAWANNA COLLEGE PITTSBURGH, PA. RANKINGS (JUCO) STARS NAT. POS. STATE consensus ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 1 1 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 1 1 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 2 1 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 4 — — ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 3 2 1 STATISTICS • Started all 10 games for Lackawanna last season. • Helped the Falcons average 37.5 points and 434.2 yards per game. • Paved the way for a rushing attack that averaged 161.2 yards per game. NOTABLE • Beat out a returning starter at Lackawanna, win- ning the job after a dozen practices. • Ran a 5.2-second 40-yard dash. • Was a top-five overall junior college prospect according to every major recruiting network. • Penn State was among the schools he considered coming out of high school. RECRUITMENT • Held offers from Mississippi, West Virginia, Mary- land and NC State. • Attended camp at Penn State on June 6, 2021, and received an offer at that time. • Recruited by cornerbacks coach Terry Smith and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. • Committed to Penn State on July 2, 2021. • Enrolled in January 2022. 2022 PROJECTION Nelson is joining an offensive line that struggled throughout the 2021 season. He's a newcomer to Penn State, but he's not arriving straight out of high school, which means that he could be well- positioned to contribute early in his career. THEY SAID IT BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "The first thing you observe when you watch film of JB Nelson is, this dude is strong. That's a common thread with the players that Phil Trautwein recruits. He's not going to be sacrificing strength and run-blocking ability for pass blockers and guys who maybe are better in space. You want to have a complete player if you're Phil Trautwein, and you can't do that unless you have a guy who just blows people off the ball."