Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1467458
5 2 J U N E / J U L 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 the spring game. Of those players, about 40 had either earned a scholar- ship offer from the Lions or will have a real chance at doing so in the years to come. That made the Blue-White Game visitor list arguably Penn State's deepest since the White Out win against Auburn last September. In the 2023 class, Penn State hosted a few players who have visited regu- larly during the past year, including On3 four-star linebackers Ta'Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas. Robinson, from Pittsburgh, and Rojas, from Fair- fax, Va., remain Nos. 1 and 1A on Penn State's linebacker board. Robinson, who is listed as the No. 11 linebacker nationally and No. 2 player in Penn- sylvania by On3, admitted after the visit that he was close to committing to Penn State before Brent Pry left last November to become head coach at Virginia Tech. Fortunately for the Lions, his rela- tionships with Franklin and corner- backs coach Terry Smith are as strong as ever. "Coach Franklin and Coach Terry were saying that I know I belong there and that I'm their No. 1 guy and that's not going to change," Robinson said. "They really want me there, and they're going to do everything they can do to get me there." There were also a few 2023 prospects who visited for the first time, most notably three-star offensive lineman Zech Owens of McDonough, Ga., and defensive end Jalen Thompson of De- troit. Both players raved about their experience. "Penn State is amazing. Their fan base is amazing. I loved meeting the faculty they have and just the whole Four-star Virginia prospect Tony Rojas is one of Penn State's most coveted prospects at linebacker in the 2023 cycle. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Alex Birchmeier Upgraded To Five-Star Status In On3 Consensus Offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier of Ash- burn, Va., received a fifth star in the On3 Consensus rankings in April. Birchmeier checked in at No. 25 in the lat- est On3 Consensus rankings update, which makes him a five-star prospect and the top player at both his position and in his home state. The consensus takes into ac- count other recruiting networks in addition to On3's rankings. Charles Power, On3's national scouting di- rector, told BWI previously that Birchmeier "has one of the higher floors among offen- sive linemen in the 2023 cycle. We've had him identified as one of the top prospects at the position in the 2023 cycle for well over a year. He has good size, length and some of the better movement skills among interior linemen we've watched. "That, combined with his technical ability and understanding of leverage, makes for a prospect who should be in the mix to con- tribute early at Penn State." Birchmeier, who is preparing for his senior season at Broad Run High, is still listed as a four-star prospect in On3's rankings. He's the No. 33 overall prospect nationally, No. 3 of- fensive lineman and No. 1 player in Virginia. Fellow Penn State recruit Jven Williams, an offensive lineman from Reading, Pa., is sporting a reversed set of rankings. He's a five-star prospect in the On3 rankings but is still a four-star player in the On3 Consensus. — Greg Pickel