Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M With 20 committed prospects awaiting their opportunity to sign in De- cember, there's not much room left for additional prospects in Penn State's 2023 recruiting class. During the past few months, it has looked increasingly likely that the coaching staff will take about 23 players in this cycle. However, as with any class, there's wiggle room. If the coaches see a player that they can't afford to miss out on, they'll find a way to increase that number. They always do. Penn State's staff looks to be focused on four positions heading into the last few months of the cycle: offensive tackle, defensive end, running back and wide receiver. Running back wasn't much of a need until the end of August when Scran- ton, Pa., commitment London Montgomery went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Considering the early success that freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have enjoyed at PSU this fall and the possibility that one of the other running backs might enter the transfer portal, it would make sense for the coaches to pursue another player at this position group. Chris Johnson, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native and four-star prospect in the On3 Consensus, appears to be assistant coach Ja'Juan Seider's top target. The 5-foot-11, 178-pounder from Dillard High holds 34 scholarship offers. Alabama, Miami and NC State have all hosted him, and now he's beginning to take official visits. Utah brought him in for an official visit Sept. 23-25, while Mississippi was planning to welcome him in November. "My recruitment picked up with Penn State [recently]," Johnson said. "Coach Seider was texting me, telling me that they needed me up at Penn State. I'm going to give them a shot to see what they've got. I'm trying to set up an official with Penn State." Penn State isn't just looking for a running back in South Florida; it's also pursuing wide receiver Edwin Joseph of Chaminade Madonna. A four-star prospect, Joseph took an official visit to PSU on the weekend of Sept. 23-25. "I'm trying to find the place I'm going to be most comfortable at the next four years," Joseph said a few days before his visit. "Family is definitely a priority to me, so I want to see how I fit in with the guys already there." His hometown school, Miami, is believed to be the favorite. Since the Hur- ricanes extended their offer in early September, Joseph has taken two visits with Mario Cristobal and his staff. Louisville, Florida State and Utah are also in the mix. A decision isn't expected until November or December. The Nittany Lions' targets at offensive tackle were a mystery throughout August and most of September, but that changed when position coach Phil Trautwein offered a junior college prospect, Keyshawn Blackstock. A native of Covington, Ga., Blackstock is playing at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Listed at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, Blackstock played in six games last season but didn't earn any scholarship offers. Interest intensified when schools saw his recent film. In just a two-week span in September, Blackstock picked up 20 offers. Penn State was one of those schools, along with Auburn, Okla- homa State, Mississippi State, Missouri, TCU and many others. "I've been talking to the O-line coach on and off," Blackstock said. "He told me he saw my film, and I'm a beast. He asked for my cell. The conversation went well. The offer means a lot. I love how they're big on tradition. They like to do research on their players, and that's big." Defensive end remains a need following Tomarrion Parker's decommit- ment in early August. The four-star prospect is still speaking with the staff, but it appears that Clemson has become the team to beat. Coach Dabo Swinney and his staff extended an offer to Parker just a few days after he opened up his recruitment. Penn State hosted edge rusher Joseph Mupoyi, a four-star prospect in the On3 Consensus, for an unofficial visit in July. The 6-5, 235-pound Mupoyi grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo before coming to the United States to pursue a basketball career. He then gave football a try at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., last season, and it proved to be a smart decision. Having taken up the sport only five months earlier, Mupoyi totaled 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks playing alongside five-star edge rusher Nyckoles Harbor. Mupoyi has since transferred to St. Thomas More in Connecticut to add more credits before enrolling at the college of his choice. In addition to Penn State, Auburn got him on campus in July. The Tigers are among the schools in the mix, although it remains unclear which ones are standing out. — Ryan Snyder Four-star edge rusher Joseph Mupoyi is a relative newcomer to football. In his first season at Archbishop Carroll in Washington, D.C., last year, he had 27 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER PSU Is Focused On Four Positions Entering Final Months Of 2023 Cycle