Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1486024
5 4 D E C E M B E R 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 we had a good conversation. A lot of laughs, a lot of jokes. We had a good bond going on." Joseph has since taken official visits to Auburn and South Carolina. Miami is another school in the mix, with the Hurricanes expected to host him for an official visit before the early signing pe- riod begins Dec. 21. Along the offensive line, junior col- lege prospect Keyshawn Blackstock has emerged as the staff's top target. Listed at 6-5, 300, Blackstock is the nation's top-ranked juco offensive lineman. A native of Newton, Ga., he attends Cof- feyville (Kan.) Community College. So far, Illinois and South Carolina have hosted Blackstock for official vis- its, with Penn State set to welcome him Dec. 9-11. Auburn and Oregon are two other schools to watch in this recruit- ment. Both are aiming to get him on campus before the early signing period begins. Defensively, Penn State continues to recruit players at nearly every position. From a depth perspective, the Nittany Lions don't have to add anyone in the secondary or at linebacker. Neverthe- less, both four-star Virginia linebacker Kaveion Keys and four-star cornerback Daniel Harris remain important targets for the staff. Harris, a Miami a native who stands 6-2, 175 pounds, took an official visit to Penn State in June. The nation's No. 42 overall prospect according to On3, he seemingly ended his recruitment in July when he committed to Georgia. But everything changed in Novem- ber when Harris decommitted from the Bulldogs. While coach Kirby Smart and his staff aren't going to go down without a fight, Penn State is believed to be well positioned to earn Harris' signature. Keys attends Varina High in Richmond and is the No. 3 prospect in Virginia ac- cording to the On3 Consensus. Just like Harris, he took an official visit to Penn State this past summer but ultimately committed elsewhere, choosing North Carolina in late August. In the months since pledging to the Tar Heels, he has stayed in contact with Penn State's coaches. In fact, the 6-2, 190-pound prospect visited State Col- lege in October for the White Out win over Minnesota. He's still committed to North Carolina, but there is a belief that the Nittany Lions could change his mind down the stretch. Most of Penn State's focus on this side of the ball is along the line, where the staff continues to recruit both edge rushers and defensive tackles. Joseph Mupoyi, an On3 four-star prospect from St. Thomas More in Connecticut, has long been considered a serious target for the staff. The 6-4, 235-pound edge rusher visited in the summer and returned for the White Out game in October. Auburn, Ole Miss and Virginia Tech are a few other schools that are involved, but Mupoyi is believed to be favoring the Nittany Lions. Penn State has also extended a schol- arship offer to three-star defensive line- man Brenton Williams of Opelika, Ala. The 6-4, 245-pound Williams had ini- tially been committed to Coastal Caro- lina, but he opened up his recruitment after Penn State and Auburn offered in mid-November. Auburn has hosted him for a few unof- ficial visits, but with that program in the midst of a coaching change following Bryan Harsin's midseason exit, Franklin and his staff have a chance to get Wil- liams on campus for an official visit in December and make their case. Another player to watch is defen- sive tackle Quientrail Travis from Iowa Western Community College. Travis is a former teammate of two current Penn State redshirt freshmen: defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg and defensive end Davon Townley. He attended Iowa West- ern with van den Berg and North Com- munity (Minn.) High with Townley, so he already has connections within assistant coach John Scott's defensive line room. "They say it's a good place to be, and the coaching staff is great," Travis said. "It's like a dream come true for them. They just had a lot of nice things to say about Penn State and nothing bad." The 6-4, 275-pound Travis has already taken an official visit to Nebraska. It's expected that he will check out Penn State soon, with an official visit slated for Dec. 9-11. ■ Edwin Joseph, a four-star wideout prospect from Hollywood, Fla., is considering PSU after connecting with receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield during his official visit in September. "We had a good conversation," Joseph said. "A lot of laughs, a lot of jokes. We had a good bond going on." PHOTO BY GREG PICKEL