Penn State Sports Magazine
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J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Although Virginia Tech did con- vince him to take an official visit, Keys opened up his recruitment knowing that Penn State was going to be the school that earned his signature. He privately committed to James Franklin during an in-home visit Dec. 11 and made a public announcement five days later at a ceremony held at his school. Ranked No. 177 nationally, Keys holds a four-star rating from On3. He's the 15th-ranked linebacker for his class and the third-ranked player in Virginia. JAMEIAL LYONS DE | 6-5 | 245 Lyons burst onto the scene in the summer of 2021 when he put together a very strong workout at one of Penn State's summer camps, turning in a 4.8-second 40-yard dash and 4.5-sec- ond shuttle. James Franklin and de- fensive line coach John Scott decided to offer immediately, kickstarting a recruitment that always favored the Nittany Lions. By the spring of 2022, the Philadel- phia native had already taken five visits to State College in a 10-month span. He ultimately narrowed his list to five schools: Penn State, Cincinnati, Il- linois, Pitt and West Virginia. Of those five, West Virginia was the only other school he visited. Following back-to- back trips to PSU last spring, Lyons decided not to prolong the inevitable, committing to the Nittany Lions on April 22. During his senior season at Roman Catholic, Lyons finished with 36 tack- les, including 11 for loss. He also had 3 sacks, 2 pass deflections and a forced fumble, helping lead the Cahillites to a 9-3 finish — their first winning season in a decade. Lyons holds a four-star rating from On3. He's ranked No. 125 nationally, and is the second-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania for the 2023 class. KING MACK S | 5-10 | 175 Penn State broke through at St. Thomas Aquinas, landing a defensive back commitment in the class of 2023 from the national powerhouse located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Nittany Lions did so by establishing early re- lationships with up-and-comers like Mack, who played a reserve role behind four FBS prospects as a junior before breaking out as a senior. The hybrid defensive back, who could end up as a nickel cornerback in the mold of current Penn State redshirt junior Daequan Hardy, picked the Nit- tany Lions over Michigan State. "Penn State was just a different vibe," Mack said. "Happy Valley, once I got there, I knew that was the place to be. The way Coach Franklin cares for the kids, he sees bigger than football, but he doesn't settle for a bachelor's degree. He wants you to get your mas- ter's degree. That separates and makes a difference between being mediocre and being great. That just stood out for me. What they're building, it's won- derful." Mack will bring verified speed with him to Happy Valley, with a 100-meter time of 10.64 seconds and a 400-me- ter time of 46.68 seconds that won him a state title in Florida. He helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas to a state football championship as a senior. A four-star prospect as rated by On3, Mack is the No. 99 overall player in the 2023 class and the No. 8 safety pros- pect nationally. LONDON MONTGOMERY RB | 5-10 | 185 Penn State extended a scholarship offer to Montgomery in March. Many expected PSU to pursue the Scranton (Pa.) Prep ball carrier more aggres- sively. After all, he had put together a very impressive junior season, totaling 2,356 rushing yards and 36 touch- downs. When the offer did come, Mont- gomery made it clear that he would give it serious consideration, but the four-star running back took his time, visiting Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse in the spring. Boston Col- lege got him back on campus in June for an official visit, and so did Virginia Tech and Penn State. Once those visits were finished, Montgomery took a few weeks to think it over, eventually com- Running back London Montgomery rushed for 2,356 yards as a junior at Scranton (Pa.) Prep before having to sit out his senior season with a knee injury. PHOTO COURTESY MONTGOMERY FAMILY