Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
Tennessee and West Virginia were just a few of the more notable schools that were pursuing him. The Terra- pins and Vols both had his attention, and he made trips to College Park and Knoxville prior to the start of his junior season. But just a week after he checked out Maryland, Schlaffer attended Penn State's win over Ball State and left Beaver Stadium with an offer. He read- ily admitted at the time that it was a game-changer for him. He committed to PSU just six weeks later. A four-star prospect according to On3, Schlaffer is the 10th-ranked tight end in the country and is No. 187 overall nationally. He played on Exeter Town- ship's varsity team all four years and finished his career with 121 receptions for 2,502 yards and 30 touchdowns. Schlaffer is set to enroll at Penn State in January. JAXON SMOLIK QB | 6-1 | 205 A native of West Des Moines, Iowa, Smolik emerged on Penn State's radar in July. Committed to Tulane at the time, the Dowling Catholic quarterback earned a late invitation to the Elite 11 Final in Los Angles and put together a very strong showing, one that earned him top-performer honors from mul- tiple media outlets. With three-star quarterback pros- pect Marcus Stokes having recently de- committed from Penn State, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich shifted his interest to Smolik almost immediately. At the end of the month, Smolik trav- eled to State College to participate in PSU's final prospect camp. Competing against a few other 2023 quarterbacks that night, he exceeded expectations both athletically and as a passer. Smolik left campus with an offer that evening but kept it quiet initially due to his commitment to Tulane. On Aug. 11, he backed out of that pledge and ended up switching to Penn State the follow- ing day. After missing much of his junior season with a collarbone injury, Smolik wrapped up his high school career by winning first-team all-state honors as a senior. Completing 64 percent of his passes, he finished the year with 1,967 yards and 19 touchdowns. Smolik holds a three-star evalua- tion from On3 and is the No. 36-ranked quarterback. He will enroll at Penn State in January. CARMELO TAYLOR WR | 5-11 | 155 Taylor didn't earn an offer from Penn State until nearly June. A native of Roanoke, Va., he posted some impres- sive times as a track athlete last spring, covering 100 meters in 10.59 seconds. Yet, because there was very little film from his football season the prior fall, college coaches were initially hesitant to extend offers. In May, the interest began to surge. South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Penn State all offered within a few days of each other, with Maryland, Wake For- est and West Virginia soon joining the pursuit of the Patrick Henry High standout. When it came time to plan official visits, Taylor chose the Gamecocks, Hokies and Nittany Lions, checking out all three in June. Penn State was the third and final school he visited, but Taylor was in no rush to decide, waiting until Aug. 10 to make his an- nouncement. "After I pushed back the first com- mitment, I talked it over with my parents," he said. "We all really liked Penn State. My mama felt good that if I went to Penn State, I would be in safe hands. We have a few friends up there, so she felt like I'd be in a safe spot if I go up there. My dad was just excited because his favorite college team was Penn State." Taylor holds a three-star rating from On3. He's the No. 82 wide receiver nationally and the No. 11 prospect in Virginia. ZION TRACY CB | 5-11 | 170 Tracy's path to Penn State is one of the more unique stories of the 2023 re- cruiting cycle. A native of Hempstead, N.Y., he played at Long Island Luthern in 2021, earning a handful of FBS offers as a senior and even spending some time as a Temple commit. However, following a coaching change with the Owls, he decided to go the postgradu- ate route, ending up at St. Thomas More in Connecticut. Penn State hosted Tracy for a camp in 2021, and when he returned this past July, he put together one of the stron- gest workouts of any player, running a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. On top of that, he was excellent during one-on- one sessions, locking down receiver Ejani Shakir, who was committed to the Nittany Lions at the time. Tracy ended up earning an offer from Penn State a few weeks later. An official visit quickly followed on the weekend of PSU's home opener against Ohio. That was all Tracy needed to see. He committed that weekend, choosing Penn State over Rutgers and Syracuse. Tracy now holds a four-star rat- ing from On3. He's listed at No. 200 nationally in the 2023 class and is the 23rd-ranked cornerback and top- ranked recruit in Connecticut. J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Zion Tracy, a speedy four-star cornerback, was briefly committed to Temple before a coaching change with the Owls prompted him to reopen his recruitment. PHOTO COURTESY TRACY FAMILY