Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1492675
M A R C H 2 0 2 3 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P L A Y E R B I O S / / / / / / / L ondon Montgomery was ready to end his high school career on the highest of notes. The top running back at Scranton (Pa.) Prep, he was already one of the most productive ball carriers in north- eastern Pennsylvania history after a sparkling junior season in 2021. His play caught the attention of Penn State and several others, and by the time he convened with teammates for his se- nior season late in the summer of 2022, his future path was already decided. Montgomery, a three-star prospect as rated by On3, committed to the Nittany Lions in July after multiple months of courtship by head coach James Franklin and assistants Ja'Juan Seider and Phil Trautwein. "It's definitely a dream come true," Montgomery said at the time. "Watch- ing TV, watching Saquon Barkley and all that, I always wanted to play in front of 107,000 fans at Penn State. "I went to other places, but I never had the feeling like I had at Penn State," he added. "I came out of there feeling like home. I'm very close with Coach Seider and Coach Franklin, but it's the whole staff really that I'm close with now. I feel like I can tell those guys any- thing, but I also think it's a place where I can succeed and compete." That chapter, it turned out, was the easy part. Just as Montgomery was setting out to write his swan song, his career took a turn. During a late-August three-team scrimmage between Scranton Prep, East Stroudsburg South and Notre Dame Green Pond, disaster struck. Montgom- ery, playing defense late in the scrim- mage, came down awkwardly after de- fending a pass. Just one week from his senior season opener, he learned that his high school career was over. A torn ACL required surgery in September and turned the focus from repeating as District II champ to rehabbing ahead of his college career. Montgomery had just seemed to be peaking, as well. He camped for the Penn State staff in late July and put up numbers comparable to the ones that Miles Sanders had posted a few years earlier. There were, and still are, high hopes for Montgom- ery in Happy Valley. "When you get hurt and don't play your senior year, there aren't a lot of people talking about you," Franklin said. "But you watch his junior year tape, and it's really good. I really enjoyed getting to know him and the family, just great people. The more people you talk to about his personality, the more you get to know him, the type of impact he has on others, it's really strong. We're excited about him." ■ Montgomery is on the mend after undergoing surgery last September to repair a torn ACL. PHOTO COURTESY MONTGOMERY FAMILY London Montgomery Scranton running back looks to regain his stride with Lions S E A N F I T Z | S E A N. F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M RB | 5-10 | 180 Scranton Prep Scranton, Pa. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Consensus HHH 509 36 9 On3 HHH — 26 9 ESPN HHHH 233 13 2 Rivals HHH — — 8 247Sports HHH — 35 9 Statistics • Tore his ACL in a preseason scrimmage in August before his senior season, which caused him to miss all of the 2022 campaign • Ran for 2,356 yards and 36 touchdowns as a junior, while adding a receiving touchdown and a 99-yard kickoff return for a score • Had 868 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in five games as a sophomore Notable • Named The Scranton Times-Tribune Male Athlete of the Year as a junior in 2022 • Earned Class AAA all-state honors as a junior • Finished third in the 100- and 200-meter races (11.00 and 22.21, respectively) at the 2021 PIAA Class AA Track and Field Championships Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on July 11, 2022 • Recruited by running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein • Chose Penn State over Boston College, Vir- ginia Tech and Rutgers • Officially visited June 17, 2022 2023 Projection Montgomery won't enroll at Penn State until the spring. Given the timing of his injury and what's ahead of him on the depth chart at run- ning back, a redshirt year is likely. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Mont- gomery is a highly valuable recruit with an above-average chance of making an impact at Penn State. His elite speed, contact balance and vision make him a dangerous runner, no matter his size. If he can round out his profile with bona fide receiving skills, he could de- velop into a multidimensional threat out of the backfield." T H E M O N T G O M E R Y F I L E