Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
5 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M but he has been a regular visitor since last summer. A 6-foot-3, 275-pound defensive tackle, Wilson has been busy since the spring, visiting LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and USC. However, Penn State holds a big edge when it comes to total visits, with the St. Frances Academy standout having been on campus four times. Wilson is the nation's No. 61 overall prospect, No. 4 defensive tackle and No. 2 player in Maryland, per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the grades from the top four recruiting sites. On3's scouts are particularly high on his potential, listing him as the nation's No. 42 overall prospect. When it comes to in-state prospects, Penn State hosted three four-star play- ers in linebacker Dayshaun Burnett, tight end Brady O'Hara and defensive end Sharlandiin Strange. Burnett and O'Hara reside in the Pittsburgh area, with Burnett attending Imani Christian Academy and O'Hara enrolled at North Catholic. Both players have also been regular visitors. Burnett has been on campus seven times since the spring of 2022, while O'Hara has taken five visits, all of which have been this year. At 6-3, 217 pounds, Burnett is one of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz's top linebacker prospects in the 2025 class. He's the nation's No. 297 overall pros- pect and No. 29 linebacker, and the No. 7 prospect in Pennsylvania, per the On3 Industry Ranking. O'Hara also ranks high on tight end coach Ty Howle's recruiting board. In fact, the 6-6, 241-pound prospect is viewed as a player who could commit to the Nittany Lions later this year or in early 2024. He's listed 306th overall, 16th at tight end and eighth in Pennsylvania in the On3 Industry Ranking. Strange is another player who could realistically end up in Happy Valley. A 6-4, 230-pound defensive end from Cheltenham, he is the younger brother of Kion Wright, a 2023 prospect who visited Penn State multiple times and eventually signed with Delaware. Those visits gave Strange an early look at the Nittany Lions when he was just becoming interested in college football, and they have stuck with him ever since. "That Penn State offer meant a lot," Strange said. "I would love to stay near my mother, so I don't really want to go far anyway. I Iove Penn State. I love their coaches, and I've loved building new relationships with every one of those guys. "I just love Penn State as a whole, aca- demically and the atmosphere around the place." The game against West Virginia left a strong impression on Strange, who's listed as the No. 182 overall prospect na- tionally and No. 6 player in Pennsylvania, per the On3 Industry Ranking. "That atmosphere was wild, but what was really crazy about it is that I know it can get even better than that," Strange said. "I feel like Penn State will always be in my top five for a lot of reasons, but one of them is definitely their fans and just the atmosphere there. They're what make Penn State so special. I've thought a lot about what it would be like to go play at Penn State. It would be amazing." There was also plenty of four-star tal- ent from surrounding states on hand, in- cluding top targets such as linebacker DJ McClary of Jersey City, N.J.; cornerback Jahmir Joseph of Montvale, N.J.; wide re- ceiver Michael Thomas of Barnegat, N.J.; athlete Jeff Exinor of Owings Mills, Md.; and safety Kainoa Winston of Gonzaga College High in Washington, D.C. Just like Burnett, McClary is one of Penn State's most important linebacker prospects in the class. Listed 109th over- all and 10th among linebackers in the On3 Industry Ranking, he's taken four visits to State College, three of which have been this year. Over the summer, he announced a top eight consisting of Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennes- see and USC. Joseph and Thomas are still sorting out their top schools. More visits are required for both, but early signs have been posi- tive for Exinor and Winston. Winston, who stands 5-10, 185 pounds, already ranks among the nation's best Four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett of Pittsburgh has visited Penn State seven times since the spring of 2022. He's one of the Nittany Lions' top targets in the 2025 class. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER