Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
5 6 D E C E M 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 suffered significant injuries that have had major impacts on their respective senior seasons. Jackson's unspecified in- jury appears likely to bring a premature end to his final high school campaign, while Smith returned to action in Oc- tober after his collarbone was broken in Catholic Memorial's season opener. More recently, another 2024 com- mit has received some tough news. On Oct. 13, wide receiver Josiah Brown of Malverne (N.Y.) Senior High tore the anterior cruciate ligament, medial col- lateral ligament and meniscus in his right knee. The noncontact injury re- quired season-ending surgery. Brown's injury happened with Penn State head coach James Franklin in at- tendance for Malverne's game against Cold Spring Harbor. Brown had scored the game's first touchdown before getting hurt a few minutes later. Los- ing their top player made it tough for the Mules to hold off their most for- midable opponent of the season. Cold Spring Harbor won 21-14, handing Malverne its first loss of the year after a 5-0 start. As an underclassman, Brown played at Holy Trinity High the past few sea- sons before electing to transfer back to his hometown school for his final year. A four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, he might not have been allowed to graduate early had he stayed at Holy Trinity. With so many players now electing to enroll in Janu- ary, Brown didn't want to miss out. "He's the highest-profile kid on Long Island, and it's a big deal that he's go- ing back to his hometown," Holy Trin- ity athletics director Chris Hardart told Newsday following Brown's departure. "Transfers happen all the time with students in the Catholic League. I feel very comfortable with the way our school and program treated JB. He was a well-liked student by every teacher and coach here. We know Penn State wants to get him on campus early and get him settled." Before his injury, Brown had totaled 7 receptions for 155 yards and 4 touch- downs. He also racked up 12 rushing at- tempts for 201 yards and 2 scores. De- fensively, he had 2 interceptions, one of which he took back for a touchdown. Brown is ranked No. 298 in the On300 for the class of 2024. He's the 50th- ranked wide receiver in the country and the third-ranked player in New York. 17 Commits Expected To Enroll In January Penn State's 2024 recruiting class is expected to feature the largest contin- gent of early enrollees in program his- tory. Of the 24 players who had verbally committed to the Nittany Lions as of early November, 17 are expected to be at Penn State in January for the start of the spring semester. With the addition in mid-October of four-star defensive end Jaylen Harvey, Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnes is expected to have five of the six committed players at his position group on campus in January, including all four of defensive tackles: Liam An- drews, DeAndre Cook, TA Cunningham and Xavier Gilliam. Mylachi Williams is the only defensive lineman who isn't expected early. The remaining defensive players ex- pected to enroll early include linebacker Kari Jackson, cornerbacks Jon Mitch- ell and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, and safety Vaboue Toure. Offensively, Penn State will welcome an early-enrolling quarterback for the third consecutive year, with four-star Olentangy (Ohio) High prospect Ethan Grunkemeyer following the same path as 2022 signees Drew Allar and Beau Prib- ula, and 2023 arrival Jaxon Smolik. The other seven offensive players who are expected on enroll early are running back Quinton Martin, wide receiver Jo- siah Brown, tight end Luke Reynolds and offensive linemen Eagan Boyer, Caleb Brewer, Cooper Cousins and Garrett Sexton. ■ Gaines is ranked as the No. 186 player and No. 16 safety in the counrty in the most recent On300. A three-year standout at Malcolm X Shabazz High in Newark, N.J., he was the first player to join PSU's 2025 class. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE