Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1514597
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 4 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State head coach James Frank- lin and his staff are once again back out on the recruiting trail, with the latest contact period having begun on Jan. 12. Franklin and his staff have been pri- marily focused on building their class for the upcoming recruiting cycle. Through Feb. 3, they are permitted to meet with high school coaches regard- ing players in the 2025 class or younger, and those off-campus visits play a big role in the evaluation process. The staff needs to figure out which prospects they want to push for in the months ahead. January also presents an opportunity for players in the 2025 class and beyond to visit campus. Like every major program, Penn State plans to take advantage of the opportunity by scheduling junior day vis- its for Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, as well as Feb. 3. Last year, the Nittany Lions hosted roughly 40 players for each of their three junior days. Most of those recruits had been on campus before, but they gave the staff an opportunity to show players some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the program. From position meetings to campus tours, junior days often lay the groundwork for more-im- portant trips in the spring before official visits start up again in June. Heading into mid-January, Blue White Illustrated had confirmed just shy of 20 players who had already locked in their plans to visit. For Jan. 20, the two most notable prospects are both from Connecticut: offensive tackle Owen Al- iciene of Avon and wide receiver Qeanu Johnson of Hamden. Listed at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, Al- iciene is one of assistant coach Phil Trautwein's top offensive tackle targets in the class. A three-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, he will be checking out Penn State for the fourth time since March 2023, with his most recent visit coming on Sept. 2 for the season opener against West Virginia. Boston College, Duke, Kentucky, Lou- isville, Pitt and Rutgers also hosted him for visits during the past year. Johnson, who stands 5-11, 180 pounds, earned an offer from Penn State in De- cember. However, he's been on the staff's radar screen since the summer after camping at PSU. Although Johnson is yet to earn a rating from On3, his recruitment is quickly gaining speed, with Boston College, Indiana, Nebraska and Syracuse all having offered. He totaled nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards at Hamden Hall during his junior season, scoring 18 touchdowns. Penn State's Jan. 27 junior day looks to be the biggest so far. About a dozen players had already confirmed their plans as of early January, a group that included such high-priority targets as offensive linemen Michael Carroll and Malachi Goodman, safety JaDon Blair and linebacker Anthony Sacca. Carroll, of Doylesburg, Pa., and Goodman, of Paramus, N.J., have both been on campus before. Carroll is a Penn State legacy prospect, the son of Mike Carroll, who played linebacker for the Lions in the mid-1990s. Those connections have led to five visits so far, with Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, South Carolina and Wis- Nittany Lions Prepare To Welcome Junior Day Visitors RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Receiver Qeanu Johnson amassed nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns during his junior season at Hamden Hall Country Day in Connecticut. PHOTO COURTESY ON3