Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E B I G P I C T U R E / / / / / / / surprises for Penn State. That is truly rare in this day and age. Almost without fail, the Lions are in- volved with at least one commit who is wavering late in the cycle, or a prospect who hasn't publicly committed by sign- ing day, or one who plans to announce on signing day. There was none of that this year. The Lions picked up their last commitment on Oct. 16 when four-star defensive end Jaylen Harvey came aboard. Everyone else had been committed since July. For Penn State, the 2024 recruiting cycle was as drama-free as it gets. TOP HIGHLIGHT REEL: Four-star cornerback Jon Mitchell of Jacksonville, Fla., gets this nod. The Mandarin High standout flashes all sorts of abilities on his tape, making a compelling case that he could see action on special teams and maybe even as a defensive backup this coming fall. He's got a lot of work ahead of him. But he's rated as the nation's No. 62 overall prospect and No. 9 corner- back by On3, and as a January enrollee, he'll have a chance to make his case in spring practice. "He's a guy who really has plus in- stincts," Power told BWI. "His play speed is outstanding, and he does a great job reading receivers. You can tell he's been coached well, but he also has that natural ability to go with his technical ability. He has outstand- ing feet, really good instincts and a quick trigger. He's a guy who we really liked on the senior film and moves up into the top 100 and is now a top-10 cornerback prospect as well." LONG-DISTANCE LIONS: The Nittany Lions strive to recruit nationally, and that effort paid off this year with commitments from Mitchell and his Mandarin High teammate Antoine Belgrave- Shorter, a three-star cornerback. Mitchell and Belgrave-Shorter came the farthest distance to be part of Penn State's program — 755 miles, to be exact. B I G G E S T D E C O M M I T- MENT: There's only one answer here: Florida offensive lineman Deryc Plazz. The three-star prospect was a member of Penn State's class for less than a month and ultimately signed with Miami. BIGGEST MISS: Four-star receiver Nick Marsh would have looked good in blue and white. The 6-3, 200-pounder decommitted from Michigan State last March and considered offers from Penn State, Oregon, Colorado and Pitt, among others. In State College, Marsh could have been an instant-impact contributor at a position of need. Instead, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Spartans in early December and heads to East Lansing as the nation's No. 174 overall prospect and No. 29 receiver, per the On3 Industry Ranking. FOUR-STAR GRADE, FIVE-STAR POTENTIAL: Penn State signed 13 prospects who earned four stars in the On3 Industry Ranking. You could make a case for just about all of them to end their college careers with stats and ac- colades akin to those of most five-stars. Our pick, though, is an obvious one: tight end Luke Reynolds. Reynolds is Penn State's second- highest-rated signee at No. 62 overall. He is also the No. 4 tight end in the 2024 cycle. The 6-4, 228-pound Massachu- setts native has all the tools to be a star at the college level. POSITION SWITCHERS: There are two obvious candidates here, so we won't overthink it. Martin has the ability to play running back and receiver in college. He's start- ing out at the former, but if he eventually ends up playing more frequently at the latter, we won't be surprised. Then there's Liam Andrews. Penn State initially recruited the 6-4, 266-pounder as an offensive lineman before deciding that he fit better on the opposite side of the ball. The January enrollee is listed as a de- fensive tackle on PSU's spring roster, but his positional flexibility will open up a lot of possibilities once he gets into the strength and nutrition programs. MOST UNDERRATED: Defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam received a three- star grade in the On3 Industry Ranking, but Penn State's coaches see him as a player who could contribute fairly early in his career. He was listed at 6-2, 275 pounds by On3, but the January enrollee is up to 294 on the team's spring roster. That's a good sign. TWO TO WATCH: Offensive line- men Eagan Boyer and Garrett Sexton are not likely to be instant-impact contribu- tors, but both are high-upside pros- pects with big frames well suited to playing offensive tackle. Boyer stands 6-8, 251 pounds, while Sexton is listed at 6-6, 295. Both have a lot of work ahead of them in the weight room, but their long-term potential is in- triguing. LEAD RECRUITER: Terry Smith, Penn State's cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator, was tracked by BWI as the primary or secondary recruiter on at least seven 2024 signees, and the number of signings he impacted in some way is surely greater than that. It was also a very nice cycle for of- fensive line coach Phil Trautwein. The fifth-year PSU assistant coach led the way with five offensive line signees and did the early work that resulted in a commitment from four-star defen- sive lineman Liam Andrews. ■ Terry Smith, Penn State's cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordi- nator, played a key role in the signing of at least seven of the 25 prospects in the Nittany Lions' 2024 class. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER