Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 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 / / / / / / / W hen Philadelphia native Tyseer Denmark announced in November 2022 that he was close to making a com- mitment, Penn State fans couldn't help but get excited. By that point in his re- cruitment, Denmark had taken five visits to State College — nearly as many as he'd taken to every other school combined. But then the predictions started to come in, and they weren't what many fans expected. The recruiting insiders had Denmark going to Oregon. The insiders turned out to be right. Denmark announced his commitment to the Ducks on Nov. 24. Of course, he still had more than a year to go until he could sign, meaning that Penn State was not going to quietly accept defeat. Kenny Sanders, PSU's director of player personnel, couldn't help but take Denmark's loss personally. After all, it was only a few years earlier that Sanders him- self had shuttled between State College and Eugene. He had left Penn State to go work for Oregon in 2019, only to return to PSU two years later. "Getting Tyseer Denmark to Penn State was big for me, especially considering where we had to flip him from," Sanders said. "That was huge. The Philly kids are always going to be big for me." Sanders is best known for the relation- ships he's built in the Baltimore area, but Philadelphia is also a key region for him. Those ties helped Penn State open the door when Denmark was still an under- classman at Roman Catholic. Ever since then, getting him into PSU's program was one of Sanders' key assignments. "I've known that kid for a long time, and I know some of the stuff he's gone through in his life," Sanders said. "For me, it was really personal, because when you have kids that go through a lot of ad- versity, one of the reasons you want to get them in your program is because you know you're going to take care of them and you know you're going to do the right thing for him. Maybe other programs would, too, but I can't trust that. I know what we're going to do for that kid and his life and the structure we're going give him." Denmark ended up switching his com- mitment to Penn State last June after taking an official visit. He never wavered after that, but he did make another move at the high school level, transferring from Roman Catholic to city rival Im- hotep Charter just as preseason camp began. Because of PIAA transfer rules, Den- mark wasn't able to participate in Im- hotep's playoff run, and he finished with modest stats for the year, catching 28 passes for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns. But don't let the numbers fool you. Den- mark is easily one of the best athletes in Penn State's class. "He bends really well for a wide re- ceiver. He gets in and out of his breaks re- ally well," Imhotep offensive coordinator Glenn Hutton Jr. said. "He's not just fast, he's quick, too. Some guys are just fast or just quick. He's both. But for sure, the biggest thing is how hard he's working to get better as an individual, and that's on the field and off the field." — Ryan Snyder Denmark initially committed to Oregon before changing his mind and selecting Penn State in June 2023. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER TYSEER DENMARK Philadelphia receiver ultimately chooses to stay close to home WR | 5-10 | 180 Imhotep Charter Philadelphia Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★ 557 88 11 On3 ★★★ — 98 13 ESPN ★★★ — 70 19 Rivals ★★★★ — 64 8 247Sports ★★★ — 85 10 Statistics • Totaled 28 receptions for 330 yards and 4 touchdowns during his senior season at Imho- tep Charter • Had 35 receptions for 665 yards and 7 touch- downs as a junior at Roman Catholic Notable • Four-year letterman • Earned an invitation to the Under Armour All- America Game • Transferred from Roman Catholic to Imhotep Charter for his senior season Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on June 21, 2023 • Recruited by defensive line coach Deion Barnes and receivers coach Marques Hagans • Picked PSU over Ohio State and Oregon • Officially visited on June 16, 2023 2024 Projection All three of Penn State's incoming wide re- ceiver prospects will likely need time to adjust to the college level, but if anyone is poised to make an early impact, it's Denmark. He's not enrolling until the summer, which is a disadvan- tage, but his athleticism and hands are the best among PSU's incoming freshman receivers. We'll lean toward a redshirt season in 2024, but he's one to keep an eye on. They Said It BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "Denmark shows enough skills to get the chance to play on the outside before he's pegged as a slot-only receiver. His ability to create separation can be helpful in getting off the line of scrimmage. He also shows enough toughness and size traits to play on the outside. Given the right amount of time and weight training, he can improve his play through contact. Still, the obvious long- term fit is to operate from the slot regularly. He has the elite short-area quickness to expose holes in zones and defeat man coverage to move the chains." T H E D E N M A R K F I L E