Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 41 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 / / / / / / / S afety Dejuan Lane would be the first to admit he's not much of a talker. While so many other prospects focus on self-promotion and building their brand in the NIL era, Lane prefers to let his play on the field speak for itself. Throughout his recruitment, which lasted just over a year, Lane did maybe five interviews between the major recruiting sites and local newspapers. To him, the focus on his college choice was just a dis- traction; improving himself on and off the field was all that mattered. If he could do that, everything else would take care of itself. That mindset makes him a good fit for a school like Penn State. Back in May 2022, the Nittany Lions became only the third Power Five program to extend an offer to Lane. That gave safeties coach Anthony Poindexter an early edge over his coun- terparts from the schools that intrigued Lane the most. "One of the main things that really caught my interest is that they were one of my first offers," Lane said. "Ever since then, Coach Poindexter and a bunch of other [Penn State] assistants were real consistent with me." A Jessup, Md., native and standout at the Gilman School in Baltimore, Lane went on to earn more than two dozen scholarship offers. He visited Penn State in November 2022 and didn't return to campus again until his official visit seven months later. Publicly, little was known about where the Lions stood. But pri- vately, Lane already had a good feel for where he wanted to go. "There were a couple other schools," he said. "I'd say the main ones were Georgia, Michigan, Maryland and Notre Dame. Maryland was pushing hard for an of- ficial visit, and I was looking into setting that up, but I also knew by then that Penn State was where I wanted to go." Lane said PSU was "always pretty much No. 1 on the list. Ever since I went there, they sparked something that had me leaning in their direction. That made it kind of easy for me." His relationship with Poindexter also helped. "One thing I really looked for in the coaches that recruited me was that they weren't just talking about football," Lane said. "I always wanted to hear more about what the school could offer me outside of football. With Coach Dex, yeah, we talked about football and what I could do for them, but the main thing was just that we built a great connection, a friendship." A three-time Maryland Interscholas- tic Athletic Association All-Conference selection, Lane finished his senior season with 61 tackles. He made plays all over the field, taking an interception back for a touchdown, blocking a field goal and also contributing at wide receiver. Lane won't enroll at Penn State until the summer, so he'll need time to adjust to the college level. But if his nickname is any indication of what fans can expect, there's reason to be excited. "My nickname, 'Spark Plug,' holds true," Lane said. "One thing they can ex- pect from me is to always bring the en- ergy. I plan to bring a [championship] to Penn State." — Ryan Snyder S | 6-2 | 205 Gilman School Jessup, Md. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★★ 326 26 10 On3 ★★★★ — 30 11 ESPN ★★★★ 251 15 6 Rivals ★★★★ — 31 12 247Sports ★★★★ — 31 11 Statistics • Totaled 61 tackles, returned an intercep- tion for a touchdown, had 5 offensive TDs and blocked a field goal during his senior season Notable • Earned Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association All-Conference honors as a soph- omore, junior and senior • Team captain as a senior • Four-year letterman Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on June 4, 2023 • Officially visited on June 2, 2023 • Recruited by safeties coach Anthony Poin- dexter • Picked Penn State over Notre Dame, Mary- land, Georgia and Michigan 2024 Projection At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, Lane brings length to Penn State's safeties room, which is some- thing coach Anthony Poindexter loves at the position. He boasts some of the same attri- butes as redshirt freshman DaKaari Nelson, but because he won't enroll until the summer, Lane will have to make a big impression in preseason camp if he hopes to contribute right away. It wouldn't shock us if he finds a role on special teams early on and then ends up fighting for a starting job in a year or two. They Said It On3 director of scouting Charles Power: "What stand out to me about him are the ball skills. He's a guy who played on both sides of the ball. I think he's instinctive in coverage as a safety. He can roll into the box and play against the run. But I think his experience playing on both sides helps him in coverage and helps him relative to making plays on the ball and coming down with interceptions." T H E L A N E F I L E Although he mulled offers from Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and Maryland, Lane had Penn State at the top of his list throughout his recruitment. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER DEJUAN LANE Penn State's early interest pays off with highly regarded Maryland safety