Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
6 0 M A R C H 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M COMMITMENT PROFILES When Penn State picked up its fourth commitment of February with the addition of wide receiver Lyrick Samuel, it brought the Nittany Lions' 2025 class to a dozen members. With 12 commitments and counting, Penn State had the biggest class in the Big Ten heading into March and the second-biggest nationally. Only Notre Dame had earned more verbal pledges, with 17 players committed to the Irish. Despite its fast start to the 2025 recruiting cycle, Penn State's class was at No. 12 in the On3 Industry Team Ranking. The reason for the low placement was that the ranking was only counting a handful of players. On3's Industry Team Ranking solves the problem of varying class sizes by totaling the highest-rated commitments for each team based on a rolling average of current total commitments among Power Four schools. With it being so early in the cycle, that average was just four prospects as of late February. The idea is to project where teams are likely to finish on National Signing Day. Penn State may have held the most commitments in the Big Ten, but be- cause On3 was only grading the top handful of prospects in each class, the Lions still ranked behind Ohio State and Oregon. The Buckeyes and Ducks were at No. 2 and No. 6, respectively, in the national rankings. Among Ohio State's eight commitments as of Feb. 25 were two five-star cornerbacks: Na'eem Offord and Devin Sanchez. In fact, six of their eight com- mitments ranked inside the top 100 nationally, including Philadelphia edge rusher Zahir Mathis. Oregon was up to five commitments after adding four-star defensive line- man Matthew Johnson on Feb. 9. The Ducks had three top-100 prospects in quarterback Akili Smith Jr. and wide receivers Dallas Wilson and Adrian Wilson. Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin were all in the top 25. The Wolverines were at No. 15 nationally with just three commitments, the fewest in the Big Ten. Quarterback Carter Smith and defensive lineman Bobby Kanka both hold four-star ratings. Iowa was at No. 24 overall with five commitments, a group headlined by four-star tight end Thomas Meyer. Wisconsin was at No. 25 nationally with seven players committed, all of whom had either received three stars or were unrated in the On3 Industry Ranking. — Ryan Snyder Penn State has been eager to upgrade its receiver corps in recent years, and on Feb. 19 it added another wideout pros- pect to its 2025 class in Lyrick Samuel of Brooklyn, N.Y. Listed at 6-foot-4, 170 pounds, Samuel took seven visits to State College during the past year, the most recent of which was for a junior day in mid-January. He also attended the Blue-White Game last April, the Lasch Bash Barbecue in July and the season opener against West Vir- ginia last September. The Erasmus Hall prospect also camped with the staff twice last summer. In addition to Penn State, Samuel con- sidered Michigan State, Rutgers, Syra- cuse and West Virginia. He was recently upgraded from three- to four-star status by On3, climbing all the way to No. 235 nationally in the On300. However, he still has a three-star rating in the On3 Indus- try Ranking, where he is listed as the No. 584 player nationally, No. 98 receiver and No. 2 player in New York. Samuel said his relationships with Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans and head coach James Franklin helped him make up his mind. "Coach Hagans and Coach Franklin are amaz- ing to me," Samuel said. "They both no- ticed things about me from our interac- tions that weren't on my highlight tape. Also, I'm the oldest brother with a little sister and brother that look up to me. They treated them special, as did every- one on campus." In addition to his relationship with the coaching staff, Samuel is also close friends with fellow New York wideout Jo- siah Brown, a three-star prospect in the 2024 class who enrolled at Penn State in January. "Me and Josiah Brown are really good friends," Samuel said. "We met on the Our Lady of Lourdes track team when I was 7 years old. My dad convinced his mom to allow him to play football with me on the Malverne Wildcats. I was the quarterback, and he was one of the wide receivers." This past season, Samuel caught 27 passes for 693 yards and 11 touchdowns to help Erasmus Hall win its fifth consecu- tive Public Schools Athletic League city title. He caught a pair of touchdowns in the final against Tottenville. As a sopho- more, Samuel totaled 22 receptions for 422 yards and 8 touchdowns. "He has a fun personality. He's a re- ally good locker room guy," said Samuel's trainer, Onix Salva. "He knows when to flip that switch, and that's what I like about it. He's a jokester, a people person and has good conversations, but when it's time to compete, he turns into Maximus. He just turns into a different kid, and you love to see that. He loves to compete." — Sean Fitz New York Receiver Swayed By Ties To PSU's Staff, 2024 Class Penn State's Fast Start Not Reflected In Team Ranking COMMITMENT PROFILE LYRICK SAMUEL P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Most Penn State receivers can play multiple posi- tions, and Samuel is no different. But at his best, he's a great X receiver. He has the size and speed to win jump-ball or contested catches to the boundary, plus he has the deep speed to win one-on-one matchups when teams shade safeties to the field. He'll need to get stronger and fill out his 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame to battle against boundary corners, but his overall profile suggests he can get there. Not only that, but Penn State accepted his com- mitment, so the coaching staff believes in his ability to round out his profile. While the class of 2025 has solid and even great players, Samuel has the most notable upside. We'll see if he can deliver on that promise in the future. — Thomas Frank Carr