Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
A P R I L 2 0 2 4 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M has continued to recruit a handful of talented tight end prospects, including Linkon Cure of Goodland, Kan.; An- drew Olesh of Center Valley, Pa.; and Hayden Bradley of Buford, Ga. Bradley, a three-star prospect and the No. 50 tight end nationally according to On3, has already set an official visit to Penn State for June 21-23. Cure is a consensus four-star prospect and the No. 2 tight end in the county, both ac- cording to On3 and in the On3 Industry Ranking. Olesh, meanwhile, is ranked fourth at the position following a major move in On3's updated rankings, climbing from a three-star player all the way to No. 87 overall nationally. He camped at Penn State twice last summer and then at- tended all three of PSU's marquee home games in the fall. The 6-5, 215-pounder has the attention of Alabama, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Florida and Miami now. He plans to visit each of those schools this spring but should also have the Nit- tany Lions among his top three come decision time. OFFENSIVE LINE Projected Take: 4 Penn State picked up a commitment from Connecticut native Owen Aliciene after a visit in January. That was fol- lowed by the addition of New Jersey lineman Michael Troutman in February. Aliciene is expected to play offensive tackle, while Troutman will likely begin his career at center. Taking into account the possibility that tight end Brady O'Hara could end up at offensive tackle, we think two more linemen is the most realistic pro- jection at the moment. But as is the case at wide receiver, there are enough qual- ity players still interested in PSU that a fifth is possible. That's especially true if Penn State can add two more true of- fensive tackle prospects. The two most likely candidates are three-star lineman Malachi Goodman of Paramus, N.J., and four-star pros- pect Ziyaire Addison of Tampa. Both were expected to visit in late March and could end up taking official visits this summer. They also have no shortage of elite schools pursuing them, so it won't be easy. Michael Carroll of Doylestown, Pa., is also very important. At 6-6, 300 pounds, Carroll could play guard or tackle at the next level. The four-star prospect is ranked No. 69 in the nation by On3 and No. 3 overall in Pennsylva- nia. Most believe that Michigan is Penn State's top competitor. As for true offensive guard pros- pects, we'd lean toward Michael Gibbs of Wilmington, N.C.; Avery Gach of Franklin, Mich.; and Connor Carty of Prosper, Texas, as the three players to watch the closest. Gibbs is unranked, while Gach and Carty have received three-star ratings from On3. Penn State would find room for Goodman, Addison and Carroll no mat- ter when they decide. Landing one of those three would be considered a win when you look at the competition. Add- ing someone like Gibbs, who appears to be leaning toward the Lions, would round out a solid class. DEFENSIVE END Projected Take: 2-3 Penn State has extended offers to more than 60 defensive linemen so far and is still searching for its first com- mitment from a tackle or edge rusher. The Nittany Lions signed four defen- sive tackles in the 2024 class, so the de- fensive end spots figure to be a slightly higher priority in this class. Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sut- ton will be juniors this coming fall, while Smith Vilbert, Amin Vanover and Zuriah Fisher will be seniors. The defensive ends room figures to be a lot emptier after the 2024 season, which means Penn State will likely sign at least two edge rushers, with a third being a realistic possibility. Consensus four-star prospect Max Granville of Sugar Land, Texas, has emerged as one of Penn State's top targets at defensive end. The 6-2, 225-pounder, who is listed as a line- backer by On3, already has an official visit to Penn State set for May 31-June 2. Others to keep an eye on include Justin Hill of Cincinnati; Cortez Har- Safety Omari Gaines Exits Penn State's 2025 Class One of Penn State's first commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle is no longer a part of the class. Safety Omari Gaines of Newark (N.J.) Malcolm X Shabazz announced on March 1 that he had parted ways with Penn State. A three-star prospect and the No. 25 safety nationally according to On3, Gaines had been committed to the Nittany Lions since March 2023. However, there were murmurs in the weeks leading up to Gaines' announcement that his exit was imminent. He did not visit Penn State during the open period in January and was last on campus for a game in October. Since the start of the new year, Gaines had picked up offers from Central Michigan, Jacksonville State, James Madison, Towson and Stanford. Prior to his original commit- ment, he had received offers from Duke, Ole Miss, Rutgers and Syracuse. After earning his offer from Penn State in April 2022, Gaines visited five times before committing. He almost pulled the trigger in January 2023 while on campus for a junior day but held off until he was back in town for a spring practice. Gaines was originally Penn State's second pledge in the 2025 class, joining fellow New Jersey prospect Jaelyne Matthews, a four-star offensive lineman from Toms River. Now, neither player resides on the Nittany Lions' commitment list. Matthews decom- mitted in September 2023 and is believed to be favoring Georgia. — Sean Fitz Gaines had been committed to Penn State for nearly a year when he announced on March 1 that he would not be signing with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR