Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1519242
M A Y 2 0 2 4 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State took the opportunity to not only focus on its current ros- ter during spring practice but also build for its future. Between March 12 and April 10, the Nittany Lions hosted about 40 prospects in the 2025 recruit- ing class who have earned a scholar- ship offer from the staff. And when PSU wrapped up its offseason drills in the Blue-White Game, there were more than two dozen uncommitted scholar- ship prospects on hand, making it a very busy four-week stretch. For those at the top of the board, their spring visits frequently led to Penn State locking in official visits with just over a dozen of those players for this summer. One of them, four-star edge rusher Jayden Woods of Shawnee, Kan., visited on March 12, the first day of spring practice. Listed at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds, Woods had long been interested in the Nittany Lions but wasn't able to visit until this spring. It ended up being a big moment in his recruitment. Penn State has quickly become one of his top op- tions, thanks in large part to the work of defensive line coach Deion Barnes and defensive graduate assistant Torrence Brown. "The connection with Coach Barnes and Coach Brown was great the whole visit," Woods said. "I could really see myself playing for them." As of mid-April, Woods had locked in official visits with Wisconsin (May 31-June 2), Penn State (June 7-9) and Purdue (June 14-16). He's ranked No. 269 in the nation by On3 and No. 28 among edge rushers. That first week of practice also fea- tured quite a few top-100-caliber pros- pects, including tight end Andrew Olesh (No. 79) and wide receiver Kaliq Lockett (No. 12) on March 14, as well as safety JaDon Blair (No. 86), running back Bo Jackson (No. 126) and edge rusher Mari- yon Dye (No. 94) on March 16. Olesh, who resides in Center Val- ley, Pa., is expected to have Penn State among his top options by the time he decides. However, there's also no shortage of competition for the fourth- ranked tight end in the country. Just this spring, Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Ohio State and Ole Miss all hosted him for visits. Blair, who resides in Winston Salem, N.C., is also high on the staff's board. Ranked No. 8 nationally at the safety position, he is coveted by many of the nation's best programs. As of mid- April, he was planning to take official visits to South Carolina (May 31-June 2), Notre Dame (June 11-13), Michigan (June 14-16), Florida State (June 18- 20) and Penn State (June 21-23). It's believed that the Wolverines and Irish are PSU's top competitors. The Nittany Lions likely have work to do with Lockett, Jackson and Dye, but they did host On300 cornerback Brandon Finney that same weekend. Ranked No. 132 nationally by On3, Finney has seen his recruitment sky- rocket in recent months. The Bal- timore prospect received a massive surge in offers during the January contact period, prompting visits to Penn State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech this spring. Penn State also locked in an official visit with Finney for June 7-9. March featured a few other notable players who attended practice. Three- Campus Visits Highlight PSU's Effort To Grow 2025 Class RYAN SNYDER | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Rated by On3 as the No. 8 safety nationally, JaDon Blair is planning to take an official visit to Penn State in June. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., he's considering Michigan and Notre Dame along with the Nittany Lions. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER