Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520787
J U N E / J U L 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 and Carroll are listed third and fourth in Pennsylvania, respectively, in the Indus- try Ranking, making them very impor- tant targets for Franklin. Williams resides in Red Oak, Texas, but the four-star prospect grew up in Pitts- burgh and still has strong ties to the area. Over the past few summers, he's trav- eled back to the city regularly to see his mother, and that's given him the oppor- tunity to train with Belle Vernon running back Quinton Martin Jr. and Brashear linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson, both of whom are now with the Nittany Lions. Listed in the Industry Ranking as the No. 74 receiver nationally, he also knows a few of the Pittsburgh natives who are currently committed. Those relation- ships are why Penn State's staff sched- uled him to be on campus this weekend. June 21-23 Penn State had 12 recruits scheduled for this weekend as of early May, but there could be a lot of movement in the coming weeks. Sometimes, players get antsy and commit elsewhere. Or the op- posite could happen and PSU could fill its allotted scholarships at a given position by late June. Don't be surprised if a hand- ful of those currently planning to visit don't end up coming after all. One player we know Penn State will find room for no matter what is safety JaDon Blair. A native of Winston Salem, N.C., Blair has long been considered one of the staff's top defensive targets. Ranked No. 86 nationally by On3 and eighth at the position, he would give Penn State a rare combination of athleticism and length (6-4, 180 pounds). Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame and South Carolina are also expected to host him in June, but this is one of those situations in which hosting Blair and his family last could benefit the Nittany Lions. Two other players to potentially keep an eye on are wide receiver Samari Reed and edge rusher Cortez Harris. Reed, who resides in Coconut Creek, Fla., has already used one official visit, checking out Ole Miss in late April. Ken- tucky, Tennessee and West Virginia are also expected to host the four-star pros- pect, who is listed 58th among wideouts in the On3 Industry Ranking. However, Penn State may very well be the team to beat. As for Harris, a four-star prospect from Upper Marlboro, Md., he has three official visits locked in, beginning with a June 7-9 trip to Tennessee. He'll next visit Maryland, before traveling to Penn State on the final visit weekend of the month. The 6-2, 210-pound defensive end is rated 24th at his position and 192nd overall in the On3 Industry Ranking. Edge rushers are a priority for the Nit- tany Lions this year after signing a deep class of defensive tackles in the previous cycle. ■ Here's Where The Lions Still Have Plenty Of Work To Do Penn State's 2025 recruiting class is about halfway finished, with 13 players committed as of early May. Of that baker's dozen, nine are expected to see action on offense at the college level, leaving more work to be done on the defensive side of the ball in the coming months. Below are three key position groups to keep an eye on as we get closer to June. DEFENSIVE LINE: Three-star commit Dayshaun Burnett could play either linebacker or defensive end at the next level. I believe PSU likes him as an edge rusher long-term, so I'm including Burnett as a defensive line commit for our purposes here. Either way, though, the staff needs to make some headway with its defensive front. As of early May, Penn State had six edge rushers and four interior defensive linemen locked in for official visits. The former appears to be a bigger priority, but we could realistically still see four more additions on the defensive line to give assistant coach Deion Barnes five total signees. A class fea- turing three defensive ends and two interior linemen seems realistic, but I could also see a three-to- one ratio as well. Penn State loaded up on defensive tackles last year. I have more questions here than at maybe any other position group. The Lions are aiming high for four-star prospects like Max Granville of Sugar Land, Texas, and Zayden Walker of Ellaville, Ga. You like to see that kind of ambition, of course, but it doesn't seem as though Penn State is the favorite with many true standout defensive linemen. Time will tell how this all shakes out, but I wouldn't be surprised if the staff's efforts on the defen- sive line drag on a bit longer than most other positions this year. DEFENSIVE BACK: Both the cornerback and safety spots need multiple additions in this class. Three-star commit Xxavier Thomas looks like he could be a quality slot defender down the road, but when you consider that Penn State has eight official visits locked in at cornerback and four at safety, this is another area that could see up to four more additions to the class if the cards fall right. I think fans can be fairly optimistic here; assistant coaches Terry Smith and Anthony Poindexter have consistently produced strong results in the secondary and find themselves in the mix with multiple quality players. At cornerback, Jahmir Joseph of Montvale, N.J., and Brandon Finney of Owings Mills, Md., are the immediate priorities. Penn State doesn't want to let either of those four-star prospects leave the region. But even if the Lions were to miss out on one of them, Smith can realistically land Graceson Littleton of Tampa or Josh Johnson of Ironton, Ohio. I'll always bet on Smith to get good results. At safety, most of the attention will be on JaDon Blair and Kainoa Winston, as it should be, but Florida prospects Antonio Branch and Rashad Johnson have also locked in visits. The Lions would love to sign both Blair and Winston, but even if they get only one, which I think is realistic, they should be fine. WIDE RECEIVER: Penn State may have more spots to fill on defense than offense, but wide re- ceiver remains a key position for multiple reasons. With nine uncommitted receivers locked in for official visits and four-star USC commit Romero Ison of Baltimore said to be seriously considering a trip to Penn State, there's reason to be fairly optimistic. If the Lions are able to lock down four-star prospects Lex Cyrus and Jeff Exinor, it'll take a lot of the pressure off when it comes to also adding some of the more nationally recruited receivers they're after. I think the receiver class could look like a strength when it's all said and done. It all starts with Cyrus and Exinor, both of whom are priority players for Franklin and his staff. If PSU could then add Matthew Outten or one of the Southern receivers who will visit in June, I think fans would and should be happy with that outcome. — Ryan Snyder