Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 10 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State picked up one of its top wide receiver targets in the 2025 class when Jeff Exinor of the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md., committed on June 28. Listed at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Exinor earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in April 2021. Not only was it his first offer, but it came before he had ever played a game at the high school level. Penn State's early interest was largely due to the per- sonal relationship between Exinor's family and the Lions' director of player person- nel, Kenny Sanders. "Kenny is a friend of my late uncle, David Lunn Jr.," Exinor told BWI. "They went to McDonogh together and were very close. I've known Kenny since I was born, and we have an amazing relationship." Even with that connection working in their favor, the coaches still had to prove Penn State was the right school for him. He earned 20 scholarship offers and vis- ited more than 10 schools over the course of his recruitment. His finalists were Penn State, Maryland and Virginia Tech, with all three earning official visits. The Terrapins proved to be tough competi- tors, but first-year of- fensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki put Penn State in the lead when he explained how Exinor fit into the Lions' plans on offense. "My meeting with him was very eye- opening," Exinor said. "He told me about his scheme, but when we had a one-on- one meeting, he emphasized my play style and how I could do a little bit of every- thing at my size. He said he'll put me in positions to showcase my talent, whether that's in the slot, inside, outside, on go routes or short screens." Exinor, who caught 76 passes for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, was hosted on his official visit to Penn State by redshirt freshman defensive end Mason Robinson, another McDonogh alum. The receiver came away from his trip feeling as though he'd gotten a thorough look at what PSU had to offer. "I loved just how honest everybody was with me," he said. "There was absolutely zero sugarcoating, and everything was just so genuine." Exinor holds a three-star rating from On3's scouts, but he's a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, where he's listed as the No. 54 wide receiver nation- ally and No. 7 Maryland prospect. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE JEFF EXINOR An 'Eye-Opening' Meeting Entices Maryland Receiver Exinor moves really well for a receiver with his muscle density. Players who develop early run the risk of becoming stiff and muscle- bound. Despite his lack of elite speed, Exinor moves very well. He can play all over the formation, but it's hard to move past his 6-2 frame when projecting him to Penn State. He should be a player who starts at the X or Z posi- tion and then learns the rest of the offense. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Join at BlueWhiteIllustrated.com! NOTE: BlueWhiteIllustrated.com is the companion site to Blue White Illustrated magazine. It is a separate subscription and is NOT included with the magazine. JOIN TODAY JOIN TODAY BlueWhiteIllustrated.com BlueWhiteIllustrated.com The premier Penn State site, now on the On3 network, has a special offer for ALL Nittany Lion fans: 25% OFF with promo code WeAre2024 Offer valid for new subscribers only; regularly $119.99 a year FEATURING: ✦ NEXT-GENERATION PLAYER DATABASE ✦ RECRUITING SCOOP ✦ DAILY TEAM COVERAGE ✦ BREAKING NEWS & DAILY NEWSLETTERS ✦ STRONG COMMUNITY ✦ MONTHLY OPTION AVAILABLE ✦ NEW MOBILE APP! 25%