Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
1 0 2 A U G U S T 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 Penn State wanted to see more from Braswell Thomas this summer. During a visit to campus in early June, the three- star safety from Cape May, N.J., proved he was up to the task. While attending camp on June 2, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound athlete proved to head coach James Franklin and his staff that he had made impressive strides — not only in his testing numbers but also in his performance as a safety, which is where he's expected to play at the next level. In addition to running a 4.5-sec- ond 40-yard dash, Thomas cleared 30 feet in the triple jump and turned in a sub-4.4-second time in the shuttle. For a player with his size and strength, the performance ended up being a game changer when it came to the way Penn State's staff looked at his overall potential. "They wanted to see how much I improved from last year with everything," Thomas said. "Their coaches were looking at my speed, how I did in DB drills, agility drills, everything. They explained how they were extremely pumped to see major improvement from last year. They were very excited I went out to the camp and got after it and earned the official visit." Thomas took that visit on June 21. During his time on campus, he was paired with January enrollee Vaboue Toure, a fellow New Jersey safety. Be- tween his meetings with the coaching staff and interactions with the play- ers, Thomas knew that Penn State was where he wanted to be. The only other official visit he took was to West Vir- ginia. On June 23, he announced his plans to sign with the Nittany Lions. Thomas is listed by On3 as the No. 32 safety in the 2025 class and No. 17 player in New Jersey. In the On3 Industry Ranking, he checks in at No. 47 among safeties nationally and No. 17 among all Garden State prospects. — Ryan Snyder Deion Barnes had a good month in June. The second-year Penn State de- fensive line coach landed commitments from a trio of four-star edge rushers in the 2025 class, the most recent being Jayden Woods of Shawnee, Kan. Woods chose the Nittany Lions on June 26 after weighing offers from the likes of Ten- nessee, Wisconsin, Purdue, Alabama, Michigan and Oregon. The Nittany Lions extended their of- fer to the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Woods in May 2023, but the groundwork for his commitment was laid back in 2006 and '07 when James Franklin was serv- ing as offensive coordinator at Kansas State. Franklin helped the Wildcats sign Woods' father, Justin, before leaving to join Maryland's staff in 2008. Although they weren't together for very long in Manhattan, their connection played a big role in Penn State's decision to ex- tend an offer to the younger Woods and helped persuade him to visit. During the fall and winter, Woods' rela- tionship with Barnes and graduate assis- tant Torrence Brown continued to grow. He made his first visit in March, and that trip set the tone moving forward. There had been speculation that Pur- due was in a strong position, but by the time Woods wrapped up his official visit to Penn State in June, the Lions were in the lead. They had to hold off the Boil- ermakers and a late charge from Ten- nessee, but in the end, Barnes and the recruiting staff secured his pledge. "The connection with Coach Barnes and Coach Brown was great the whole visit," Woods said. "I could really see myself playing for them. Talking with Coach Franklin was great, too." Woods put up some impressive stats the past two seasons at Mill Valley High. As a sophomore, he had 51 tackles, in- cluding 10.5 for loss and 6 sacks, 12 quar- terback hurries and 3 pass deflections. As a junior, he totaled 71 tackles, including 10 for loss and 7 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries and 8 pass deflections. In the process, he helped Mill Valley win back- to-back state championships. In addition to being a consensus four- star prospect, Woods is listed as the na- tion's No. 264 overall prospect and No. 23 edge rusher nationally by On3, as well as the No. 6 player in Kansas. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE BRASWELL THOMAS COMMITMENT PROFILE JAYDEN WOODS New Jersey Safety Accepts Penn State's Challenge Family Ties Play Role In Defensive End's Decision Braswell Thomas looks at times like a receiver playing safety. He's a great safety prospect who still needs to learn the position, especially in run defense. I feel like the instincts on when to trig- ger, when to close and when to lay the wood aren't necessarily there yet, nor are the tackling skills. But Penn State assistant coach Anthony Poindexter has a reputation for finding guys with big frames who are able to develop into complete safeties from a physical standpoint. — Thomas Frank Carr I think Jayden Woods can be the most proto- typical edge defender in this class, in that he's got 33-inch arms, a great frame and explosive testing numbers. I like the way he bends and how he's able to use his hands. He's got great run-defense skills, and he can also drop into coverage. Woods can do all the things that a modern defensive end is supposed to do, and his frame is excellent. That's what Penn State needed in this class — somebody with a bigger body who isn't going to be a total projection regarding position or weight. Woods brings that size element, even if he's not 6-5, 250 already. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N