Penn State Sports Magazine
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9 8 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 also began speaking regularly with Rut- gers behind the scenes. The three-star prospect eventually ended up taking an official visit to the school from May 31 to June 2 before announcing on June 23 that he had flipped his commitment to the Scarlet Knights. Those setbacks came in the midst of one of the more impressive commit- ment streaks that Penn State has had under coach James Franklin. It began with a decision that surprised many, with California defensive back Daryus Dixson announcing on June 10 that he planned to sign with PSU. Dixson has received a three-star grade from On3's scouts, but he is a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, which averages the grades from the four major recruiting websites. He's also listed in the Industry Ranking as the No. 159 overall player and No. 19 cornerback nationally, and the No. 14 prospect in California. For Penn State, picking up a prospect from a high school program the caliber of Mater Dei in Santa Ana was a major win. The momentum really picked up a week later when another four-star pros- pect, cornerback Jahmir Joseph of St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, N.J., an- nounced his decision on June 17. Over the next 11 days, the Lions received commit- ments from eight more players, seven of whom hold four-star grades in the In- dustry Ranking. That run also included a notable ad- dition to the 2026 class in quarterback Troy Huhn of Mission Hills High in San Marcos, Calif. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound prospect is ranked No. 60 overall and No. 6 at quarterback by On3 in the 2026 class. When you add in 2025 linebacker and Covina native LaVar Arrington II, who committed on July 4, Penn State wel- comed three prospects from Southern California. Not bad for a school that hasn't signed a scholarship prospect from the Golden State since linebacker Koa Farmer in the class of 2014. With 22 commitments in the 2025 class as of July 15, Penn State was ranked No. 17 nationally in the On3 Team Rankings and fourth in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (No. 2), Oregon (No. 4) and Michi- gan (No. 11). There's still room to add a few players as well, most notably at wide receiver and on the defensive line. The wide receiver position group has been a major talking point in recent months. The Nittany Lions were able to add one of their top targets in Maryland native Jeff Exinor, a four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking who is listed No. 349 overall and No. 54 among wide- outs nationally, and No. 7 in Maryland. However, PSU wanted to have four wide receivers committed by this point, and instead it has two. Three-star receiver Matthew Out- ten of Portsmouth, Va., surprised some when he picked Virginia Tech over Penn State and Maryland on July 1, but the big- gest hit came on July 11 when four-star prospect Lex Cyrus of Harrisburg, Pa., announced that he was headed to South Carolina. That blow was followed by an- other loss two days later when Taz Wil- liams Jr., who resides in Texas but grew up in Pittsburgh, chose Baylor over Penn State. Williams is considered a three-star prospect by On3. Where those losses leave the Nittany Lions going forward was unclear as of mid-July, but one player to watch is Koby Howard of Davie, Fla. A four-star prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, Howard took an official visit to Penn State at the end of June and is expected to return to State College July 26-27. Listed at 5-11, 175 pounds, he is No. 386 overall and No. 62 at wide receiver in the country, and No. 53 in his home state, per the Industry Ranking. Howard at- tends South Florida powerhouse Cham- inade-Madonna Prep. The defensive line is the other key po- Penn State Revamps Lasch Bash, With More Changes Coming in 2025 Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff are looking to take advantage of a one-week quiet period at the end of the month in which prospects are allowed to visit campus. The Nittany Lions are expected to host a few prospects for individual visits during that seven-day period, but much of the focus will be on the annual Lasch Bash Barbecue, which this year will take place over a two-day span beginning July 26. Penn State's coaches are always trying to learn from previous recruiting events and improve on those experiences. With that in mind, the staff decided to split up the Lasch Bash so that coaches would have more time to spend with individual prospects. Last year's one-day event featured nearly 60 prospects and their families. By splitting up the Lasch Bash, the staff will be able to use one of those two days to focus on wel- coming players who have already committed to the Nittany Lions. The coaches will have time to talk individually with committed players and their families about what the future holds for them at Penn State. The format will also give prospects more time to get to know their classmates. The other event will be geared toward prospects in the 2026 and '27 classes. In addition to the Lasch Bash, Penn State is expected to host camps on July 26 and 27. With many of the region's top players planning to be on campus, scheduling camps for the same day gives the staff an opportunity to collect data on some prominent targets. This will be the last year that we see major recruiting events in July. Earlier this summer, the NCAA's Division I Council officially adopted a rule change to make the entire month of July a dead period starting in 2025. There are pluses and minuses to that move. The main advantage is that it will give the staff more time to focus on the current roster heading into preseason camp. That's been a major complaint by coaches for years. The drawback, however, is that June will be even busier than it is now, potentially forcing schools to cram all 10 of their evaluation days for camps into a 25-day window. Penn State has often done seven or eight camps in June, saving the rest for July. It is not clear what will happen to the Lasch Bash. No decisions have been made yet, but moving the event to June or even May is a possibility. — Ryan Snyder