Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1525333
5 6 S E P T E M B E R 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's 2026 class is off to a fast start, and the Nittany Lions landed their biggest catch of the cycle when Harris- burg (Pa.) High offensive tackle Kevin Brown announced his commitment on July 27. Brown was among the marquee visi- tors at the Nittany Lions' Lasch Bash Barbecue and arguably Penn State's top overall target in the early stages of the 2026 cycle. The Lions began targeting him during his freshman year at Har- risburg, where his father, Tim Brown, was a standout offensive lineman before going on to start for West Virginia and eventually play in the NFL. The younger Brown said he was im- pressed with the transparency of Penn State's staff, particularly offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. "They're extremely honest and clear, that's the main thing," he said. "I like the way Coach Trautwein has gone about recruiting me. I feel like he's pretty laid- back and just overall a nice guy." Brown, who stands 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, is the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 39 overall prospect nationally, as well as the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He's listed No. 28 overall by On3's scouts. Brown could eventually earn five-star status and is already one of the top offensive line prospects in Pennsylvania history. "He's basically 260 pounds of straight muscle," said Charles Power, On3's di- rector of scouting and ra n k i n gs. " He a l so moves extremely well, so there's certainly a wow factor to his film. He's worth getting ex- cited about." Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame and others all ex- tended scholarship offers, but none were able to overcome Penn State, which had received nine visits from Brown since he emerged as a prospect in 2022. — Sean Fitz Penn State picked up one of the re- gion's hidden gems on July 27 with the addition of Delaware wide receiver Jah- siear Rogers to its 2026 recruiting class. A three-star prospect from Ap- poquinimink High, Rogers earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in mid- June when he attended the staff's Lion Strong tournament with his seven- on-seven team, Loyal Elite. Not only did he make some outstanding plays on the field, Rogers posted some daz- zling numbers, running a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and broad jumping just shy of 11 feet. His performance instantly turned him into a player that Penn State had to seriously pursue. "I know I'm fast, but I don't always show that I'm fast," the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Rogers said. "I don't run track. I'm a receiver all the way, but I'm not really running as fast as I can because nobody can catch me. I'm like a sports car. I've got dif- ferent gears." Rogers is listed by On3's scouts as the No. 56 wide receiver nationally and No. 1 player in Delaware. He doesn't have a grade from two of the four major recruiting services, but he said he wasn't surprised when he re- ceived an offer from PSU on June 14. "The way I was playing, I knew I was going to get it," Rogers said. "I was hav- ing a good day, and I just believe in my- self a lot. I know I can play the game at an elite level. When I started play- ing, all the coaches started coming over. Then Coach [James] Franklin started watching all our games and watching me closely. He stuck with me through- out the day." Rogers had only two additional offers at the time — from James Madison and Indiana — but he said that a host of pro- grams had begun showing serious inter- est, including North Carolina, Rutgers, Kentucky, Tennessee and Syracuse. Even though his recruitment was just starting to gain momentum, he had no reservations about shutting it down af- ter his Penn State visit. "From the first time I met Coach Franklin, it just felt like family," Rogers said. "I felt like it was the right thing." — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE KEVIN BROWN COMMITMENT PROFILE JAHSIEAR ROGERS Elite Offensive Line Prospect Bolsters Lions' 2026 Class Speedy Wideout Makes Quick Work Of His Recruitment Jahsiear Rogers is a 4.3 kid in the 40, and there aren't a ton of them running around. If there's a 4.3 kid in your backyard, that's some- one you have to prioritize. His testing numbers were off the charts, and he's got some pretty good tape to back it up. He's also got decent size. He's not a 5-8 sprinter playing football; he's close to 5-11. Rogers is playing against Delaware competition, but we've seen some pretty good receivers come out of that area. — Sean Fitz P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Kevin Brown is physical. He's nasty. He's a finisher who is strong for his size. He had a little bit of an issue with tight hips, but he's worked through that and gotten better. Brown isn't 300 pounds, but he's progressed the right way — from 225 to 245, and now he's up to 260 in the On3 database. You can see that he's going to project as a guy with the right kind of muscle, the right kind of definition throughout his body, and he'll be athletic. He'll be able to play four positions if they need him to. You want him to play tackle, but he has the ability with his athleticism and strength to play either tackle position or move to the interior. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N