Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
5 2 D E C 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 P enn State's 2025 recruiting class stood at 26 commitments as of mid-November, and more than half of those prospects plan to enroll in January. The Nittany Lions had 16 early enrollees in their 2024 class and right now are on pace to have 14 scholarship players join the fray for this spring se- mester. Seven of those early enrollees are on offense and seven on defense. In addi- tion, walk-on kicker Matthew Parker out of Central York (Pa.) High is ex- pected to arrive in January, running the total to 15. Here's a look at the players who will be joining the program in early 2025. Quarterback The Nittany Lions' pursuit of a 2025 quarterback is not completely finished. The staff is still chasing a few signal- callers, with five-star Missouri com- mit Matt Zollers and former Michigan pledge Carter Smith among the latest names being batted around. Penn State holds a commitment from three-star quarterback Bekkem Kritza, and he's planning on joining the pro- gram in January. Now at Chaminade- Madonna in Hollywood, Fla., Kritza had made only three game appearances as of early November and had completed 36 of 46 passes for 514 yards and 7 touch- downs. He was back at Penn State for the Ohio State game. Penn State has had quarterbacks en- roll for the spring window in four con- secutive classes, dating back to Chris- tian Veilleux in the class of 2021. Both current junior Drew Allar and redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula arrived in 2022, redshirt freshman Jaxon Smolik in 2023 and true freshman Ethan Grunke- meyer this past January. The Impact: Kritza's intention to enroll early doesn't necessarily make it a done deal. The Lions are still ex- ploring options and trying to find the right guy. Even if Kritza signs with Penn State, he could face admissions issues stemming from his unusual high school career, which included five transfers. On top of that, he's a project who will need time to develop, so the on-field impact is minimal in 2025. Running Back Penn State has a pair of in-state run- ning backs committed in Tiqwai Hayes of Aliquippa and Jabree Wallace-Cole- man of Imhotep Charter in Philadel- phia. Hayes seems to be settled in with the Nittany Lions, despite rumors of Stanford making a push. The three-star prospect was back in town for the Ohio State game and also plans to enroll in January. As for Wallace-Coleman, Imhotep doesn't allow midyear graduations, but we're hearing that he would like to make it to campus for the spring and is ex- ploring his options to do so. The Impact: Earlier this year, it was assumed that juniors Nicholas Single- January Enrollees Aim To Make An Early Impact At Penn State S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M Running back Tiqwai Hayes is set to enroll at Penn State for the spring semester following a standout career at Aliquippa (Pa.) High. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER