Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530530
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Dixson will enroll at Penn State in Janu- ary. He's a three-star prospect according to On3 but holds a four-star grade in the Industry Ranking, coming in at No. 151 overall and No. 17 at cornerback nation- ally. On3 lists him as the nation's No. 46 cornerback and the No. 31 prospect in California. Jeff Exinor Jr. WR | 6-1 | 220 | Baltimore The latest in a long line of McDonogh High prospects to join Penn State, Exinor holds a three-star grade from On3 and is listed as the No. 84 wide receiver nation- ally and No. 17 player in Maryland. He's considered a four-star prospect in the In- dustry Ranking. This past season, Exinor finished with 30 receptions for 463 yards and 6 touch- downs. While those stats were down a bit from previous years, it was largely because Exinor stepped up to play quarterback for McDonogh in a handful of games when its starter was injured midway through the season. During the past three seasons, he totaled 154 catches for 2,177 yards and 26 touchdowns. Earning 20 total scholarship offers, Ex- inor always had Penn State among his top options. He took official visits to Mary- land and Virginia Tech but ultimately committed to PSU on June 28. Malachi Goodman OL | 6-6 | 310 | Bloomfield, N.J. Goodman is the second-ranked player in Penn State's 2025 class. Listed No. 46 nationally by On3 and No. 8 at offensive tackle, he earned more than 30 scholar- ship offers, many of which came from the best programs in the country. After taking official visits to Penn State, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and USC in June 2024, the Paramus Catholic prospect ultimately narrowed it down to the Nit- tany Lions, Trojans and Tigers. He took a few months to decide but eventually credited his relationship with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, along with Penn State's success at developing NFL linemen, as the key reasons for his com- mitment in September. Cortez Harris DE | 6-3 | 205 | Largo, Md. Harris earned an offer from the Nit- tany Lions in March 2023. He then visited for the first time that September before returning for a junior day visit in January 2024. By the spring, Harris had repeatedly made it clear that Penn State, Maryland and Tennessee were the three schools standing out the most. Those three ended up being the schools to which he took of- ficial visits in June. Penn State was the last one to host him, and he committed before leaving campus on June 23. Due to a knee injury and a few games being canceled, Harris played in only four contests dur- ing his senior sea- so n a t R ive rd a l e Baptist. A three- star prospect and t h e n a t i o n 's No. 49 edge rusher ac- cording to On3, he f i n i s h e d w i t h 1 5 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and a touchdown return on a blocked kick. Tikey Hayes RB | 5-11 | 210 | Aliquippa, Pa. Hayes will go down as one of the most productive running backs in WPIAL his- tory, having totaled nearly 7,000 yards and 95 touchdowns in four seasons at Aliquippa High. Those numbers could have been even higher if he hadn't missed a handful of games with a knee injury as a senior. Hayes was a three-time Fab 22 selec- tion by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and won the Mr. PA Football Award follow- ing a junior season in which he rushed for more than 2,100 yards in leading the Quips to a Pennsylvania Class AAAA championship. Aliquippa went 49-5 during his four seasons. Hayes earned a three-star rating from On3 and is the No. 31 running back na- tionally and No. 10 prospect in Penn- sylvania. Hayes earned 19 scholarship offers before committing to Penn State in September 2023. He chose the Nittany Lions over Ohio State, Pitt and West Vir- ginia and is planning to enroll in January. Matt Henderson TE | 6-5 | 208 | Powhatan, Va. Penn State has found its fair share of hidden gems over the years. Henderson could be another. Although he's now New Jersey offensive lineman Malachi Goodman is the second-highest-rated player in Penn State's class. On3 lists him No. 46 among all prospects nationally and No. 8 at offensive tackle. PHOTO COURTESY MALACHI GOODMAN Rk. School Commits 1. Texas 25 2. Oregon 21 3. Alabama 22 4. Georgia 28 5. Ohio State 26 Rk. School Commits 6. Auburn 25 7. LSU 23 8. Texas A&M 25 9. Michigan 23 10. Tennessee 26 14. Penn State 27 ON3 INDUSTRY 2025 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 12