Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Mickens firmly committed and will con- tinue to aim high in its search for poten- tial additions. Wide Receiver Penn State is off to an excellent start here, having secured commitments al- ready from four-star prospect Jahsiear Rogers of Bear, Del., as well as three- star wideouts Jerquaden Guilford of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lavar Keys of Hyatts- ville, Md. All of them have camped at Penn State previously, so the staff has a good feel for what each has to offer. Nevertheless, Penn State is expected to continue pursuing a handful of tal- ented players. Four-star prospect Mes- siah Hampton of Rochester, N.Y., is among the players PSU would love to add. The 6-foot, 170-pound prospect has visited State College six times so far, more than he's been to any other school. Ohio State is also in the mix, but sources have hinted that the Lions are in the best position. There are also a few notable players in Virginia to keep an eye on, including Connor Salmin of Purcellville, Davion Brown of Richmond and Travis John- son of Chesapeake. All three hold four-star ratings from On3. Salmin, who stands 6-1, 190 pounds, camped at Penn State last summer, and the staff likely wouldn't pass up the na- tion's No. 197 overall prospect. Tight End The Lions missed out on five-star prospect Kendre Harrison when he committed to Oregon in November. They'll continue to recruit Harrison, but for now there are three pros- pects who seem to be at the top of Howle's board: Ian Premer of Great Bend, Kan.; Mack Sutter of Dunlap, Ill.; and JC Anderson of Decatur, Ill. All three are four-star prospects and rank within the On300, with Premer at No. 68, Sutter at No. 226 and An- derson at No. 296. Anderson, who checks in at 6-6, 230 pounds, has visited Penn State three times, including for the Lasch Bash Barbecue in July and the White Out game in November. Illinois and Notre Dame have also hosted him mul- tiple times. Anderson was joined at the White Out game by Sutter and Premer. Sutter, who stands 6-5, 225 pounds, visited in April, too, but he also attended two games at Alabama last season and was expected to visit again on Feb. 1. In addition, Illi- nois, Iowa and Ole Miss have hosted him multiple times since the fall of 2023. Premer is the highest-ranked player of those three at No. 68 overall nation- ally and No. 3 at the position. The White Out game was his only visit to Penn State so far, but the 6-5, 225-pound prospect made it clear that he intends to be back this spring. Kansas State, Ne- braska and Oklahoma also hosted him for games last fall. Offensive Tackle Penn State already holds a verbal commitment from its top target in the class, with Harrisburg native Kevin Brown having committed back in July. Listed at 6-5, 260 pounds, Brown is ver- satile enough to play inside, but Penn State recruited him as a tackle. He's the No. 23 player in the country according to On3, which would make him a five- star prospect by the time he signs if he stays that high in the rankings. Maryland native Immanuel Iheana- cho is also a very important target for position coach Phil Trautwein. Listed at 6-6, 350 pounds, Iheanacho has already earned a five-star grade from On3 and is ranked fifth nationally in the 2026 class. He recently said Georgia and Oregon are Penn State's top competitors, while schools like Auburn and Tennessee also have his interest. New Jersey native Marlen Bright is another tackle to watch. A three-star prospect, Bright played alongside 2025 signee Michael Troutman at De- Paul Catholic last season. The 6-6, 270-pounder has visited Penn State seven times so far. The Nittany Lions are believed to be the heavy favorites over Illinois, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Rutgers. Bright also camped with Traut- wein in June 2023. Two four-star tackles who will bear watching are Gregory Patrick of Por- tage, Mich., and Adam Guthrie of Washington Court House, Ohio. Both attended games this fall and have the Nittany Lions safely among their top 10, most likely closer to the top five. However, Patrick has also visited Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame more than any other schools, and those three look to be the early favorites. Guthrie holds an offer from Ohio State and has visited Columbus five times in the past 14 months. The Buckeyes will likely be tough to beat. Interior Offensive Line The highest-ranked interior line- man on Penn State's recruiting board is Darius Gray of Richmond, Va. Ranked No. 25 nationally, Gray is on pace to be a five-star prospect and has the Nittany Lions among his top five schools along with LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The 6-3, 285-pound guard is set to visit Penn State again on Feb.1 for a junior day. Another Virginia native to keep an eye on is Carter Scruggs of Lees- Four-star receiver Messiah Hampton of Rochester, N.Y., has visited Penn State six times so far but is also considering Ohio State. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER