Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
M A R C H 2 0 2 5 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P L A Y E R B I O S / / / / / / / P enn State earned commitments from four running backs during the 2025 recruiting cycle. Last spring, the Nittany Lions already held commitments from Tikey Hayes and Kiandrea Barker before adding Ala- bama native Alvin Henderson in April. But once official visits began in June, it became increasingly clear that Hender- son was seriously considering a flip to Auburn. While the staff worked to keep him on board, they also made sure that their relationship with Philadelphia na- tive Jabree Coleman was strong follow- ing his decision to back out of a prior commitment to Georgia. With the summer dead period quickly approaching, Penn State decided to bring Coleman to campus for an offi- cial visit June 21-23. That ended up be- ing the same weekend that Henderson flipped to Auburn, making it an easy decision for James Franklin and his staff to accept Coleman's commitment. It was an easy decision for Coleman, too; he announced his choice on social media before he even left campus on June 22. "I think that Penn State is a great school for him that's always going to bring competition, and that's OK," Im- hotep Charter running backs coach Mi- chael Gandy said. "That's great for him and his goals. "I know he wanted to be able to al- low his family to come up and see him play and be supportive of him. At Penn State, he's not that far away, but he's far enough. That'll allow him to experience college and the atmosphere and campus life and everything, too. I think Penn State gives him all of that." A four-star prospect, Coleman con- tributed as a freshman, but his sopho- more season was when he emerged as one of the region's most coveted play- ers. His junior season was even better. Coleman totaled 1,610 yards rushing and 28 touchdowns, leading Imhotep to a PIAA Class 5A state championship. For his career, he finished with 4,243 yards and 63 touchdowns on the ground while adding 572 yards and 5 scores as a receiver. Penn State extended its offer just a month after his freshman season fin- ished in December 2021. Coleman earned more than 20 offers total and likely would have had more if he hadn't committed to Georgia in July 2022. He held firm to that commitment for more than a year, only to reopen his recruit- ment shortly after finishing his junior season. That the Nittany Lions prevailed in the end was partly due to their connec- tion to Coleman's school. Two of his former Imhotep teammates — receiver Tyseer Denmark and cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr., both redshirt freshmen — are on the current team, as are redshirt junior linebacker Keon Wylie and red- shirt junior defensive end Enai White, the latter having transferred to Penn State from Texas A&M in January. Gandy said Coleman "wanted to go somewhere where he felt like it was home. Penn State having four other guys from [Imhotep] up there allows him to get on campus and feel comfort- able. … He can lean on those guys for some advice and some experience." — Ryan Snyder Coleman surpassed 1,600 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns to help Imhotep with the PIAA Class 5A state title in 2023. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER JABREE COLEMAN Imhotep pipeline delivers another standout to PSU in star running back RB | 6-0 | 200 Imhotep Charter Darby Township, Pa. Rankings Stars Nat. Pos. State On3 Industry ★★★★ 339 24 7 On3 ★★★★ — 33 10 247Sports ★★★ — 33 15 ESPN ★★★★ 221 14 5 Rivals ★★★★ 230 13 4 Statistics • Rushed for 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns his senior season • Totaled 1,610 yards rushing and 28 touch- downs his junior season • Ran for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns dur- ing his sophomore season Notable • Led Imhotep to the PIAA Class 5A state championship in 2023 • Holds school record for the most touch- downs in a single game (6) • Was a team captain during his junior and senior seasons Recruitment • Committed to Penn State on June 22, 2024 • Recruited by defensive line coach Deion Barnes and former running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider • Picked Penn State over Georgia, North Carolina, Pitt and Rutgers • Officially visited on June 21, 2024 2025 Projection With seniors Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen returning, along with three scholarship backups, Coleman and fellow freshman run- ning back Tikey Hayes will almost certainly redshirt this fall. They Said It Imhotep running backs coach Michael Gandy: "He's really strong but also lean. There's not a lot of body fat there, which is going to allow him to probably put on a nice amount of muscle once he gets to college." T H E C O L E M A N F I L E