Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533674
5 2 A P R I L 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M J ames Franklin's decision to start spring practice on March 25 made the past month a slow one on the recruiting trail, but that's not going to be the case in April. Penn State began practice later than usual because of the academic calen- dar, which had spring break slated for the week of March 10-14. Add in the fact that PSU played 16 games in less than five months, plus the NCAA cut- ting back on how many days coaches are allowed out on the road to recruit in May, and it was an understandable move by the staff. The delayed start could end up help- ing the Nittany Lions on the recruiting trail as well. Many of the schools that Penn State typically competes against — Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt, Syracuse and Virginia Tech among them — are set to wrap up spring practice on April 12. Duke and Michigan will conclude their sessions a week later, making Rut- gers the only school that PSU regularly battles that will host its spring game on April 26. The unusual schedule means PSU will be one of the few schools still hosting prospects in late April. During the past month, a number of recruits have made plans to visit cam- pus between March 25 and April 26. As of March 20, more than 50 recruits in the 2026 and '27 classes had confirmed specific dates with Blue White Illus- trated. That includes a very important visitor who was planning to be on cam- pus for the first day of spring practice: five-star defensive end Carter Mead- ows. Listed at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Meadows is the No. 2 defensive end and No. 6 overall prospect nationally, per On3. Following trips to North Carolina and Northwestern in early March, the Washington, D.C., prospect is sched- uled to also visit Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford and South Carolina by mid- April. Once he completes his spring travel itinerary, the Gonzaga standout will lock in his official visits for later this year. We expect Penn State to earn one of those visits. The first major recruiting weekend of the spring will take place April 5, with Penn State expected to host a handful of important 2026 players, some of whom already have official visits scheduled for this summer. The guest list includes intriguing linebacker prospects Nick Abrams of McDonogh High in Owings Mills, Md., and Mathieu Kanu of Patriot High in Manassas, Va. In January, Kanu admitted publicly that Penn State was his top school fol- lowing a junior day visit with the staff. The 6-3, 221-pound prospect, listed by On3's scouts at No. 277 overall and No. 20 among linebackers, also plans to visit North Carolina, South Carolina and Wisconsin this spring. A second visit to Penn State for the Blue-White Late Start Could Work To Penn State's Advantage RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Five-star defensive end Carter Meadows of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga is listed by On3 as the nation's No. 6 overall prospect. The Nittany Lions were planning to welcome him to cam- pus on March 25 and are hoping to bring him back for an official visit later this year. PHOTO COURTESY ON3