Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Va., but the four-star wideout, who is ranked by On3 as the No. 138 overall prospect and No. 15 receiver nationally, appears to be leaning elsewhere. Messiah Hampton of Rochester, N.Y., also decided not to use his official visit to Penn State, which was scheduled for May 16-18, all but eliminating the Lions from conten- tion for the four-star prospect, who is listed No. 49 overall and No. 7 among wideouts. Tight End After signing three tight ends in the 2025 class, Penn State will likely add just one this year. Four-star prospect Mack Sutter of Dunlap, Ill., remains the top target for assistant coach Ty Howle. Af- ter taking official visits to Illinois and Ole Miss, Sutter, the No. 146 player and No. 6 tight end in the country per On3, now plans to see Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State in June. He won't be easy to land, but the Nittany Lions have a real shot. Howle expanded his net in February and March, offering California native Luke Sorenson, followed by Minnesota native Pierce Petersohn. Sorenson, who stands 6-4, 230 pounds, visited Penn State in April and has spoken very highly of Howle's coaching. A three- star prospect from Anaheim, Calif., he visited Ole Miss and UCLA and will return to Penn State May 30. Nebraska and USC are also in the mix. Petersohn has emerged as a four-star prospect in On3's ratings, coming in at No. 203 nationally and No. 12 among tight ends. Listed at 6-5, 190 pounds, he is be- ing recruited as a linebacker by Iowa State and Minnesota, while Penn State likes him best as a tight end. Of the three potential additions, Peter- sohn seems like the most realistic. He's a special athlete with a 6-foot, 10-inch high jump and a 49.9-second 400-meter time. Offensive Line At no position group has Penn State cast a wider net than with the offensive line. Assistant coach Phil Trautwein has earned commitments from four-star prospect Kevin Brown of Harrisburg, Pa., the No. 59 prospect and No. 2 inte- rior offensive lineman in the nation, and three-star lineman Roseby Lubintus of Blackwood, N.J. With at least a dozen un- committed players expected to take of- ficial visits, it's clear Penn State wants to capitalize on what the staff believes is a deep class. For now, it looks like the Nittany Lions will take five offensive line- men, but six can't be ruled out. The names to know at offensive tackle are Grayson McKeogh of Glenside, Pa.; Marlen Bright of Wayne, N.J.; Marky Wal- bridge of Needham, Mass.; Jack Fuchs of Hendersonville, Tenn.; and Bryce Gilmore of Prosper, Texas. Not only does PSU have official visits set with all of them, but it is believed to be in the top three or better with all five. McKeogh, Bright, Walbridge and Gilm- ore are four-star prospects and rank in the On300, while Fuchs has received a three-star grade. McKeogh, a standout at La Salle College High, is On3's top-ranked player in that group. He's listed at No. 183 among all prospects nationally and No. 16 among offensive tackles. There are also a handful of important targets who will likely begin their ca- reers at guard. Four-star Virginia native Carter Scruggs remains Trautwein's top remaining guard prospect. A standout at Loudoun County High in Leesburg, Va., Scruggs is listed by On3 as the No. 224 overall prospect and No. 11 interior of- fensive lineman nationally. Another four-star prospect, Leo Del- aney of Charlotte, N.C., has Penn State among his top four but appears to be lean- ing toward Clemson or Michigan. He is rated as the No. 256 player and No. 18 in- terior offensive lineman in the country. The other names to circle are Brendan Alexander of Monaca, Pa.; Drew Evers of Flower Mound, Texas; and Benjamin Eziuka of Detroit. Evers is the top-rated player in that trio, ranking No. 111 nation- ally and No. 7 among interior linemen, according to On3. Beyond those names, Penn State con- tinues to pursue a pair of five-star line- men in tackle Immanuel Iheanacho of Baltimore and guard Darius Gray of Rich- mond, Va. Iheanacho, who attends Georgetown Preparatory School, is On3's No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 offensive tackle in the country. The 6-6, 350-pound lineman will take an official visit to Penn State but has admitted that Oregon is his favorite. Gray, a 6-3, 285-pound standout at St. Christopher's School, has risen to No. 3 in On3's ranking of interior linemen and No. 63 overall. Penn State is in the mix, but most observers expect him to end up at LSU. Defensive Tackle Penn State holds solid commitments from a pair of three-star prospects in Alex Haskell of Philadelphia and Isaac Chuk- wurah of Bear, Del. In addition, the Nit- tany Lions remain involved with a hand- ful of players, most notably four-star prospects Damari Simeon of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., and Keshawn Stancil of Clayton, N.C., and three-star players Tavian Branch of Taylor, Pa., and Gar- rett Witherington of Birmingham, Ala. All four have official visits locked in with Penn State for June. Listed by On3 as the No. 74 prospect and No. 9 defensive lineman nationally, Stancil will likely be the hardest to sign. Tavian Branch of Tay lor, Pa., was originally being recruited as an offensive guard but is seen as a defensive tackle after working out for PSU assistant coach Deion Barnes in May. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER