Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 0 4 A U G U S T 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 from Rivals. He's the No. 30 linebacker nationally and No. 21 player in North Carolina. Playing just seven games dur- ing his junior season at West Mecklen- burg High, he totaled an eye-catching 84 tackles, including 26 for loss and 14 sacks. He has since transferred back to West Charlotte, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons. Adam McCann-Gibbs P/PK | 6-0 | 190 | Newry, Ireland Penn State went looking overseas for its next specialist. On June 21, Mc- Cann-Gibbs traveled to State College with Tadhg Leader, a former European League of Football and Canadian Foot- ball League specialist. Leader is now with Leader Kicking, a company that previously helped another Irish special- ist enroll at Troy. New Penn State spe- cial teams analyst Allen Tucker coached at Leader Kicking before joining the Nittany Lions. "It all came around very quickly," Mc- Cann-Gibbs told the Newry Reporter, an Irish newspaper. "Tadhg called and said, 'There might be an opportunity here for you to fly out and visit Penn State.' We flew out on Saturday and then worked out for Penn State on Sunday, and thankfully, I did really well and got the offer on the spot. So, that's how it came around. It was really quick, but it was years of work put into one ses- sion, which thankfully turned out pretty well." McCann-Gibbs, who plays Gaelic football for local club Glenn, flew back home to discuss it with his family before announcing his commitment to the Nit- tany Lions on June 28. "Whenever people hear the name Penn State, they're blown away," Mc- Cann-Gibbs said. "I'd say a good few people know Penn State, even if they don't watch college football." Pierce Petersohn TE | 6-5 | 200 | Dodge Center, Minn. Petersohn is one of the best athletes in Minnesota. In addition to totaling close to 2,000 yards of offense and 26 touchdowns playing quarterback at Tri- ton High last season, he's also starred in basketball and on the track. He's already scored 1,900 points on the hardwood, and he qualified for Minnesota's state track championship this past spring, running the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races while also participating in the high jump. That versatility, coupled with a lanky frame that can carry more weight in the years ahead, is very appealing to the Nittany Lions. "You have to do it all as a tight end at Penn State," Petersohn said. "I'm a very versatile player, and that will help me in their program." Petersohn, who chose the Nittany Li- ons over Iowa State and Minnesota, is a four-star prospect as rated by Rivals, coming in at No. 200. He's the No. 10 tight end nationally and No. 2 prospect in Minnesota for the class. Amauri Polydor CB | 6-0 | 175 | Laurel, Md. Penn State has struggled to land pros- pects from Baltimore powerhouse St. Frances over the years, but its fortunes improved on June 6 when Polydor an- nounced his commitment. Polydor's trip to Penn State was his only official visit. It came on the heels of unofficial visits in March and April that established the Nittany Lions as the team to beat. He did check out Michi- gan State and Maryland in April, but that was mostly so that he had a basis for comparison. In the end, Penn State was always the leader. "The spring practice visit [on March 29] really boosted them up," Polydor said. "I learned a lot about their alumni base. Everything they were telling me about the school, I loved. Also, I learned a lot about their development at the po- sition and really saw how they do things. It was a big visit for me." A three-star prospect, Polydor is ranked by Rivals as the No. 48 cor- nerback nationally and No. 9 player in Maryland. Before transferring to St. Frances, he totaled 9 interceptions dur- ing his junior season at Mt. Zion Prep. ■ Three-star cornerback Amauri Polydor gave Penn State a rare recruiting win at Baltimore's St. Frances Academy when he chose the Lions over Michigan State and Maryland. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER