Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 5 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M player nationally, as well as the fifth- best prosect in the state, Smith included PSU among his top 12 at the end of July. Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse and Tennessee also made the cut. Abraham Sesay | DE | Downingtown East Sesay earned a four-star rating from Rivals in May. Rutgers and Syracuse were the first two schools to offer, but his stock climbed drastically after Penn State followed suit in March. He's now closing in on a dozen offers, and there's likely to be another surge this fall. Standing 6-4, 210 pounds, Sesay looked the part at Penn State's June 18 prospect camp, beating several future FBS linemen during one-on-one drills. He's still raw from a technique perspec- tive, but his burst and athleticism fit what defensive line coach Deion Barnes is looking for. Rivals has him ranked No. 168 overall and No. 19 among edge rush- ers in the junior class, as well as No. 6 in Pennsylvania. Carter Bonner | Ath. | Penn Hills Bonner earned one of his first offers from Penn State in October 2023. Now, he's Rivals' No. 173 prospect and No. 6 athlete nationally and No. 7 player in Pennsylvania. The question is, where will he play in college? Penn State seems to like the 6-3, 180-pound prospect as a wide receiver. However, Bonner has made it clear he prefers to play on defense, preferably at cornerback. His four visits to Penn State have the Nittany Lions in a good spot early on, but how much PSU pushes for him to consider wide receiver will be interesting to follow. Brandon Lockley | LB | St. Joseph's Prep Lockley has said a few times that he's in no rush to decide, but he could be someone to watch closely in the com- ing months. Over the past year, the 6-1, 220-pound linebacker has taken as many visits to Penn State as he has to every other school combined. He's also close friends with freshman linebacker Cam Smith and current St. Joseph's PSU Pursues Defensive Tackles To Complete 2026 Class With 24 committed players in the fold, Penn State is all but finished with its 2026 recruiting class. However, James Franklin and his staff are still exploring their options at a few key positions, notably defensive tackle. Despite holding commitments from three-star prospects Isaac Chukwurah and Alex Haskell, position coach Deion Barnes has extended a few new scholarship offers at the position since mid-July. The first of those offers went out to three-star Tennessean Djidjou Bah on July 12. Listed at 6-foot- 3, 275 pounds, Bah committed to Wisconsin in June but took an official visit to Missouri at the end of the month. He has since confirmed that a visit to Penn State this season is likely, although a date hadn't been set as of early August. "Djidjou was a late bloomer," Germantown High head coach Gene Robinson III told Badger Blitz. "He had a big growth spurt. His shoulders got broad, and he got wider. "He grew up playing soccer, so he has a unique athletic ability — long arms and an ability to move with an athletic bend that he gained from soccer. He's really good-looking in person. He's 6-foot-3 and he's up to 275 pounds now, and he doesn't look it at all." Barnes extended another offer five days later to Emanuel Ruffin of Bessemer, Ala. Listed at 6-3, 290 pounds, Ruffin holds a four-star rating from Rivals and is the 26th-ranked defensive tackle in the country. He was seriously considering both Ohio State and LSU earlier this summer, but both schools filled up at the position before he was ready to decide. He said Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are also still in contact. "I'm going to get to some games, take a few more official visits, and then make my decision during the season," Ruffin told Rivals national analyst Chad Simmons in late July. "Everything is 100 percent open for me now. I'm trying to find the coach who can get me to the next level and give me a chance to win." The Nittany Lions extended a third offer on Aug. 1 to Phoenix native Keytrin Harris. Listed at 6-2, 290 pounds, Harris committed to Arizona on July 5, but he appears to be interested in at least visiting Penn State this fall. Harris' manager, Ortege Jenkins, said the prospect is intrigued by the opportunity "to compete in the Big Ten with big-time competition." Jenkins also cited "development opportunities and Coach Franklin" as two other reasons the offer stood out. Awarded a three-star rating by Rivals, Harris narrowed his list of 20 offers down to Arizona, Arizona State, California, Tennessee, Texas A&M and UCLA last spring. In addition to pursuing defensive tackles, Penn State is keeping an eye on offensive tackles and cornerbacks. Quarterback is another position to watch following Peyton Falzone's decision to flip to Auburn. For the most part, the top players at each of those position groups have committed elsewhere by now, which means the staff will have to work on flipping players in the months ahead. Coaching changes in the second half of the season could play a significant role. We'll also be monitoring play- ers committed elsewhere for unofficial visits on Sept. 27 when Penn State welcomes Oregon for this year's White Out game. — Ryan Snyder Listed by Rivals as the No. 168 overall player nationally, edge rusher Abraham Sesay of Downingtown East is viewed as a good fit for Penn State's defensive system. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS