Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M clarify his top schools, but Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee appear to be PSU's primary competition. Lumpris is a member of the Rivals300, coming in at No. 249 na- tionally and No. 18 among tight ends. I would circle Lumpris as one of Penn State's most realistic options. He had a very good camp this summer, making him all the more important now, but others such as Seneca Driver of Dan- ville, Ky., D'Angelo White of Cleveland and Sam Faniel of Richmond, Va., are also worth monitoring. Driver, who stands 6-7, 225 pounds, is the top-ranked player among that group at No. 63 nationally and fifth at the position. Just like Lumpris, he had a very good showing at camp this sum- mer and should be pursued heavily by PSU tight ends coach Ty Howle. Penn State's success at the position is appeal- ing to Driver, and the Lions should be in his top five. Both White and Faniel were also on campus in June. White played along- side current Penn State freshman tight end Brian Kortovich last season at Villa Angela-St. Joseph in Cleveland. He's since visited State College twice, but most believe the three-star prospect is leaning toward Ohio State. Faniel is another prospect who left Penn State with an offer after camp- ing this summer, although he was lim- ited that day by an injury. The 6-5, 215-pound prospect has made it clear he's high on the Nittany Lions. How- ever, because he had a limited workout, it's too early to project how hard the staff will push here, making his junior film all the more important. The Bene- dictine prospect, who has not yet been ranked, appears as though he would be a good fit in Penn State's locker room. OFFENSIVE TACKLE Penn State already holds a commit- ment from Layton von Brandt, who at- tends Appoquinimink High in Middle- town, Del. Ranked No. 29 nationally and sixth at his position, von Brandt could end up being a five-star prospect. He's not the only top-ranked offen- sive tackle in the region. Pennsylvania has a few Rivals300 prospects, includ- ing Coatesville native Maxwell Hiller, one of Penn State's most important re- cruits in the class. Just like von Brandt, Hiller's early ranking — No. 25 nation- ally, No. 2 among offensive tackles and No. 2 in the state — could make him a five-star prospect by the time it's all said and done. For now, Penn State, Al- abama, Clemson, South Carolina and Tennessee are the schools standing out the most. Hiller's 11 visits to Penn State are by far the most he's made to any school. Terrance Smith of Lansdale Catholic and Jimmy Kalis of Pittsburgh Central Catholic are also part of the Rivals300. Smith is higher on Penn State's board than Kalis. He's also higher in Rivals' rankings, coming in at No. 89 nation- ally, No. 3 among tackles and No. 5 in the state. So far, Smith has totaled four visits to Penn State, including three since April. Kalis is one of two Central Catho- lic offensive tackles in the 2027 class in whom Penn State is interested, the other being James Halter. Halter is cur- rently unranked, while Kalis, a three- star prospect, checks in at No. 228 na- tionally, No. 20 at his position and No. 8 in Pennsylvania. His brother Kyle played at Michigan, and his father, Todd, spent eight seasons in the NFL. Outside of Pennsylvania, position coach Phil Trautwein is off to a good start with a handful of quality pros- pects. In New Jersey, Olu Olubobola of St. Peter's Prep has visited Penn State four times already, most recently for the game against Nevada on Aug. 30. He's ranked No. 42 nationally, No. 9 among offensive tackles and No. 1 in his home state. The Nittany Lions are off to a great start with the 6-7, 270-pound prospect, but he also needs to see some other prominent programs this fall be- fore he can start narrowing his list. Two others worth monitoring are Brody McNeal of Richmond, Va., and Cameron Wagner of Saint Joseph, Ill. Both are four-star prospects and Ri- vals300 players, with McNeal ranking 158th and Wagner 203rd. They've also visited Penn State twice previously and camped with the staff in June, and they are expected to attend Penn State's White Out game against Oregon. Offensive tackle Maxwell Hiller is one of Penn State's most important targets in the 2027 class. The Coatesville, Pa., native has already made 11 visits to PSU, more than he's taken to any other school. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS