Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 5 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2022 Rose Bowls. After camping with Trautwein this past summer, the three- star prospect is a take, making him one to watch closely. He's listed as the na- tion's No. 19 interior offensive lineman and No. 33 player in California. Peyton Miller of Anna, Texas, and Reed Ramsier of Orlando, Fla., have also made it clear that Penn State is a serious player in their recruitment. Miller is the nation's No. 265 overall prospect, No. 12 interior lineman and No. 35 player in his home state. He's said several times that Penn State is among the programs that are recruiting him the hardest, but he's also visited more than 20 schools so far. While the Lions should make his first cut, there's plenty of work to do. Ramsier attended the Blue-White Game in April and then returned to camp at Penn State in June. The 6-4, 280-pound lineman won't be easy to pull away from his home state, but he is set to visit again on Sept. 27. With Rivals listing him 29th at his position and 53rd in Florida, Ramsier is another prospect who should have the Nittany Lions in his top 10, and potentially his top five. DEFENSIVE END Penn State is off to a strong start with two four-star prospects — in-state edge rusher Abraham Sesay and Connecticut native Mekai Brown. Sesay, who attends Downingtown East, earned early offers from Rutgers and Syracuse, but his stock increased substantially once Penn State offered in late March. Now, he's ranked No. 168 nationally, No. 19 among edge rushers and No. 6 in Pennsylvania. Sesay has totaled 13 offers, with more expected once programs have a chance to review his junior film. The 6-4, 210-pound defensive end ended up visiting Penn State four times in a three-month span before the sum- mer dead period. Although he says he's in no rush to decide, he could be a can- didate for an early commitment. After camping with PSU's staff in June, he's a priority target for position coach De- ion Barnes. He'll be back at PSU for the White Out game on Sept. 27. Brown visited for the first time in late June and returned the first day he could, attending the game against Nevada on Aug. 30. The 6-6, 215-pound edge rusher said after his most recent visit that he thinks "very highly" of Penn State's staff. Ranked No. 146 nationally by Rivals, No. 17 among defensive ends and No. 2 in Connecticut, the Green- wich Country Day standout is another regional player with whom the Nittany Lions are trending. A visit to Florida in June has sparked his interest in the Ga- tors, but Penn State appears to be the team to beat. Maryland is home to three excel- lent defensive end prospects in Good Counsel's Anthony Sweeney, DeMatha's James Pace and Annapolis' Rion Jack- son. Sweeney is the highest-ranked player in that group at No. 50 overall, No. 5 at his position and No. 1 in Maryland. The four-star prospect visited Penn State for the first time this past summer. The Nittany Lions are likely in his top five or so, with Alabama, Ohio State and Ten- nessee also believed to be serious con- tenders. The 6-4, 230-pound defensive end will be back in Happy Valley for the game against Oregon. Jackson will also be at this year's White Out game. Listed at 6-4, 205 pounds, the four-star prospect doesn't have Sweeney's build, but his athleti- cism off the edge and raw potential would give Barnes a lot to work with. Ranked No. 127 nationally, No. 16 at his position and No. 6 in Maryland, Jackson has only visited Penn State once so far and hasn't taken many visits at all to this point. Pace, who stands 6-3, 225 pounds, looked very impressive on the camp cir- cuit in May. Ranked No. 185 nationally, No. 22 among edge rushers and No. 4 in Maryland, he has visited Penn State twice so far. Alabama and Maryland are the only other schools the four-star player has visited, making it hard to get an accurate read on his recruitment. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Even after the recent addition of three-star prospect Tavian Branch, Penn State is expected to continue pursuing defensive tackles in the 2026 class. That's largely because 2027 looks a bit bare. The Nittany Lions have had a lot of success at McDonogh in Maryland over the years, pulling in a host of talented players. That's why it was surprising to see Rivals300 defensive tackle Joseph Buchanan leave Penn State off his top- Defensive end Mekai Brown was on hand for Penn State's season opener against Nevada on Aug. 30. He also visited Florida recently, but PSU appears to be the team to beat. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS