Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 5 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Safety Christian Askew had a plan when he made the trip from his native Georgia to Penn State in early January. Head coach Matt Campbell had in- vited the former James Madison signee to check things out, and if all went well, stay a little longer. Askew started his of- ficial visit on Jan. 9. When classes for the spring semester began three days later, he was a Penn State student. Askew, who shined at Veterans High in Kathleen, Ga., announced his commit- ment to the Nittany Lions on the second day of his official visit. "The leadership within the program, especially from Coach Campbell, really stood out to me," he said. "I've built a strong relationship with [assistant cor- nerbacks coach Jordan Lucas], who has consistently been recruiting, supporting me, and building a bond since my junior year. I love the facilities and the campus, and the program continues to improve at a high level." The 6-foot-4, 185-pound prospect signed with JMU in De ce m b e r b u t wa s released from his pa- p e r wo rk a f te r B o b Chesney took the head coaching job at UCLA. Askew had committed to the Dukes back in September. His other offers included Air Force, Army, Geor- gia Southern, Georgia State, Navy, Yale and others. He became the second James Madison signee to flip to the Nittany Li- ons in the 2026 cycle, joining Virginia wide receiver Ben Whitver. Askew is unrated by Rivals and does not have a grade in the Rivals Industry Ranking, which averages the evaluations of the three major recruiting websites. He played all over the secondary at Vet- erans High, transitioning from corner- back to safety as a senior. As a junior in 2024, Askew totaled 48 tackles, 15 pass breakups, 2 intercep- tions, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He took one of those intercep- tions back 15 yards for a touchdown. — Sean Fitz Penn State added three-star State College Area running back D'Antae Sheffey to its 2026 class following an official visit on Jan. 7. Listed at 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, Shef- fey had a breakout season as a fresh- man at State High, rushing for more than 1,700 yards. He then transferred to Mid-Penn rival Harrisburg for his junior year, only to return to State High as a senior. He put up big numbers again in 2025, finishing with 1,610 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns. "The moment was never too big for him," State College head coach Matt Lintal said. "The athleticism he showed and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield have always been strong. I think his greatest attribute is prob- ably his vision. I really like his ability to see and predict, get people on their toes and make them miss. He does a great job finishing runs, too. He's always falling for- ward and is a selfless team player." Through the spring o f 2 0 2 4 , S h e f f e y earned 10 scholarship o f fe rs b e fo re co m - mitting to Syracuse in April. However, he decided to decommit from the Orange with just under two weeks to go before the start of the early signing period. Missouri and Connecti- cut both offered within days, but when Penn State entered the race, it immedi- ately became the favorite. "He had a bunch of Group of Five and FCS schools reach out right away, but most of them were trying to get him to sign during the early signing day," Lintal said. "I'll give him credit, he was so chill through the whole thing. He wanted to make sure he took his time, and that's his personality. It ended up really paying off for him to wait. He trusted that something good would happen, and it did." Sheffey is the lone running back in Penn State's 2026 class. He's the No. 107 running back nationally and No. 41 prospect in Pennsylvania, per Rivals. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE CHRISTIAN ASKEW COMMITMENT PROFILE D'ANTAE SHEFFEY Penn State Flips Georgia Defensive Back From JMU State College Running Back Reverses Field, Picks PSU Askew checks many of the boxes for an Iowa State (now Penn State) defensive back. He's listed at 6-4, 185 pounds, but despite his thin frame, he's an aggressive tackler and willing to stick his nose into the run game or make plays in under- neath coverage. Once he gets bigger and stronger, these traits should amplify his ability and talents on the field. However, it's hard to say exactly how fast Askew is, thanks to limited film and his level of competition. The size is great, but unless he's going to grow into a line- backer, he'll still need to run and cover. We'll see how big he gets and if he be- comes more explosive and faster as he adds muscle to his frame — Thomas Frank Carr I like Sheffey's elusiveness. I think he's a guy with good vision, and that fits with what I've seen of Matt Campbell's offenses, what they seem to like at running back. They want guys who are going to play within the system. Sheffey makes guys miss. He's got good agility and speed. To me, it all comes down to whether he's going to be big enough to hold up in the Big Ten. Can he get up to 210 or 215? At that size, he could be a very valuable part of Penn State's future backfield. — Thomas Frank Carr P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N