Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / H I G H S C H O O L R E C R U I T S / / / / / / / of those positions. Falzone is listed as a quarterback by Rivals, ranking 35th nationally at his position. In its spring roster, Penn State has him at QB along- side Iowa State transfers Rocco Becht and Alex Manske, and 2026 classmate Kase Evans. Falzone's recruitment was a roller- coaster ride. He committed first to Penn State, then flipped to Auburn last sum- mer. The Tigers went on to fire coach Hugh Freeze in November, prompting Falzone to reconsider his options. He rejoined the Nittany Lions' class just ahead of the December signing period. It's truly a wild story, but now that Falzone is settled in with the Nittany Lions, the biggest question concern- ing his future is where he fits best. Will he ever take a snap for Penn State un- der center as a quarterback? Many fans and pundits think he's a future tight end who has delayed the inevitable by being so stubborn about his positional preferences. He has continued to work with throwing coach Brad Maendler to improve his motion. Even if Maendler is able to sharpen his technique, there are questions about his decision-making as a passer to contend with. Highest Upside: Elijah Reeder You don't find 6-foot-6 defensive ends with bend and burst just lying around in recruiting. That's why it was surprising that the former Iowa State staff kept Reeder quiet for so long. Once they brought the New Jersey prospect into the spotlight with the move to Penn State, his profile blew up. Now that he's gotten a full recruiting evalu- ation, Reeder has jumped from an ob- scure three-star prospect to a consen- sus four-star and the No. 205 overall player in the Rivals rankings. Listed by Rivals at 210 pounds, Reeder has plenty of work ahead of him in the weight room, but you can't fake high- lights like the ones he put on tape at Central Regional High. His potential to be a complete defensive end is obvious. Fans will be looking for him to fill the void that rising star Chaz Coleman left behind when he transferred to Tennes- see, but Reeder will likely need to add another 30 pounds, at minimum, to be competitive in the Big Ten. Considering that Penn State's new staff seems to prefer old-school de- fensive ends in the 260-pound range, Reeder has a few years of development ahead before he's fully formed. Cole- man was smaller and more compact, giving him an opportunity to make an impact last year at 240 pounds. How- ever, Reeder is very much like Coleman in that fans should be excited about his long-term potential as a pass rusher. Underrated Player: Ben Whitver At some point, height, weight and speed are just numbers. The most im- portant job qualifications are harder to quantify. Are you good at football? Do you have a feel for your position? Are you productive? In that respect, Whitver is the exact opposite of 2025 receiver commit Matt Outten, a fellow Virginian who trans- ferred to Syracuse in January. Outten came to Penn State with great potential but little evidence of his ability to play the position. That's fine, by the way, but it does present a risk that we collectively didn't account for amid the fanfare of his commitment. Penn State had been starved for X receivers for so long that potential was enough. Whitver, on the other hand, has more than enough evidence to suggest he can play the position. He's the all-time leader in career receiving yards in Vir- ginia and is third all-time in receptions. He runs good routes, and he has strong hands and a fiery, competitive attitude on the field. Also, at 6-2, 190 pounds, he's not a small player. And it's not as if he's slow, having run a 4.49-second laser-timed 40-yard dash at the Balti- more Under Armour Camp last offsea- son. For many objective reasons, Whit- ver feels like a steal in the 2026 class. Yet, he's also a three-star prospect according to every major recruiting ser- vice, and he landed at James Madison before the new Penn State staff came calling. What gives? To me, Whit- ver was a massively under-the-radar pickup during this second wind by Penn State. Deserves More Attention: Mason Bandhauer For understandable reasons, many Penn State fans find it hard to get ex- cited about three-star tackles from the Mountain West. Yet the 6-5, 260-pound Bandhauer looks just like a PSU offen- sive line commit from the team's recent run. He's athletic for his size, boasts great feet and hips, and has excellent growth potential. He's not coming to Penn State with an excess of bad weight that will need to be reshaped in his first year, and he has strong position versa- tility. Bandhauer may get the chance to start out as a tackle, but with an abun- dance of bigger, longer players already on the roster, he could easily find a home as a left guard. He's also an ag- gressive run blocker who shows poten- tial as a people-mover. While he may not be a familiar name to a lot of Penn State fans, Bandhauer ought to feel right at home in this program. ■ Three-star wideout Ben Whitver set a Virginia high school record with his 3,501 career receiving yards at Powhatan High. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER