Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
5 6 A P R I L 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M connection has played a big role in Penn State becoming one of his top schools. Notre Dame likely holds the edge — his head coach at St. Patrick is for- mer Fighting Irish All-America safety Tom Zbikowski — but he's never been to State College, so the Nittany Lions still have a chance to make a strong first impression. A potential five-star pros- pect, Folorunsho has already visited Florida and Nebraska. He'll also check out Miami on March 28 and will return to South Bend on April 18. Folorunsho totaled just over 50 total tackles last season, including 15 for loss and 5 sacks. CB Kei'Shjuan Telfair Hometown: Euclid, Ohio Visit Date: April 11 Rankings: No. 116 (Nat.), No. 14 (Pos.), No. 4 (Ohio) According to Rivals' Recruiting Pre- diction Machine, Penn State is the team to beat for Telfair. From a relationship perspective, cornerbacks coach Terry Smith did a great job of not only identi- fying Telfair before most others but also making him a priority recruit early on. However, Clemson and Miami have become serious contenders for the con- sensus four-star defensive back. Ohio State has technically offered, too, al- though the Buckeyes appear to be pri- oritizing other prospects for now. Telfair, who had 4 interceptions as a junior at Euclid High, has only attended two games at Penn State so far, so he still has a lot to learn about the program, campus and surrounding area. We'll get a much better feel for how serious he is about the Nittany Lions after his trip in April. DL Aidan O'Neil Hometown: Ramsey, N.J. Visit Date: April 18 Rankings: No. 188 (Nat.), No. 22 (Pos.), No. 3 (N.J.) O'Neil is now a consensus four-star prospect and looks to be one of the top defensive line recruits in the Northeast. He was scheduled to visit Notre Dame on March 21, followed by trips to Texas A&M (March 28) and Indiana (April 4). In addition, the Don Bosco Prep stand- out will take an official visit to Illinois the weekend of April 10-11. O'Neil already has an official visit to Penn State scheduled for June 12-14. His interest in the Nittany Lions should keep them in the mix throughout his recruitment. If he meshes well with Campbell and his staff, this looks like a battle PSU can win. OT Layton von Brandt Hometown: Middletown, Del. Visit Date: April 18 Rankings: No. 70 (Nat.), No. 7 (Pos.), No. 1 (Del.) Offensive line coach Ryan Clanton has done a good job of bonding with von Brandt, a former Penn State commit who backed out of his pledge following Franklin's dismissal last October. Clan- ton did both an in-school and an in- home visit with the four-star prospect in January, and their conversations have remained consistent ever since. That said, the competition is legit, so it won't be easy to get von Brandt back into the class. Upcoming visits include Virginia Tech (March 21), Florida (March 24), Auburn (March 26), Tennessee (March 28) and Notre Dame (April 11). He'll set his official visits after those trips with an eye toward committing sometime this summer. An official visit to Penn State wouldn't be surprising, but von Brandt is also open to all of his top schools now, making his April trip to State College a crossroads moment. QB Peter Bourque Hometown: Hingham, Mass. Visit Date: TBA Rankings: No. 107 (Nat.), No. 9 (Pos.), No. 1 (Mass.) Bourque doesn't have a date locked in with Penn State, but he's going to visit sometime in April. Originally, April 18 was the weekend he had circled, but the trip is now expected to take place earlier. A recent visit to Georgia has the Bull- dogs firmly in the mix for the four-star Tabor Academy prospect, but there's also a belief that Penn State could be in the best position with Bourque follow- ing his decommitment from Michigan. Bourque amassed 2,241 yards pass- ing and 688 rushing as a junior, total- ing 33 touchdowns. There's a case to be made that no visit this spring will be as important to Penn State as Bourque's upcoming trip. ■ Listed by Rivals as the No. 3 prospect in New Jersey, defensive lineman Aidan O'Neil is slated to check out Penn State on April 18 and has already scheduled an official visit in June. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR Offensive tackle Layton von Brandt decommitted from Penn State's 2027 class last October but has been show- ing renewed interest after talking to new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER