Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545007
4 4 J U N E / J U L Y 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 The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. New m a n , wh o s ta n d s 6 - 4, 2 1 0 pounds and is ranked No. 14 nationally at his position, has already narrowed his list down to Duke and Penn State. He'll visit Duke first, May 29-31, be- fore coming to Penn State the following weekend, June 5-7. Lumpris, who holds a four-star rating, committed to Alabama in December but continues to speak with other schools. Michigan and Texas A&M are also plan- ning to host the 6-6, 240-pound pros- pect for an official visit in June, although most believe Penn State has the inside track to flip Lumpris if he backs out of his commitment to the Crimson Tide. Lum- pris is the No. 11 tight end in the class and No. 277 prospect overall. Like his high school teammate, Currie has impressive size for the position at 6-7, 235 pounds. A three-star prospect, he appeared to be deciding between Penn State and Texas A&M as of mid-May, although Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt were still pushing to secure official visits. He's listed by Rivals as the nation's No. 52 tight end. Offensive Line With four offensive linemen already committed, position coach Ryan Clanton had just two official visits set as of mid- May. One of the Lions' visitors was going to be four-star tackle Layton von Brandt, but the former Penn State commit an- nounced on May 18 that he was planning to sign with Notre Dame. Von Brandt's commitment to the Irish left the Lions with just one upcoming offensive line visitor: four-star interior lineman Kyler Kuhn. Kuhn is set to check out Penn State on the weekend of June 19-21. The Kan- sas City native is expected to visit Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska before taking his final official visit to PSU. Kuhn is ranked No. 204 nationally and is the nation's No. 13 interior offensive lineman. Defensive End Penn State added New Jersey native Carter Blattner earlier this spring, but the Lions are still aiming to sign three edge rushers in their 2027 class. Five- star prospect Abraham Sesay of Down- ingtown, Pa., remains the staff's top tar- get at the position. But Sesay, the No. 2 edge rusher nationally, per Rivals, had yet to set an official visit with Penn State as of mid-May. Sources were hopeful that that would change, but Duke, Flor- ida State, LSU and Notre Dame all had official visits set. The Fighting Irish were believed to be the team to beat for the 6-4, 225-pound speed rusher. Ifeanyi Emedobi of Fort Wayne, Ind., is another name to monitor. The 6-2, 215-pound edge rusher is set to visit Minnesota, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan before announcing his deci- sion in July. The four-star prospect is ranked No. 265 nationally and No. 23 at the position. Fans should also keep an eye on Elijah Guertin of Warwick, R.I. The three-star prospect visited PSU in April and im- mediately emerged as a priority target for the staff. Florida and Tennessee have also taken notice of the 6-5, 250-pound edge rusher, and he'll visit the two SEC schools before checking out Penn State the weekend of June 12-14. Defensive Tackle Penn State picked up a big commit- ment from top-100 prospect Stanley Montgomery of Philadelphia at the end of April. Now, position coach Ikaika Mal- loe appears to be focused on three play- ers in particular, most notably Zahmar Tookes of Rochester, N.Y. Ranked No. 182 nationally and No. 20 at the posi- tion, Tookes has emerged as a priority target for Florida, Georgia and Nebraska as well. However, the Nittany Lions were believed to be the team to beat for the 6-4, 260-pound defensive tackle head- ing into each of those visits. Maryland native Sean Saint Fleur has steadily moved up the staff's recruit- ing board in recent months. The 6-4, 280-pound defensive tackle was be- lieved to be primarily focused on Cin- cinnati, Penn State and Virginia Tech in the weeks leading up to his final visits to each school. A three-star prospect, listed No. 80 among defensive tackles, he also visited Penn State in April, with many believing the Nittany Lions had the inside track. Salt Lake City native Aniti Paiva also had Penn State ranked in his top two, alongside Arizona. A three-star pros- pect, Paiva originally planned to wait until closer to his season to make a de- cision. But with classes filling up across the country, that timeline is expected to change. A late offer from Oregon — Paiva is expected to camp there in early June — would likely change this recruitment. But as of mid-May, Penn State was the favor- ite to land Rivals' No. 94 defensive tackle. Linebacker With four-star linebacker Blake Bet- ton firmly committed, Penn State was primarily focused on Oklahoma native Case Alexander and Virginia's Tyson Washington. Listed at 6-3, 215 pounds, Alexander is the younger brother of cur- rent PSU tight end Cooper Alexander. Those ties were a major reason why Penn State was considered the team to beat, although he's also still seriously consid- ering Oklahoma. Alexander is ranked No. 123 nationally and No. 11 at linebacker. Washington isn't ranked nearly as high as Alexander, but the 6-3, 210-pound prospect has seen his stock steadily rise in recent months. Throughout the Four-star Indiana edge rusher Ifeanyi Emedobi will visit Minnesota, Penn State, Indiana and Michigan before deciding in July. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS