Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
5 4 O C T O B E R 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 person and wants to not only develop you as a great football player but a great man. He really cares about the right cul- ture and building that the right way," Parkinson told Rivals in August. Landing Parkinson won't be easy. Ohio State and Oregon are pursuing him aggressively, while LSU, Tennes- see and Texas A&M also made his top six in July. This year's homecoming game also is expected to feature a handful of key recruits from New Jersey, including four-star athlete AJ Lopez from Para- mus Catholic. Although Lopez (6-0, 170) could play wide receiver in college, Penn State likes him best at cornerback. In fact, the recruit is considered one of assistant coach Terry Smith's top overall targets at the position. His four previous trips to State College suggest that he's very interested in the Nittany Lions, making him a name to circle. Lopez is ranked No. 289 nationally in the Rivals300 and is even higher in the Industry Ranking at No. 226. He's the No. 13 receiver nationally, per Rivals' scouts, and the No. 11 player in his home state. Wide receiver David Forster of St. Jo- seph Regional in Montvale, N.J., is an- other important recruit expected back on campus that weekend. Forster (6-4, 205) holds a three-star rating but also put up some impressive testing numbers this past summer, including a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, a 4.28-second shuttle and a 45-inch vertical jump. Those are all elite numbers for a player his size, mak- ing him a serious candidate to move up in the rankings if he performs as expected this season. Ranked by Rivals as the No. 78 re- ceiver nationally and No. 17 player in New Jersey, Forster has visited Penn State twice so far, most recently in April to watch spring practice. Another player who may be favor- ing the Nittany Lions is three-star tight end Quinn Weber of Rutherford. Weber (6-5, 218) has made it clear on multiple occasions that the Lions are going to receive serious consideration until the very end of his recruiting process. "Penn State has been one of my top schools since they offered, and it will most definitely stay that way," Weber said in August. "It's still early, and there are a ton of other schools I'm super ex- cited to see, but Penn State definitely matches up with all of them." Three-star wide receiver David Forster of St. Joseph Regional in Montvale, N.J., will be making his third trip to State College when he visits for the Wisconsin game. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER On3 Industry 2027 Team Recruiting Rankings As of Sept. 14 Rk. School Commits 1. Texas A&M 25 2. Notre Dame 23 3. Miami 21 4. Oregon 25 5. Ohio State 19 6. Texas 22 7. Oklahoma 27 8. Florida 25 9. Texas Tech 17 10. LSU 16 22. Penn State 22