Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
D E C E M B E R 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 fered him on Nov. 4. Missouri also of- fered that same day. Another high school prospect to monitor is Will Zaccagnino of St. Jo- seph High in Shelton, Conn. Rivals ranks him as the nation's No. 140 defen- sive lineman and No. 9 player in Con- necticut. A 6-5, 270-pound defensive tackle, Zaccagnino visited Penn State in April, so he has familiarity with the staff. However, just days after that visit, Zaccagnino checked out Wisconsin and verbally committed to the Badgers about a week later. Communication between him and Penn State has been steady of late, and there's a belief that he has strong inter- est in the Nittany Lions. A visit for the Rutgers game on Nov. 21 is in the works. Penn State also offered two junior college defensive linemen, Haleem Mu- hammad and Falelua Moalele of Iowa Western Community College. However, both players still have to finish their spring semesters, which will allow the staff to see what's available in the portal before potentially deciding later on if they're worth pursuing. LINEBACKER After Blake Betton flipped his com- mitment to Wisconsin, Penn State spent time scouting linebackers to find a replacement. In late October, Rutgers commit Mo- ses Poku-Kankam from Providence Day in Charlotte, N.C., emerged as a player worth monitoring. Rivals evaluates Poku-Kankam as a safety, ranking him No. 134 nationally at that position and No. 45 overall in North Carolina. How- ever, more recent intel suggests that linebackers coach Tyson Veidt is now leaning toward filling Betton's spot with a player through the transfer portal. With additional coaching changes to come, we won't completely rule out adding a high school linebacker, but for now, the portal seems to be the plan. DEFENSIVE BACK Penn State seems fine at safety, al- though we expect it to look for potential additions via the portal come January. I wouldn't completely rule out Penn State taking a look at Pittsburgh native Gabe Jenkins if a coaching change took place at Colorado, but there hasn't been much communication with Jenkins lately. Wi t h b o t h D h i l l o n Mc G e e a n d Kei'Shjuan Telfair firmly committed, cornerback doesn't need a third addi- tion, but that hasn't kept position coach Terry Smith from looking around. One familiar name that has popped up is Pittsburgh native Carter Bonner. After camping at Penn State as an un- derclassman, Bonner emerged as a le- gitimate target for Smith last fall. How- ever, an injury limited him throughout his junior season, and after the coaching change, interest seemed to fade. He then transferred to St. Frances Academy in Maryland in February, which was followed by a commitment to West Virginia in April. Rivals lists Bonner as the nation's No. 51 safety and No. 10 player in Maryland. This season, he's held his own against some quality competition, totaling 3 interceptions through his first six games. As one of the top-ranked players in West Virginia's class, Bonner has a good deal in place with the Mountaineers. That end of the discussion will likely shape how hard PSU pursues him down the stretch, but he's a name fans need to know. ■ West Virginia commit Carter Bonner has drawn renewed interest from Penn State. The Pittsburgh native trans- ferred to St. Frances Academy in Maryland in February and intercepted 3 passes in his first six games this season. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Rutgers commit Moses Poku-Kankam emerged as a potential linebacker target after Blake Betton flipped to Wisconsin. Penn State, however, appears to be leaning toward filling the vacancy through the transfer portal. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS