Recruiting is a lot of hard work by the entire coaching staff and athletic department to ensure Penn State is able to reach the level of talent and caliber of athlete that will help them compete at a high level in the Big Ten and nationally.
It was a fantastic Wednesday for the Nittany Lions on Dec. 20 when all 25 of their 2024 commits signed their letters of intent.
But as it’s become ever apparent that recruiting never stops in college football, Penn State has to turn their attention to the next class.
They got some great news when Top-50 linebacker, [autotag]Elijah Melendez[/autotag], included the Nittany Lions in his top eight schools.
Originally, Penn State wasn’t even on his radar until a random coincidence made him and his family take an impromptu visit to campus that made him seriously consider them as an option for his future.
Melendez spoke with Ryan Snyder of On3 about how everything came to be that ended up with the Nittany Lions making his cut (story requires a subscription).
According to the coveted prospect, he saw the Penn State exit sign on his way back from Columbus, OH to New Jersey. where his dad lives. Melendez wanted to stop by the school and texted the coaches before they arrived.
He was then able to tour the campus, facility and entire school while meeting with the coaching staff for about two-and-a-half hours. It was a relationship building moment between both parties after they had previously offered the linebacker a scholarship.
They continued to build this relationship and Melendez was able to get his first taste of Beaver Stadium when he attended the game against Michigan.
This drove the Nittany Lions high up on his list and is now seriously considering Penn State as an option, telling Snyder that Michigan, Ohio State and Miami are the other schools high on his list.
Melendez is a super talented prospect in the class of 2025 and is someone that could become a major priority for this coaching staff.