Penn State beat out a nearby Big Ten rival for the commitment of safety Kevin Winston on Saturday. Winston announced his decision, which came down to the Nittany Lions and the Maryland Terrapins, on Saturday.
Winston is a 6′-2″ safety from DeMatha Catholic in Maryland. He is the latest of a group of four safeties to be included in Penn State’s Class of 2022, joining JUCO transfer Tyrece Mills, Jordan Allen from Louisiana, and four-star commit Cristian Driver, the son of former Pro Bowl wide receiver Donald Driver. Driver committed to Penn State days prior to Winston’s decision being announced.
Penn State has done well in focusing on defensive depth in this current recruiting cycle. Penn State’s Class of 2022 currently includes 11 players on the defensive side of the football, including the four previously mentioned safties and four-star cornerback Cam Miller, who also committed to Penn State last week. The secondary appears to be a strength for the Nittany Lions heading into the 2021 season, and the future of the position looks to be in good shape with these pending additions and the quick rise of players like Kalen King from the Class of 2021.
Penn State was on an absolute roll in the month of July, picking up 12 commitments from players for the Class of 2022, as well as one for 2023. One of those commits, Tyreese Fearbry of Pittsburgh, backed off of his early-July commitment to Penn State and is now expected to commit to another school (Pitt is the current crystal ball favorite on 247 Sports).
Penn State still is holding on firmly to a No. 2 national ranking in the recruiting cycle for 2022, with only Ohio State sitting ahead of them. Alabama is surging up the national rankings and beginning to close the gap with Penn State, but James Franklin is easily on track to signing his top-rated recruiting class since his arrival in Happy Valley. Even if Penn State doesn’t end with the No. 2 ranking, Penn State’s Class of 2022 will impressively set the bar high for Penn State recruiting and be a significant factor in Penn State’s future for the next few years.
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