Until the wide receiving group takes a step forward from what they showed on the field in 2023-24, a ton of attention will be given to that group in preseason workouts and recruiting.
Penn State only has one commitment at receiver so far in the class of 2025 in [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag].
It goes without saying that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff will heavily be focused on landing as much talent as possible for that position room before this cycle is over.
They got some good news when four-star wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] included the Nittany Lions in his top-five list.
The 5’10” 185-pound New Jersey native is rated as one of the best players in the state, listed as No. 3 and 19th-best player at his position according to On3’s Industry Rankings.
Along with Penn State, he’s also included Rutgers, Illinois, Syracuse and Boston College on his list.
MY TOP 5 WHERE IS HOME? pic.twitter.com/hUnw6anMTa
— Michael Thomas III (@DCFutureMT3) March 1, 2024
An interesting note Thomas’ recruitment is that his longest standing relationship is with assistant recruiting coordinator Khalil Ahmad, who recently returned to Penn State after stepping down from his role at Syracue.
“Coach Ahmad is a cool dude. We built a relationship a while ago before he joined PSU. He keeps it 100 all the time. He just checks in on me, makes sure I’m good and gives me some good points and advice about my upcoming season,” he told Sean Fitz of On3.
Despite the close proximity, the Nittany Lions have not necessarily recruited New Jersey to the level that some might expect.
Ahmad has roots in the state from his high school coaching days and should prove to be a major asset in Penn State’s approach to recruit New Jersey at a higher level.
Getting a commitment from Thomas would be a major plus.