Penn State has already attacked the linebacker position in the Class of 2025, but James Franklin and his staff may be wondering what went wrong in the pursuit of one more of the top linebackers in Pennsylvania, and one who has a strong Penn State connection.
[autotag]Anthony Sacca[/autotag], the son of former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Tony Sacca[/autotag], announced his top five schools still under consideration in his recruiting process on Thursday. Not included in the latest top schools cut was Penn State, although some recruiting insiders had a sense that was to be expected. The schools that are in the running at this point are Alabama, Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Wisconsin,
Sacca is a four-star linebacker from Philadelphia, where he plays football for St. Joseph’s Prep. 247Sports ranks Sacca as the no. 6 player overall in Pennsylvania, and the composite ranking boosts him up to no. 4 in the state. Obviously, that would have made him an easy target for Penn State in the Class of 2025. Penn State was among the first offers to Sacca back in December 2021. Sacca also visited Penn State’s campus on multiple occasions since receiving his offer, including a recent January 2024 visit for a junior day event.
Within days of his most recent visit to Penn State, however, offers from both Alabama and Duke came through to Sacca, and he attended a junior day event at Alabama just last week.
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has likely been part of the recruiting process on Penn State’s end, so it makes sense Duke would be coming in relatively late to the game. Diaz swiping Sacca would be a huge recruiting win as he takes over the Blue Devils in Durham. But losing Sacca to another big Ten school like Ohio State or Wisconsin would sting just a little bit more than Alabama, Duke, or Notre Dame.
Penn State has added a pair of linebacker commitments over the past week with the additions of Alex Tatsch and Dayshaun Burnett (both in-state recruiting targets). Penn State has also added a commitment from one of the top players in New Jersey, DJ McClary, who is also a four-star recruit.
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