Tag: Bekkem Kritza

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is perfectly balanced, as all things should be

Penn State has signed its Class of 2025, and it’s a solid class.

Penn State may be preparing for the Big Ten championship game this week, but Wednesday was a cause to pause and celebrate the future of the program beyond this season. Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period in college football, and Penn State officially inked 26 members for its Class of 2026. With a recruiting class split evenly with 13 offensive players and 13 defensive players, James Franklin and his staff have managed to pull in a balanced class that will continue to sustain what the entire staff has been working to build for the next few seasons.

More than half of this recruiting class is scheduled to enroll early in January. Penn State announced 14 members of its Class of 2025 will be early enrollees, which will allow them to go through offseason workouts and conditioning and participate in spring football practices.

This recruiting class will be one of Franklin’s best overall classes at Penn State as well. A total of 23 of the 26 commits were ranked as a four-star or five-star player by On3, 247Sports, Rivals, or ESPN. The class also spread the Penn State footprint into 10 different states, including 19 from Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.

Among the top-rated recruits in the Class of 2025 are interior offensive lineman [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] from New Jersey, cornerback [autotag]Daryus Dixson[/autotag] from California, and linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (yes, THAT LaVar Arrington).

Here is a full list of Penn State’s Class of 2025 that has been signed during the early signing period:

  • DL [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] (Miami, Fla.)
  • OL [autotag]Owen Aliciene[/autotag] (Cheshire, Conn.)
  • LB [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (Annapolis, Md.)
  • DL [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag] (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • DL [autotag]Chaz Coleman[/autotag] (Warren, Ohio)
  • RB [autotag]Jabree Coleman[/autotag] (Darby Township, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Jeff Exinor Jr.[/autotag] (Baltimore, Md.)
  • OL [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] (Bloomfield, N.J.)
  • DL [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] (Largo, Md.)
  • RB [autotag]Tikey Hayes[/autotag] (Aliquippa, Pa.)
  • TE [autotag]Matt Henderson[/autotag] (Powhatan, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] (Pensacola, Fla.)
  • DB [autotag]Joshua Johnson[/autotag] (Ironton, Ohio)
  • DB [autotag]Jahmir Joseph[/autotag] (Nyack, N.Y.)
  • DL [autotag]Yvan Kemajou[/autotag] (Burtonsville, Md.)
  • TE [autotag]Brian Kortovich[/autotag] (Willoughby, Ohio)
  • QB [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • OL [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] (Mars, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Matt Outten[/autotag] (Portsmouth, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • LB [autotag]Cam Smith[/autotag] (Salem, N.J.)
  • LB [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • DB [autotag]Braz Thomas[/autotag] (Glassboro, N.J.)
  • DB [autotag]Xxavier Thomas[/autotag] (Canonsburg, Pa.)
  • OL [autotag]Michael Troutman III[/autotag] (Trenton, N.J.)

The focus will now shift to the transfer portal as Penn State’s offseason roster changes could be continuing in the coming weeks amidst its Big Ten and College Football Playoff push.

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Penn State is hosting four-star 2025 quarterback Bryce Baker this weekend

Penn State hosting UNC quarterback commit for regular-season finale.

Things are coming down the wire before Early National Signing Day, and Penn State is doing everything they can to put some finishing touches on the 2025 class to solidify a strong group.

Ideally, the Nittany Lions will be able to sign the majority of their current commits on Dec. 4, especially since this cycle has been one of the wilder ones for the program in recent memory with so many flips and decommitments.

However, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff are full entering chaos mode of their own with multiple flip targets they are going after still seemingly in play as they host Maryland for their regular season finale on Saturday.

One of those players is going to be on campus.

Four-star quarterback and current North Carolina commit, [autotag]Bryce Baker[/autotag], is taking a trip to Happy Valley for the game this weekend following the news that the Tar Heels have decided to fire Mack Brown.

This would be an interesting addition to the class.

With there being tons of question marks surrounding their lone quarterback commit, [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], the Nittany Lions have been searching the market to bring an addition player at that position in for this cycle.

Baker could be that guy, although it sounds like he is ready to back off from his North Carolina commitment just yet with his dad telling Steve Wiltfong of On3 that he’s still “100% committed” to that program, even with the visit to Penn State this weekend and potential trip to LSU upcoming (subscription required).

Still, this is great step for Penn State.

Baker is listed as the 93rd-best player in the class and No. 10 at his position per On3’s Industry Rankings, so adding him to their current group would be a major boost.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this trip.

Based on the news of Brown being fired, there’s a good chance Baker doesn’t sign early and takes his recruitment all the way until the normal National Signing Day date.

Penn State lands first 2025 defensive tackle in Randy Adirika

Penn State added a defensive tackle to its loaded Class of 2025 lineup.

While the majority of players in the class of 2025 have announced where they will be playing their college football, Penn State is still working on those top prospects on their board who remain undecided.

There are still plenty of positions [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff are hoping to fill within this group. Defensive tackle seemed to be the most prevalent since they had yet to earn a commitment from a player at that position.

[autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] has done a great job landing edge rushers in this cycle, winning some massive recruitment processes, so with that all but shored up, he can turn his attention over to the interior.

Some rumblings started to occur that the Nittany Lions were getting close to landing another Florida prospect in [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] ahead of his commitment date, and the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder made it official late on July 9.

“The environment, their style of football, the way they develop and winning culture are the main reasons I committed to Penn State. I was there only [twice] so far, but the atmosphere is amazing and the people are what stands out,” he told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated.

Penn State beat out in-state program Miami and USC to land the talented three-star defensive tackle who is listed as the 44th overall player at his position by On3’s Industry Ranking.

“The decision was very hard because I had two other schools recruiting me very well. The staff is amazing. Everyone is very down to earth and genuine people. Coach Deion Barnes did a very good job recruiting me and I trust and believe he can help me get to the next level,” he added.

Something that might have helped the Nittany Lions get this recruitment home is that Penn State quarterback commit [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] is his high school teammate at Miami Central.

The three-star signal caller has vocal about how he wants to help the Nittany Lions build a strong recruiting class in 2025, and it seems like he was able to help them land a talented prospect down in Florida.

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Top in-state quarterback and Penn State target is nearing decision

Penn State is the projected favorite to land this in-state QB in the Class of 2025.

Penn State already has one quarterback committed in the class of 2025 with three-star [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] shutting down his recruitment for now, but they still want to add another one.

They have heavily been recruiting top in-state quarterback [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag] for a while, and after it looked like he might be a relatively easy one to land, his recruitment went national and different options are on the table.

Whenever that happens, it always opens up the possibility that the Nittany Lions could lose one of the top Pennsylvania players to another program, something that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has tried to prevent every cycle.

Zollers’ list is down to four schools: Penn State, Georgia, Missouri and Pittsburgh.

Rated as a four-star recruit, On3’s Industry Rankings have him as the 85th best player in the country and No. 2 prospect in Pennsylvania.

Their own rankings are much higher on the 6’4″ 200-pound quarterback with him listed as the No. 14 player in the country and best in the state.

It’s safe to say that Zollers is almost a “must land” for Franklin and his staff.

He told Chad Simmons of On3 that a decision could be coming soon as he’s seen everything he needed to see before going one final time to each campus on his list and seeing how spring practices operate. From there, he’ll discuss with his family and make a decision (subscription required).

Zollers is still playing basketball right now, so he will do his final visits after the season is complete.

Simmons also mentioned that the four-star considers all four schools very close at this point in time.

That’s enough to make Penn State fans nervous.

Beating Georgia for one of the top players in the country would be a huge win and would solidify their standing once again inside the state of Pennsylvania.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has the Nittany Lions as the big favorites to earn a commitment from Zollers with a 49.5% chance. Out of his final four, Pittsburgh is second at 14.9%, with Georgia and Missouri tied at 5.6%.

This continues to be one to monitor as it would provide a major boost for Penn State if they can secure another elite quarterback.

Penn State’s 2025 football commitment tracker

We have an updated football commitment tracker for Penn State following Monday’s latest commitment.

Penn State got off to a fast start with assembling its Class of 2025 on the recruiting trail. James Franklin and his staff quickly put together a class ranking in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings even before the Class of 2024 was wrapping up for good. An early focus on defense was noticeable with Penn State’s recruiting plans for the Class of 2025 and some key players from neighboring states were among the early highlights of the recruiting class.

We will be keeping tabs on the Penn State Class of 2025 all the way through the recruiting cycle up until the commitments sign with Penn State. Should there be any players backing off their commitment, we will track their status as well as their recruiting process plays out.

This tracker will be updated as necessary, with the most recent update being made on February 20, 2024.

Penn State heavily recruiting top in-state quarterback in 2025 class

Penn State wants the best in PA to stay in PA, including this quarterback target in 2025.

College football is getting more similar to the National Football League in the fact that to win big, teams need to have elite quarterback talent.

That wasn’t always the case, but it’s now more evident than ever that quarterbacks are driving the results of programs that are able to lift trophies at the end of the season.

Penn State has seemingly picked up on this, evident by their relentless pursuit of multiple quarterbacks in their last few classes.

2025 will be no different.

They have already secured a commitment from [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], but that has not stopped them in their heavy pursuit of the top quarterback prospect in the state of Pennsylvania, [autotag]Matt Zollers[/autotag].

Rated as a four-star, Zollers is a 6′ 3″ 200-pound gunslinger who has a big arm and can move around in the pocket and scramble for large chunks of yards.

He will be visiting Happy Valley this weekend for the third and final Junior Day, marking his sixth visit to campus.

As an in-state prospect, his recruitment is not quite as straightforward as one might expect. He’s recently taken a much more national approach having spent time down south this past weekend visiting Florida, USF, Georgia, and Missouri instead of attending Junior Day at Penn State last weekend.

This has created a larger sense of urgency for the Nittany Lions to increase their recruitment of the four-star quarterback.

Sean Fitz of On3 (subscription required), recently said that Zollers is one of Penn State’s top-10 targets on the board and James Franklin visited him at his high school in Royersford, PA on Friday ahead of the Junior Day visit this weekend.

For all intents and purposes, the Nittany Lions are the favorites to land Zollers according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, but it’s still early in his process with other offers seemingly still coming in this spring.

This will be perhaps the most important visit he’s taken to Penn State as new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] starts to develop a relationship with him and he continues to build on the previous one he has with quarterbacks coach [autotag]Danny O’Brien[/autotag].

2025 four-star QB has Penn State in top six

Penn State makes top six for four-star QB in 2025

Despite the negative discourse that currently surrounds Penn State and their former five-star quarterback, [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], the struggles in the 2023-24 season doesn’t seem to have deterred others around the country from viewing the Nittany Lions in a positive light.

Penn State was able to keep their class of 2024 commit, [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], and got him to sign during the early signing period.

They also have a commitment from 2025 three-star quarterback, [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag], under their belts already.

Now, the Nittany Lions have made the top six of 2025 four-star quarterback and coveted recruit [autotag]Malik Washington[/autotag].

The 6’4″ 200 pound Maryland native has been high on Penn State’s list throughout his recruitment, getting him in for nine unofficial visits so far. The last time he visited was during the Michigan game.

Others who made his list are Texas A&M, Oregon, Maryland, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

Washington is ranked as the 20th best quarterback in the country and No. 6 overall player in the state of Maryland, according to On3’s industry rankings.

But despite Penn State already having a commitment in the class of 2025, that has not deterred his interest in the Nittany Lions according to Ryan Snyder of On3 (subscription required).

Washington told Snyder he knows he’ll have to compete no matter which program he chooses to play for.

With Penn State hiring new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag], a new relationship will have to be formed between the two, something that Kotelnicki told him he’s excited to do.

Washington said they haven’t met yet, but that they have been in communication.

As far as where the Nittany Lions stand with the four-star quarterback, Snyder was told that all six schools on his list are pretty even for him right now despite Penn State holding the edge in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

According to those projections, Penn State is in the lead with a 63.5% chance to sign him, while Maryland is second with a 12.8% chance and Virginia Tech is third with a 11.0% chance.

There is still a long way to go in his recruitment, but this is a good sign for the Nittany Lions as they enter another era with a new offensive coordinator.

Class of 2025 QB Bekkem Kritza commits to Penn State

Just days after an offensive coordinator change, Penn Stae has landed a QB recruit for 2025.

In the same week Penn State fired its offensive coordinator, the Nittany Lions have received a commitment from a quarterback in the Class of 2025. [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] of Boulder, Colorado announced and confirmed his commitment to the Nittany Lions in the Class of 2025 on Tuesday night.

Kritza is rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports and the 247Sports composite rankings. He is rated as the top player in Colorado and the 30th QB in the Class of 2025 according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Rivals rates him as a four-star talent.

Kritza committed to Penn State over offers from Texas A&M and in-state options Colorado and Colorado State. The 6′-5″, 182-pound quarterback made an unofficial visit to Penn State’s campus this past weekend for the Michigan game. He previously visited Penn State in July and March on unofficial visits. Penn State first extended an offer to Kritza on the same day as his first unofficial visit in March.

Miami and Washington were also believed to be in the final running for Kritza’s commitment.

The fact Penn State secured this quarterback commitment just days after the program fired Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator is a nice lift for the staff moving forward. Kritza may not be an elite passer, but having a quarterback make his commitment now given the recent headlines is a dose of positivity.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is now up to 6 members, and the class continues to hold firm in the top 10 rankings this early on. Penn State ranks no. 6 in the most recently updated composite rankings from 247Sports.

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Miami Central getting 3 big transfers from California

Three high school football players from California are transferring to Florida powerhouse Miami Central.

Three high school players from Southern California are moving cross-country and transferring to Miami Central, a Florida powerhouse school that finished the 2022-23 season No. 4 in our final football Super 25.

According to a report by Rivals recruiting analyst Frank Tucker, the three players are Los Alamitos defensive end T.A. Cunningham, his younger brother, and teammate, defensive end T.K. Cunningham, plus Santa Margarita Catholic quarterback Bekkem Kritza.

Kritza (6-foot-4, 180 pounds) is a four-star quarterback who is ranked No. 9 at his position and No. 16 overall in California. He’s in the class of 2025. Kritza has offers from Colorado, Colorado State, Kansas, Miami, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M.

T.A. Cunningham (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) has a four-star rating and is ranked No. 13 among defensive linemen in the class of 2024. He’s one of the most highly-recruited players in the country, with offers from 61 schools. According to On3’s prediction model, Miami is the favorite to get his commitment at 76.1%.

His younger brother T.K. Cunningham (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) is in the class of 2027 and is as yet unranked. However, he already has offers from 19 different programs, including Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Michigan and USC.

That’s three serious new pieces for the Rockets, who went 14-0 last season, including a win over American Heritage for their fourth consecutive state championship.

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Recruiting update: Multiple future recruits will attend Ole Miss game this weekend

Eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will attend the Aggies’ primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday

The Aggies are gearing up for their primetime matchup with the 15th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday night in what should be a packed Kyle Field as the team hasn’t played in front of the 12th man in 42 days, one of their longest stretches in the program’s history.

Since the start of one of the busiest news weeks for the Aggies season, ranging from player suspensions to season-ending injuries, one of the stories that fell under the radar came to light later in the week, as eight 2023, 2024, and 2024 recruits will visit College Station this weekend, and attend the Ole Miss game set to kick off at 6:30 PM CT. on the SEC Network.

The eight players who will be attending the game are listed as current Texas A&M commit, 2023 defensive tackle David Hicks Jr., 2023 Texas commit Malk Muhammad, 2023 Edge Tomarrian Parker, 2023 Michigan State commit, running back Kedrick Reescano, 2024 quarterback DJ Lagway, 2024 defensive tackle T.A. Cunningham, 2024 linebacker Payton Pierce, and 2025 quarterback Bekkem Kritza.

Yes, Texas A&M is 3-4 and 1-3 in the SEC, but this is one of the most important weekends not only for a team looking to win their first game in nearly a month, but for a staff that needs to impress the eight highly touted recruits in attendance enough for them to really consider the Aggies late in the recruiting process. Gig ’em, and BTHO Ole Miss.

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