Tag: class of 2022

Wisconsin high school product, Badgers’ top class of 2022 target to enter transfer portal

Wisconsin high school product, Badgers’ top class of 2022 target to enter transfer portal

Former Wisconsin high school star and the Badgers’ top class of 2022 tight end target Jerry Cross will enter the transfer portal, per Rivals’ Adam Friedman.

Cross attended Rufus King High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before committing to Penn State in July 2020. He chose the Nittany Lions over the Badgers, who at that time were fresh off a stellar run from 2015-19 under head coach Paul Chryst.

As a prospect, Cross was considered the No. 15 tight end and No. 5 recruit in Wisconsin for the class of 2022, per 247Sports. In three years at Rufus King, Cross logged 49 catches for 1,300 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns as a pass-catcher. He was considered a consensus four-star recruit by every major recruiting outlet.

His tenure at Penn State did not reflect his high school career. Cross redshirted his freshman season and tallied just seven total games from 2023-24. He did not record an offensive statistic in those appearances.

Outside of Wisconsin, Cross’ high school offer sheet included Iowa State, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, Arizona State, Iowa and Northern Illinois.

UW’s current tight end room is headlined by sophomore Tucker Ashcraft. With redshirt senior Riley Nowakowski slated to say goodbye to Luke Fickell’s program, the Badgers are in need of some depth at the position.

Given his hometown ties to Milwaukee and former top recruiting billing, Cross could fill that void.

Seahawks QB Geno Smith selected to WVU Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is one of eight members to be selected to the WVU Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith might not be crowned Seattle’s starter just yet but he is the recipient of a very high honor from his Alma Mater, West Virginia University. Smith is among eight alumni to be selected for WVU’s Hall of Fame Class of 2022.

The members will be officially inducted on Saturday, Sept. 17 ahead of the West Virginia-Towson football game.

“Geno Smith set 33 Mountaineer game, season, class and career records as a quarterback from 2009-12,” the press release reads. “As a senior, the Miramar, Florida, native was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Award. Smith was named to the All-Big 12 Conference Second Team.”

Smith first signed with Seattle in 2019, where he backed up Russell Wilson for three seasons. He’ll have a shot for the starting job this year if he’s able to beat out teammate Drew Lock this summer.

The Seahawks training camp kicks off early next week when the competition begins.

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Breaking: 2022 5-star guard Dior Johnson to decommit from Oregon

5-star guard Dior Johnson decommitted from the Oregon Ducks and will look for a new school to begin his college career.

When Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson withdrew from the 2022 NBA draft and returned to Eugene, there were immediately questions about how Dana Altman would find playing time for the bevy of talented playmakers.

That question got a little bit easier to answer on Thursday after a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony indicated that Dior Johnson, a five-star prospect and the No. 4 ranked point guard in the class of 2022, plans to decommit from the Ducks and explore other college options.

Johnson saw a once wide open backcourt situation in Eugene gradually fill up with transfers and returners, clouding up his path to immediate playing time for the Ducks.

When the season ended, Johnson looked in line to potentially start as a true freshman for Oregon in 2022. Jacob Young was out the door, Will Richardson was exploring the NBA draft, and Eric Williams and De’Vion Harmon both entered the transfer portal and found new homes at San Diego and Texas Tech, respectively.

However, Altman and his staff struck quickly via the portal, adding Jermaine Couisnard out of South Carolina and Keeshawn Barthelemy from Colorado.

Those two additions, along with the two junior college guards – Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby – would have been enough to make any young guard reconsider his decision.

The return of Rivaldo Soares didn’t help matters, and the final nail in the coffin was almost certainly the return of Richardson, who immediately steps into the role of primary ball-handler for Altman’s squad.

Johnson will have no shortage of interest among the premier college basketball programs in the country, although finding a situation with a clear path to playing time – on a Power-5 team – may be a challenge at this late stage of the offseason.

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2022 Penn State snapshot profile: WR Tyler Johnson

A snapshot profile of Penn State Class of 2022 wide receiver Tyler Johnson.

After losing [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] to the NFL in 2022, the Nittany Lions are still feeling pretty good about the weapons they have at the wide receiver position. And after bringing in some good talent for the position in the Class of 2022.

[autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] comes into a talented wide receiver room, headlined by [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and Western Kentucky transfer [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], along with the return of [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag]. Tyler Johnson is on the leaner side as a receiver but he does have the height that could lead to some big plays and moments in the Penn State offense in the years to come.

Here is a quick snapshot profile of one of Penn State’s future wide receivers lined up in the Class of 2022. The Nittany Lions are in good hands in their wide receiver room.

Penn State commits help Pennsylvania dominate Maryland in Big 33 Football Classic

Penn State commit Keon Wylie was impressive in the Big 33 Football Classic

A handful of future Penn State Nittany Lions to part in one of the longest-running high school football traditions in the state this weekend. The Big 33 Football Classic, pitting top high school seniors from Pennsylvania against some of the top seniors from the state of Maryland, took place in Harrisburg on Monday. A total of six players heading to Penn State participated in the game.

[autotag]Mekhi Flowers[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Ivey[/autotag], [autotag]Blaise Sokach-Minnick[/autotag], [autotag]Ken Talley[/autotag], and [autotag]Keon Wylie[/autotag] all played for the Pennsylavnia. [autotag]Jim Fitzgerald[/autotag] suited up for Maryland.

Pennsylvania won the game, 28-7, to earn a third straight victory over Maryland in the series. Pennsylvania has now won seven of the last nine Big 33 games. Wylie was one of the defensive stars of the game, earning game MVP honors for his effort resulting in two tackles, one pass breakup, and a sack.

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WATCH: Alabama celebrates move-in day for summer enrollees

Alabama’s class of 2022 summer enrollees have arrived!

[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and Alabama have already had several members of the 2022 recruiting class on campus since January as early enrollees. In fact, 13 total members of the class were early enrollees. One player, [autotag]Dayne Shor[/autotag], has already entered into the NCAA transfer portal, leaving Alabama with 12.

On Sunday afternoon, the remaining 11 signees that are a part of the class of 2022 moved into their new homes on campus to begin their careers with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Thanks to fine folks who run Alabama football’s official Twitter account, we get to see a short clip of some of the next generation of elite talent arriving in Tuscaloosa.

Watch the excitement from the players as they begin their journey in college.

Now that the next wave of talent is officially in Tuscaloosa, it signifies the college football season is much closer than you think.

Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for continuous coverage of the Alabama Crimson Tide!

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Texas lands 2022 three-star power forward Alex Anamekwe

Chris Beard and Texas have made a late addition to the 2022 class with three-star power forward Alex Anamekwe from McKinney.

Chris Beard and Texas have made a late addition to the 2022 class with three-star power forward Alex Anamekwe from McKinney.

Anamekwe joins Texas’ talented class of the five-star duo Arterio Morris, Dillion Mitchell and four-star Rowan Brumbaugh.

247Sports ranks the 6-foot-6 power forward as the No. 15 prospect in the state of Texas and No. 194 nationally.

With Anamekew’s commitment, Texas now has the No. 6 overall class in the 2022 cycle, good for the second-best class in the Big 12 behind the Kansas Jayhawks.

Texas’ 2022-23 roster is starting to take shape, the Longhorns return leading scorers, Timmy Allen and Marcus Carr, along with big-man Christian Bishop. Coach Beard is still eyeing a few players in the transfer portal to put the finishing touches on the team going forward.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

2022 JUCO Player of the Year Sean East considers transfer to Oregon Ducks

Oregon joins Kentucky, BYU, Missouri, Clemson, and South Florida inside the top-6 for Junior College Player of the Year Sean East.

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On April 1, point guard Sean East was named the 2021-2022 NJCAA-Division I Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, an award given annually to the top Junior College player in the country.

That same day, East revealed his top-6 schools, which included Oregon, Kentucky, Clemson, Missouri, South Florida, and BYU.

East is working on scheduling a visit to Eugene, according to a report from Matt Prehm at 247Sports, having previously visited BYU and Missouri with a trip to South Florida already on the calendar.

East averaged 20.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists last season at John A. Logan Junior College in Texas. He dropped 43 points in John A. Logan’s only game in the National tournament.

 

East is a 6’3 point guard from Kentucky. He signed with UMass as part of the 2019 recruiting class and averaged 9.3 points and 4.9 assists for the Minutemen as a freshman before transferring to Bradley for the 2020-21 season. There, he averaged a similar 9.0 points and 3.2 assists before settling at the junior college ranks last season.

Now, he could potentially join an Oregon recruiting class that is top-15 in the country and includes two other elite junior college talents in Tyrell Williams and Brennan Rigsby.

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Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. named Maryland player of the year

Mr. Football in Ohio? Check! Mr. Football in Pennsylvania? Check! Now Penn State has the Maryland player of the year in its Class of 2022 haul.

The state of Maryland has always been a key recruiting area for Penn State over the years, and now it has the top player from the state as a member of its Class of 2022. Kevin Winston Jr. was named the DC Touchdown Club’s Maryland high school player of the year.

Winston had previously been named the state’s defensive player of the year by The Washington Post. He is scheduled to join Penn State over the summer after not being one of the early enrollees this spring.

Winston Jr. will be honored by the DC Touchdown Club at an awards banquet later this month, on April 21, just two days before the Penn State Blue-White spring game. He will be honored along with one of Penn State head coach James Franklin’s former bosses, former Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen. At one point, Franklin was expected to succeed Friedgen at Maryland, but he ended up taking a head coaching position at Vanderbilt instead, which eventually led to Franklin’s arrival in Happy Valley. Former Washignton Redskin Joe Jacoby, Pro Player of the Year Trevon Diggs, and College Player of the Year Jordan Addison (Pitt wide receiver) will also be honored at the banquet.

Winston is the third player joining Penn State in 2022 to be coming off such a high honor from their home state. Quarterback [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was named Mr. Football in the state of Ohio and running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] was named Mr. PA Football in Pennsylvania.

Three top players from three key recruiting states in one recruiting class? Yeah, that will work.

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Penn State’s big recruiting weekend includes visit from USC commit

USC and Utah commits among those visiting Penn State after first week of spring football practices

Penn State is wrapping up its first week of spring football practices with a big recruiting weekend. Penn State is hosting a number of recruits this weekend, opening the doors to spring football practices to current commits and targets in the next three recruiting cycles.

Lions247 has a full list of players scheduled to make a visit to Penn State this weekend. Among the players visiting includes a number of Class of 2022 commits who have not been able to enroll early, including Cornell transfer offensive lineman [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] and Lackawanna College JUCO transfer [autotag]Tyrece Mills[/autotag]. [autotag]Drew Shelton[/autotag], another prize in the recruiting class for 2022 is also set to be in town.

Some members of the Class of 2023 are also checking out the scene this weekend with [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] and [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] scheduled to be making a visit. Penn State will also be hosting a number of targets in the Class of 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Among the recruits visiting Penn State in the Class of 2025 is currently committed to USC. Defensive back Arron White has been a hard commit to the Trojans since last September, before the coaching change with the program, so it remains to be seen just how serious a candidate Penn State will ultimately be for White, who is an Orange, California native. Regardless, having White on campus is still noticeable for a player not scheduled to join the college ranks for another three years.

White isn’t the only Pac-12 commit in town either. Wide receiver Kobe Boykin, another product out of Orange, California, is currently committed to Utah’s Class of 2024. Could Penn State manage to flip a couple of Pac-12 commits? Time will tell, but Penn State will hope to leave a solid impression on these and other recruits this weekend.

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