Tag: Dani Dennis-Sutton

USA TODAY High School Sports recruiting rankings Power 5 spotlight: Big Ten

See the top 10 high school football recruits committed to Big Ten schools.

As recruiting for the high school football class of 2022 picks up, more and more schools are seeing who may be its superstars of the future.

Only two five-star players are committed to Big Ten schools as of Nov. 3, but there are 52 four-star recruits, the second-most of any conference.

Here’s a dive into the top-10 ranked players, according to the USA TODAY High School Sports Composite Player Rankings, The list averages the grades from the three biggest recruiting services: 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. 

For conferences that do not have 10 players in the top-100, the remainder of the list came from the 247Sports Composite Ranking. That does not apply to the Big Ten, which has 13 top-100 players.

(Note: The recruit’s measurements and position are courtesy of 247Sports.)

Penn State recruiting: Drew Allar offers hope for future QB depth

Class of 2022 stars Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton continue to shine a bright light for Penn State’s future

Penn State is coming off an unfortunate loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road. We saw quite a few injuries throughout the game from the Nittany Lions as well.

As we head into the bye week, let’s take a closer look at a few future Nittany Lions and provide some updates on their current season.

The first one is Drew Allar. He has been talked about in these updates for a few weeks now because he continues rack up numbers consistently every week. Through seven games, Allar has thrown for over 2,200 yards and 24 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Not only has he been a passing machine, he has also been extremely productive in the ground game, recording 296 yards and six rushing touchdowns.

The next player to highlight was a huge get over the summer for Penn State in Dani Dennis-Sutton. The four-star defensive lineman brings a lot of versatility to the table, having played both defensive end and defensive tackle throughout his high school career.

The last player to discuss is four-star running back in Nicholas Singleton. Penn State currently has solid depth in their running back room and it is only going up from there. In his latest win, Singleton ran for 246 yards and four touchdowns. Seeing this should put a smile on many fans’ faces with their current run game struggling.

Penn State has a bright future ahead of them. Seeing Allar being talked about consistently every week along with other future Nittany Lions continuing to shine for their respective teams, this team has a lot to look forward to.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Penn State football’s future looks great with the Class of 2022 and Class of 2023

Penn State is already off to a good start with the Class of 2023 after a stellar Class of 2022

As we all know, James Franklin has had a busy summer recruiting. Penn State still currently has the top recruiting class in 2022 with 14 four-stars and 10 three-stars. 

They have already begun bringing in talent for their 2023 class, with their first commit being an offensive lineman out of Ashburn, Virginia in Alex Birchmeier. Birchmeier was the number one ranked offensive lineman in the nation who had several offers across the NCAA, according to 247 Sports. 

It’s early, but that one commit puts Penn State at 12th in the recruiting rankings for the class of 2023. Last season, the Nittany Lions started off to a disappointing 0-5 start, which was Franklin’s worst season since being hired as Penn State’s head coach in 2014. 

Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class is loaded. We talked about four-star quarterback Drew Allar last week during our countdown series, who is one of those guys that leads that class. One other player that Penn State scored big on earlier this summer was defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton. The 6-foot-5 and 250-pound recruit is very active with his hands and has good awareness as a defender. He will be an exciting guy to see the type of player he develops into. 

Another player to watch is a versatile athlete out of Argyle, Texas in Kristian Driver, son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver. Kristian Driver is a multi-talented player who brings a substantial amount of flexibility for the Nittany Lions. If there’s anything we know about Franklin and his recruiting, it’s that he loves guys that can or are capable of playing multiple areas of the field. 

As we continue our recruiting watch throughout the season, there are two other players to keep an eye on. 

The first one is a 2023 four-star linebacker Raylen Wilson, who had Penn State in his top 12. There are no crystal ball predictions, but Wilson is still a player to monitor during the 2021 season. 

The other player to watch is a 2022 four-star wide receiver out of Richmond, Virginia in Andre Greene Jr. There aren’t any crystal ball predictions for this one either. However, Green Jr. has Penn State in his top 6, which is promising and worth keeping an eye on. 

Penn State has a very promising and exciting future ahead of them, but for now, it’s time to focus on their matchup this week in Madison, Wisconsin against the Badgers. 

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

Penn State commit says a national championship is coming in the next 3-4 years

One Penn State recruit in the Class of 2022 is already predicting a national title is on its way to Happy Valley

As we know before every season, there are people that make those bold predictions about who is going to win the championship or who is the MVP of the league. And considering the momentum Penn State seems to have been building with the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, it is easy to get caught up in the rising expectations for the program.

This week, Penn State commit Dani Dennis-Sutton would make a bold prediction that Penn State will win the national championship in the next three to four years. That is a rather bold prediction to make, but it’s also one that will be music to the ears of many Penn State fans salivating over the thought of seeing the Nittany Lions celebrate a national title.

Dennis-Sutton shared his championship prediction on his Twitter account on Sunday.

The last time that Penn State won the college football national championship was in 1987 when they defeated Miami in the Fiesta Bowl. It was the second national championship in program history, although Penn State’s 1994 undefeated team was recognized as the national champion by the New York Times. But that was before the era of the BCS and the College Football Playoff, so the 1994 season is still just a fun “what if” debate with Nebraska fans.

Penn State has taken part in the New Years Six bowl games which consist of the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. Penn State defeated Memphis in the 2019 Cotton Bowl.

Penn State has not taken part in the College Football Playoff to have a shot at the national championship & could this be the year that they can break that streak.

Penn State won the Big Ten Championship in 2016 by defeating Wisconsin.

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Four-star DE Dani Dennis-Sutton makes commitment

Four-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton has committed to Penn State over Georgia and Alabama.

Four-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton has made his commitment. Dennis-Sutton is the second-best recruit in Maryland in the rising senior class and has committed to Penn State.

The talented defensive end took visits to Georgia, Penn State and Alabama in June.

The 50th-ranked prospect in the class of 2022 committed to the Nittany Lions before his final football season at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland. Owings Mills is located northwest of Baltimore.

Dennis-Sutton is the ninth-ranked defensive lineman in his class. Dennis-Sutton is a talented basketball player, but he’s on record saying he loves football more.

Sutton released a top seven of Penn State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, USC and Texas A&M in September, but appears to be rolling with Penn State. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have the No. 2 recruiting class of 2022. Penn State has 22 total commitments.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end has the frame to play college football as a freshman. Dennis-Sutton is explosive off the line of scrimmage, has a penchant for shedding blocks and is adept at getting pass deflections.

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Penn State scores major commitment from Dani Dennis-Sutton in loaded Class of 2022

Penn State won a massive recruiting battle for a four-star defensive lineman from Maryland.

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Penn State’s recruiting efforts have been as hot as the mid-summer heat waves we have had to endure. Things got a little hotter on Thursday with the addition of another high-quality addition to the already stacked Class of 2022.

Dani Dennis-Sutton, a defensive lineman from Maryland, made his commitment announcement on Thursday evening, choosing Penn State over two finalists from the SEC (Alabama and Georgia). Dennis-Sutton is a four-star recruit according to the 247 Sports composite rankings (Rivals actually ranks him as a five-star recruit), and his commitment has already been compared to the addition of former linebacker Micah Parsons by some recruiting analysts.

At 6′-5″ and 250 pounds, Dennis-Sutton should be a force to reckon with on the defensive line of the Nittany Lions. And it doesn’t hurt that Penn State has developed a pretty solid reputation in developing defensive linemen over the years.

Dennis-Sutton was rated as a top 50 player in the nation (No. 50 on the 247 Sports composite player rankings for Class of 2022), and the highest-rated player in the state of Maryland.

Dennis-Sutton is the latest defensive lineman to join the Penn State Class of 2022. Penn State has previously added four-star players in Ken Talley, Tyreese Fearbry, and Zane Durant. Penn State also added Kaleb Artis, one of the top recruits out of New York to this recruiting cycle’s defensive line haul.

Penn State’s current recruiting class currently sits in a solid No. 2 overall in the nation, with the Nittany Lions still chasing Ohio State for the top spot (and the Buckeyes are unlikely to yield from the top of the pack any time soon). Penn State is on track to sign the best recruiting class of the James Franklin era. Not bad coming off a 4-5 season.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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UGA, Bama target Dani Dennis-Sutton sets commitment date

UGA, Bama, and Penn State football recruiting target four-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton sets commitment date

Four-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton has set his commitment date for July 22. Dennis-Sutton took visits to Georgia, Penn State and Alabama in June.

Now, the 64th-ranked prospect in the class of 2022 is ready to make a college decision before his final football season at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland. Owings Mills is located to the northwest of Baltimore.

Dennis-Sutton is the second-best recruit in Maryland in the rising senior class. He is the 10th-ranked defensive lineman. Dennis-Sutton is a talented basketball player, but he’s on record saying he loves football more.

Where will Dennis-Sutton play college football? Based on his recent visits, Georgia, Penn State and Alabama should be considered the front-runners.

Sutton released a top seven of Penn State, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, USC and Texas A&M in September. The Maryland native noted his recruitment was still open at the time.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end has the frame to play college football as a freshman. Dennis-Sutton is explosive off the line of scrimmage, has a penchant for shedding blocks and is adept at getting pass deflections.

The four-star defensive lineman announced his commitment date via his Twitter account:

Here are some photos from Dennis-Sutton’s recent trip to visit the University of Georgia:

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Penn State ready for recruiting push as NCAA dead period is lifted

James Franklin and his staff have a busy June lined up as the NCAA lifts its nationwide recruiting travel restrictions.

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This is a monster week on the college football recruiting schedule. For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, official visits will once again be permitted by the NCAA. Penn State is among the many powerhouse programs ready to take full advantage of the opportunity to return to some sense of normalcy in recruiting.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 has already been coming along nicely despite the NCAA restrictions on recruiting out of caution amid the pandemic. According to the latest team composite rankings from 247 Sports, Penn State currently has the No. 6 class in the nation with 11 commitments currently on board. But now that the recruiting game is about to open up, Penn State must work even harder to keep a top 10 class as the competition really heats up.

Penn State has a couple of official visits lined up for this week with Florida running back Kaytron Allen scheduled to visit Happy Valley on Friday. The four-star recruit out of IMG Academy would be a big win for Penn State, who was unable to secure a commitment out of Florida in its scaled-back Class of 2021. Four-star offensive tackle Ryan Brubaker, from Denver, PA, is also scheduled for an official visit that same day.

After the official visits at the end of the week, James Franklin and members of his coaching staff are flying down to Tallahassee to participate in Florida State’s premier football camp. A summer after football camps were prohibited due to the pandemic, this is yet another opportunity to create some interaction with recruits from a fertile football area. Franklin knows the value of Florida recruits, and getting a chance to work with a program like Florida State in this environment could benefit the Nittany Lions moving forward.

Next week, on June 11, will be a significant day for Penn State as 12 players are currently scheduled to make an official visit, including four-star players in Maryland defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton, Philadelphia cornerback Keenan Nelson Jr., Florida linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, New Jersey cornerback Jaeden Gould, Indiana defensive lineman Joe Strickland, Reading running back Nicholas Singleton, and Florida athlete Keon Sabb.

Penn State has 13 more players visiting Happy Valley the following week, including Florida commitment and cornerback Julian Humphrey, from Texas. Penn State commits Drew Shelton (offensive tackle) and Alex Bacchetta (punter) will also be in town. So will Virginia four-star running back Ramon Brown, who previously listed Penn State in his top seven, although Penn State could have some ground to make up in his recruiting process. As of now, Penn State has nine players scheduled to make an official visit to the campus on June 25.

So yes, June is a big month for James Franklin and his staff. But it will also be a challenging one because the NCAA recruiting restrictions are lifted for everybody, from Ohio State and Michigan to Florida and Georgia, and Oklahoma and Texas and beyond. And like Penn State, all of those programs are looking forward to returning to a more standard method of recruiting and sales-pitching.

Game on.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. 

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Alabama pursuing 2022 4-star CB Tayon Holloway

Four-star cornerback Tayon Holloway out of Virginia Beach (Va.) landed an offer from Alabama on Wednesday.

Four-star cornerback Tayon Holloway joined several other players on Wednesday in announcing that they had landed an offer from the University of Alabama.

The Virginia Beach (Va.) native took to Twitter to share the news:

In addition to Holloway, several other top recruits for the 2022 class, including running back Le’Veon Moss, wide receiver Shazz Preston, Dani Dennis-Sutton and fellow cornerback Laterrance Welch, shared the news of their offers.

Holloway is an interesting prospect. Currently at 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, the need to continue to add some length and overall size is there. But considering he was only a sophomore this past season, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t make that growth.

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Holloway is rated as the No. 183 overall player, No. 22 cornerback and No. 9 player from the state of Virginia.

Alabama is now the second SEC school to offer the Green Run High School standout, joining Tennessee, who offered him back in March of 2019.

Here is what Brian Dohn with 247Sports had to say about Holloway:

Long, lean frame with good length. Can easily add 15 to 20 pounds without impacting skill set. Loose hips and smooth athlete. Transitions easily from backpedal to running with receiver. Does best work as field corner. Has speed to track on long crossing patterns. Gets out of breaks on receiver’s hip. Possesses closing speed. Good ball skills. Comfortable in backpedal. Has to add strength. Must improve on jam ability to re-route receiver. Must become bigger factor in run game. Multi-year starter at Top 20 program. Day 3 NFL draft potential.

Nick Saban has always preferred his cornerbacks, especially on the perimeter, to have a lot of length, so despite the fact the more mass is needed, Holloway is already looking like he’ll have the body type Alabama looks for at the position.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates on Holloway and other top Alabama targets from Roll Tide Wire, part of USA TODAY Sports!

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2022 4-star SDE Dani Dennis-Sutton gets Alabama offer

Four-star strong-side defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton was one of the latest to land an offer from the University of Alabama.

Dani Dennis-Sutton is one of the latest top high school prospects to receive an offer from Nick Saban and the University of Alabama.

On Wednesday night, the McDonogh High School stand out, who is part of the 2022 recruiting class, took to Twitter to announce the news:

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound strong-side defensive end out of Owings Mills (Md.) is one of the nation’s top prospects at his position.

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, Dennis-Sutton checks in as a four-star prospect while also being rated as at top 100 player (No. 99 overall). In addition, he is also rated as the No. 10 strong-side defensive and No. 4 player from the state of Maryland.

Rivals.com also has him ranked as a four-star prospect while an impressive 6.0 rating, but they don’t have a numerical ranking for the 2022 class yet.

In addition to his offer from the Crimson Tide, Dennis-Sutton is also being pursued by several other top football programs such as Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates on Dennis-Sutton and other top prospects from Roll Tide Wire, part of USA TODAY Sports!

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