Tag: Dejuan Lane

Biggest theme of Penn State’s 2024 class: balance

Penn State’s 2024 class offers one of the more balanced recruiting hauls in the country.

With the first and busiest day of the college football early signing period behind us, we can confirm that Penn State signed all 25 of its Class of 2024 commits earlier today. It was a “drama-free” signing day according to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] who spoke after all the commits had signed. The class is now locked in for next year so let’s break it down.

Penn State returns a boatload of starting-caliber players from last season but will lose several starters to the NFL with more expected to announce in the coming month. Penn State has never been a heavy transfer portal school and relies mainly on keeping its returning players intact while reloading with a strong freshman class.

This years’ class is ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports Composite and 16th by On3. With 12 offensive commits and 13 defensive commits this year’s group is evenly balanced eluding to the fact that Franklin and his staff want to add quality depth around the board and fill in any neccessary holes from departing players.

From a positon standpoint is was more of the same type of balance across the board:

  • 7 skill players: QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Quintin Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag], wide recievers [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Tyseer Denmark[/autotag], and [autotag]Peter Gonzalez[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • 5 offensive lineman: [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • 6 defensive lineman: [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag], [autotag]DeAndre Cook[/autotag], [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag], and [autotag]Mylachi Williams[/autotag]
  • 5 secondary players: cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenneth Woseley, Jon Mitchell, and safties Dejuan Lane, and Vaboue Toure
  • 2 linebackers: Kari Jackson and Anthony Specca

No one position or side of the ball dominated the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State, but thats a good thing because it shows that Penn State has talent everywhere. Three wide recievers were added to arguably the worst room in 2023 and a playmaking running back was added to a room featuring two former 5-star recruits. The trenches were reloaded with talent and many of the offensive line commits should challenge for starting spots in their first year.

In the time of the transfer portal and NIL perhaps a early signing day like the one Penn State had today is not exciting, but it does not matter Franklin’s method of “underpromise, overdeliver” method still produces wins. It has in the past. Penn State’s 2024 class is balanced, solid, and most importantly adds talent across the board which is key for sustained success.

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Early Signing Day Tracker: Say hello to Penn State’s Class of 2024

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting …

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting to receive signed National Letters of Intent from their verbal commitments to make things official. There could always be a player or two who hold off until the traditional signing period in February for one reason or another, but Penn State is hoping for a pretty simple and straightforward opening to the early signing period.

Here is a look at each player who committed to Penn State in the Class of 2024 recruiting calendar and an update on which players have signed in the early signing period.

Updated On3 recruiting rankings gives big boost to Penn State commits

Penn State’s Class of 2024 gets a boost form updated On300 player rankings from On3.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 lineup of commitments continues to impress in the national rankings with a consensus top 10 class being put together. But on Monday, a number of Penn State commitments saw a nice boost to their individual recruiting ranking from On3, with three players moving up into the top 100 in the nation.

Offensive lineman Garrett Sexton moved up nearly 70 spots in the 2024 recruiting rankings by going from no. 112 overall in the nation up to no. 44. The newest member of the Class of 2024 lineup, defensive lineman Mylachi Williams, cruised all the way up to no. 79 from no. 205. And tight end Luke Reynolds saw a massive surge by jumping all the way up to no. 81 after not being ranked in the On300 rankings previously.

Other notable risers in the On300 rankings from On3 included quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (no. 176), offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (no. 215), and defensive back Dejuan Lane (no. 274). All three players were previously out of the On300.

Penn State has a few other players in the Class of 2024 On300, of course. Quinton Martin (no. 109), Vaboue Toure (no. 206), and Jon Mitchell (no. 155), Josiah Brown (no. 297) are among the commits ranked inside the On300.

The updated recruiting rankings also gave Penn State a boost on the On3 team rankings for the Class of 2024. The updated rankings boosted Penn State from no. 10 in the On3 class rankings up to no. 8.

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Penn State gets commitment from 4-star safety Vaboue Toure

Penn State is heading into the weekend with a four-star commitment to get things started.

Penn State got a bit of bad news on Thursday when their fifth offensive lineman in the class of 2024 decommitted after saying he might have rushed into the decision. [autotag]Deryc Plazz[/autotag]’s decommitment was a bump in the road for the fantastic recruiting period [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has done with this class.

However, the program got back to good news on Friday when they picked up a commitment from [autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag].

Toure was long rumored to be headed to Penn State but made it official Friday through his Twitter account. Toure is a four-star safety from New Jersey. He’s ranked as the 257th best player in the country and number 21 safety prospect according to On3’s industry rankings.

This is an important signing for Franklin and his staff when it comes to recruiting pipelines. There hasn’t been a New Jersey prospect sign with the program since 2020. New Jersey is an important pipeline because of the talented prospects located within the state.

Penn State has been recruiting Toure for a while. They first offered him a scholarship in March of 2022 and have hosted him for four visits, including the official visit during the weekend of June 9th.

Originally, Toure had plans to take official visits to Kentucky and Oklahoma, but decided to verbally commit to the Nittany Lions. He is the second safety that has committed to Penn State in the class of 2024 along with fellow four-star, [autotag]Dejuan Lane[/autotag].

The 2024 recruiting cycle has been successful so far. There are currently 17 players committed with more seemingly coming. This has the Nittany Lions in the Top 15 nationally by both On3 and 247Sports.

Penn State’s recruiting class is ranked 12th by On3 and ranked seventh by 247Sports.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Crystal Ball predicts Penn State will land another 2024 safety

Crystal ball prediction favors Penn State for four-star safety in 2024.

It was a monster weekend for Penn State. They secured three commitments on Sunday after hosting prospects for official visits. Penn State got their fifth offensive lineman in the class of 2024 and added two players on defense.

Now, 247Sports’ Crystal Ball is predicting that the Nittany Lions will land another defensive prospect from the 2024 class.

[autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag] is a four-star prospect from New Jersey who is starting to be heavily linked to Penn State. He visited the campus three times for unofficial visits and has an official visit scheduled for June 9th, 2023.

Brian Dohn is a National Recruiting Analyst for 247Sports. He gave his Crystal Ball prediction on June 2nd that Toure would commit to Penn State. This is a big deal because Dohn is 28 for 28 on his predictions for the 2024 class.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine also has Penn State has the heavy favorites to land the safety prospect from Irvington. Currently, they give the Nittany Lions a 84.3% chance to secure a commitment from Toure.

As seen from the tweet above, On3 also had Penn State as the favorites to land [autotag]Dejuan Lane[/autotag]. He committed to Penn State on Sunday and was the first safety commitment in the class of 2024. Similarly, 247Sports and their Crystal Ball also had Penn State landing Lane prior to his official visit over the weekend.

All of this bodes well for the Nittany Lions when it comes to the recruitment of Toure.

As it stands now, Penn State will be the first school that Toure officially visits when he heads to State College on June 9th. He also has two more official visits on his calendar when he heads to Kentucky on June 13th and Oklahoma on June 16th.

We’ll see if the Crystal Ball stays hot when Toure officially announces his decision on where he will play his college football.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Penn State adds 2024 4-star safety Dejuan Lane

Penn State lands commitment from four-star safety Dejuan Lane to cap big recruiting weekend

It was a monster Sunday for Penn State football’s recruiting efforts. They secured three commitments throughout the day as they continue to bolster their already potent 2024 recruiting class.

The first domino to fall was locking up their fifth offensive lineman in the class when [autotag]Deryc Plazz[/autotag] committed to the program. The big recruiting weekend continued when edge rusher [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag] announced his commitment to Penn State.

But Sunday got even better when four-star safety [autotag]Dejuan Lane[/autotag] announced his commitment on social media. Lane was projected to land at Penn State by recruiting services 247Sports and On3 after taking an official visit to State College over the weekend.

Lane is a 6’3″ 200 pound safety prospect from Baltimore, MD. On3’s industry rankings have him listed as the number 27 safety in the country and the ninth overall player in Maryland. He was the second Maryland prospect to commit to Penn State on Sunday.

Lane has previously been listed as a linebacker, which he played in high school along with some time at safety. He’s seen by many scouts and coaches as a “tweener,” or a player who is in-between two positions but can play both. However, Penn State primarily sees him as a safety when he comes to State College.

As far as why he committed to Penn State, Lane said it was a perfect fit.

He told Ryan Snyder of On3’s BlueWhiteIllustrated, “I committed because I know this is home. Immediately after stepping on campus, I felt this was home. I felt welcomed and loved.”

Lane also spoke about how important academics and athletics are, saying, “Penn State won me over because everything is complete. It’s the perfect mix of academics and high-level football, which is exactly what I was looking for.”

He also added how important the weekend in State College was telling Snyder, “They’ve always been very consistent and showing interest in me ever since they offered. They’ve shown me a bunch of love. When I got on campus for my official then, it was crazy. Everyone knew my name, even people I never met before. Stuff like that always makes you feel good.”

Lane is a big commitment to get for Penn State. He’s their first safety prospect in the class of 2024 and fits what they want to do on defense perfectly.

Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok

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Michigan football makes top five for 4-star safety

Would be a nice addition to the class. #GoBlue

While Michigan football continues to crush 2024 recruiting — the Wolverines have the No. 1 class — the maize and blue lost two safeties recently to the transfer portal.

One was co-starter R.J. Moten, who inexplicably entered the portal after playing with the Wolverines during the spring game and participating in the media availability after the game.

Naturally after losing a couple of safeties, Michigan is hoping to replenish the depth at the position. The Wolverines already have four-star Jacob Oden in the fold for 2024, and it appears the maize and blue are in on another safety.

Four-star Dejuan Lane announced his top five schools, and Michigan made the list along with Notre Dame, Penn State, Maryland and Georgia.

Lane hails from Baltimore (Maryland) Gilman. According to the 247Sports Composite, Lane is the 289th-ranked player in the country, the 27th-ranked safety and the eighth-ranked player in Maryland.

Michigan must have made a nice impression on the 6-foot-3 prospect since it made the top five after offering Lane back on April 13.

There are no predictions on where Lane might land.

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Badgers offer four-star class of 2024 athlete from Maryland

Wisconsin offered Dejuan Lane, a four-star class of 2024 athlete from Baltimore on Tuesday.

Wisconsin offered Dejuan Lane, a four-star class of 2024 athlete from Baltimore on Tuesday. The 6-foot-3 junior at Gilman High School has experience playing wide receiver, cornerback and safety, which will likely make his transition to the collegiate level easier.

Lane also has a background in track, running the 100 meter and multiple relays. The athlete is now up to 19 Division 1 offers, with Penn State and Rutgers also offering him from within the Big Ten. Wisconsin could certainly benefit from a superior athlete like Lane joining the program as the team shifts to Phil Longo’s “Air Raid” offense.

The Badgers have already secured two commitments for the class of 2024, four-star quarterback Mabrey Mettauer (The Woodlands, Texas) and cornerback Austin Alexander (Chicago Heights, Illinois).

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Rutgers football offers Maryland athlete Dejuan Lane

Dejuan Lane from Maryland got offered by Rutgers football on Monday.

Dejuan Lane was offered by Rutgers football on Monday night, putting the Big Ten in the mix for a player who is putting together quite an impressive offer list.

A class of 2024 prospect at Gilman (Baltimore, MD), Rutgers football is getting in the mix with a number of other Power Five prospects for Lane including Boston College, Duke, Georgia, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Lane plays as a wide receiver and a defensive back for Gilman. The Greyhounds went 4-5 last season.

Rivals lists him as a 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete. He is currently unranked.

Currently, Rutgers does not have any commitments in the class of 2023.

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He tweeted about the offer on Monday night:

 

Lane takes long strides and has good hips and footwork. Instinctually, the best position for him at the next level is likely as a defensive back.

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