Tag: Jameial Lyons

Four-star edge rusher impressed by Penn State on official visit

Penn State could be a rising contender for this four-star edge rusher in the Class of 2025.

Penn State has plenty of work to do in their class of 2025, and while 13 commits on the board right now aren’t quite where they want to be, there’s a chance that number increases substantially over the next couple of weeks following their official visit weekends.

Based on the busy summer calendars for a lot of the top recruits across the country, the Nittany Lions could find themselves battling it out for many of their top targets into the fall.

That would be a bit different than what they experienced in the last cycle, but each year offers various challenges, especially in this new NIL world.

So, coming out of their first major official visit weekend, some information is now being reported about where Penn State stands in the recruitment of those who were on campus.

One they seemed to impress was four-star edge rusher [autotag]Cedric Works[/autotag].

This was a late-blooming relationship as they only first offered him in February even after he took his first visit in the fall. However, once they extended a scholarship, things have started to rapidly progress.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Ohio native is ranked as the No. 86 player in the country and 11-best at his position by 247Sports.

Without a single defensive lineman committed to their 2025 recruiting class, [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] is looking to close on a strong note and has become heavily involved in trying to land Works.

Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports caught up with the edge rusher coming out his visit and it sounds like they have put themselves in solid position to land him. He was able to see the hard-working culture that has been established in his position group and got to know his host [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] better and saw how someone with a similar background has succeeded at Penn State (subscription required).

Works has more upcoming official visits on his calendar to see Cincinnati, Florida, and Kentucky. Once those conclude he’s expecting to have a decision before his senior season of high school begins.

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Penn State could get breakout season from sophomore defensive end

Here is a potential breakout defensive player for Penn State this season.

Penn State is coming out of a season where they had two of their edge rushers get drafted by NFL teams over the weekend.

While [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] and [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] will certainly be difficult to replace, their losses are lessened by the return of [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] and [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] moving to defensive end.

As has become the norm for the Nittany Lions under the past few years under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, they rotated many players across their defensive line throughout a game.

That’s likely going to continue with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

So while it’s nice to have the returning production of Dennis-Sutton and Carter taking on a new role, they’ll still need other players to produce for them to operate like they have in the past.

According to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports, he’s expecting [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] to have a breakout season this year based on what he’s hearing coming out of spring practices (subscription required).

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, he certainly has the frame to be able to compete against Big Ten competition.

Lyons didn’t get much opportunity during his freshman season in 2023 because of how experienced the defensive line room was, but he still has loads of potential based on his four-star rating coming out of high school.

Donohue said that the coaching staff told him that they were confident he would have been able to handle a larger workload if it weren’t for the depth in front of him.

Instead, he was limited to 95 defensive snaps.

Lyons should have plenty of opportunities this season to showcase what he can do and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] seems to think he’ll take that opportunity, saying that the sophomore has “got a bright future.”

He’ll certainly one to continue monitoring throughout the summer and during the early part of the year.

Penn State’s cornerbacks coach discusses potential contributing freshmen

Could any of these freshmen find a role in Penn State’s defense in 2024? An assistant coach offers his opinion.

Penn State had a fantastic signing day, locking up all 25 of their commits and having no drama surround their program on a day that can become filled with potential commits signing elsewhere.

On the recruiting front, the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff will turn their attention towards future classes and continue to try and build another elite class that has become the norm under [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag].

As far as the on field product goes, the next question that presents itself is which one of the incoming freshman could become impact players in their first season in the program?

Penn State had five players, all on the defensive side of the ball, forego their redshirt seasons during the 2023-24 campaign. Linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag], safety [autotag]King Mack[/autotag] and corners [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] and [autotag]Elliott Washington[/autotag] all contributed in limited roles.

Cornerbacks coach, Terry Smith, was asked which players in the 2024 class could follow that mold and become contributors immediately in their first year by Ryan Snyder of On3 (paid subscription required).

He immediately looked to his position group as the Nittany Lions have three players entering the NFL draft.

Smith said that [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag] and [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag] are two players to watch since they are enrolling in January and will get to work within the program as soon as possible.

He notes that it will come down to if they can make the transition from the high school level to high-major Power 5 football and adjust to the processing speed it takes to recognize what is happening during the play.

Talent-wise he thinks Mitchell and Belgrave-Shorter have the tools to be contributors, but it will come down to making that adjustment.

As far as the offensive side of the ball, he has his eye on running back, [autotag]Quentin Martin[/autotag], who is a Top-100 player.

Even in a loaded running back room with [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] coming back, Martin is an explosive playmaker and could be used in the passing game early on as he is considered the best receiver in the room already.

Penn State availability report for Northwestern released

Penn State’s player availability report is released; Harrison Wallace III’s status vs. Northwestern is questionable

With kickoff approaching in the early afternoon window, Penn State has released its player availability report for its Week 5 game at Northwestern. And once again, it will rule out a wide receiver and a pair of defensive linemen.

Wide receiver [autotag]Malick Meiga[/autotag], and defensive ends [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] and [autotag]Smith Vilbert[/autotag] were the three players ruled out of action for Saturday’s game at Northwestern on the Penn State player availability report, which is required by the Big Ten this season two hours prior to kickoff.

Wide receiver [autotag]Harrison Wallace III[/autotag] is listed as questionable. He has been questionable the past two weeks. He did not play two weeks ago despite being able to play, and he was limited last week in a home game against Iowa. How much he sees the field against Northwestern remains to be seen.

Northwestern has also ruled out four players this week. Wide receiver Ricky Ahumaraeze, defensive back Theran Johnson, and tight ends Chris Petrucci and Jack Fitzgerald have been ruled out for the Wildcats. Tight end Marshall Lang is listed as questionable.

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Top five true freshman edge rushers in the Big Ten for 2023

Top five true freshman edge rushers in the Big Ten for 2023 #GoBucks

It is always fun to look at recruiting rankings. The recruiting landscape receives more coverage every year because recruiting is a very important aspect of building a program. Still, it is important to remember these players and prospects are not defined by these rankings.

I was diving into the most recent class and trying to figure out which future Buckeye is going to shine brightest and fastest but noticed the Big Ten as a whole was pretty interesting recruiting-wise this cycle. We already dived into the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive tackles and interior offensive linemen. Now, we dive into the top edge rushers.

Penn State’s 2023 football commitment tracker

The Penn State football Class of 2023 commitment tracker has been updated with the latest recruiting development

The Class of 2022 was great for Penn State, but it’s already time to turn the page toward the Class of 2023. And James Franklin and the Nittany Lions already had a few commitments on the board for the Class of 2023 as the signed letters of intent were coming in for the Class of 2022.

We’ll be keeping track of every commitment that goes on the board for Penn State in the Class of 2023. But knowing that odds are pretty good at least one player will have a change of heart somewhere along the recruiting process, we’ll keep tabs on what they are doing up until signing day.

This tracker will be updated accordingly when needed. It was last updated on February 1, 2023.

Penn State Class of 2023 signee gets big bump in final On3 player rankings

One key member of the Penn State Class of 2023 just saw his stock skyrocket.

With the traditional national signing day approaching quickly, On3 has provided its final update to its player rankings for the Class of 2023. And as a result, it turned out to be a big update for Penn State commit [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag].

Rappleyea was among the biggest movers up in the On300 ranking, moving from no. 82 in the last update all the way up to no. 41 in the final player rankings from the recruiting service. He is now the second highest-ranked player in Penn State’s Class of 2023 behind offensive lineman [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag]. He passed another offensive lineman, [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag], in moving up as high as he did.

Penn State ended up having a number of players ranked in the final On300 rankings, and there could still be room for another. Offensive tackle [autotag]Chimdy Onoh[/autotag], from Maryland, is ranked no. 210 in the nation on the rankings from On3, and he is believed to be considering Penn State as his commitment announcement approaches.

Other Penn State commits in the On300 rankings include:

  • OL J’ven Williams (no. 9)
  • OL Alex Birchmeier (no. 74)
  • LB [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] (no. 86)
  • S [autotag]King Mack[/autotag] (no. 113)
  • DE [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] (no. 155)
  • TE [autotag]Joey Schlaffer[/autotag] (no. 158)
  • LB [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag] (no. 171)
  • CB [autotag]Elliot Washington[/autotag] (no. 194)
  • CB [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag] (no. 200)
  • OL [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] (no. 216)

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Penn State football locks in Class of 2023

Here is every player Penn State has announced in its Class of 2023.

Penn State’s start to the early signing period on Wednesday ended with the official signing of 22 members of its Class of 2023. The recruiting class is one balanced with offense and defense and will add some terrific quality and depth on the line of scrimmage a year after addressing some skill positions in the Class of 2022. And while the latest recruiting class didn’t necessarily go off without a mild bump in the road on the first day of the early signing period, it is getting head coach James Franklin excited about the program’s future.

Penn State made sure to sign some of the top players from in the state but also did some solid work beyond the state’s borders. This was especially true in Virginia as the Nittany Lions kicked the class off with the first commitment on the board from Virginia offensive lineman [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] and continued to add help from the state right up until the final days of the recruiting efforts before the early signing period opened. In all, Penn State added players from nine different states ranging from Alabama to New York.

Here is the full rundown of the confirmed additions to the Penn State program in the Class of 2023.

Penn State set to host West Virginia commit Rodney Gallagher

Penn State will host a four-star receiver committed to West Virginia this weekend.

With the early signing period approaching rapidly, Penn State could be looking to make some good final pushes for some key recruits to fill out its Class of 2023. And one piece that got away from them earlier within the state could be a prime candidate for a potential flip.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Rodney Gallagher[/autotag], a Pennsylvania native, is set to pay a visit to Penn State for this weekend’s home game against Michigan State. This is notable because Gallagher is currently committed to West Virginia, and Penn State just had a wide receiver from its Class of 2023 lineup decommit from Penn State.

Gallagher committed to West Virginia in May of this year, roughly a month after making an unofficial visit to Penn State in the spring. Despite being committed to the Mountaineers, Gallagher also paid an official visit to Oklahoma State in June, just a few weeks after committing to West Virginia and a couple of weeks after making an official visit to Morgantown following his commitment.

Gallagher would be a massive flip for Penn State. He is the third-best recruit overall in the state of Pennsylvania according to the 247Sports composite rankings. Penn State already has a commitment from the top in-state recruit, offensive tackle [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag], the No. 2 recruit with edge rusher [autotag]Ta’Mere Robinson[/autotag], and the No. 4 recruit in the state, edge rusher [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] from Philadelphia.

West Virginia also has one other top 10 player from Pennsylvania in its Class of 2023 lineup with linebacker [autotag]Josiah Trotter[/autotag], the son of former NFL linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.

We’ll be sure to keep a close look at any potential recruiting developments coming out of this weekend as Penn State wraps up its regular season at home against Michigan State.

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Crystal ball picks leaning toward Penn State for in-state running back

Penn State is in a good spot with this in-state three-star running back in the Class of 2023.

It goes without saying that Penn State is in need of improving its ability to run the football in 2022. Adding the nation’s top running back in the Class of 2022 should certainly help with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] deciding to stay close to home to play for the Nittany Lions. Penn State also added [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] to the running back mix as another four-star option on the ground. So, it would seem, Penn State’s future at the running back position is in good shape.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t keep adding to the running back depth by exploring some in-state recruits in the Class of 2023. Without a running back on the board for the Class of 2023 just yet, the Nittany Lions could be closing in on a three-star running back out of Scranton. [autotag]London Montgomery[/autotag], of Scranton Prep, is considered a likely commitment for Penn State in the current recruiting cycle.

On3’s prediction machine calculates Penn State has an 87.3% chance of securing a commitment from Montgomery. There are three crystal ball predictions currently on the record on 247Sports, and all three are in favor of Penn State.

Montgomery is the No. 7 player in the state of Pennsylvania according to the 247Sports composite rankings, which automatically makes him a key recruit for Penn State. Penn State already has a Clas of 2023 commitment from the top player in the state with offensive tackle [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag]. Penn State also has a commitment from edge rusher [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] (No. 5 in Pennsylvania) and is considered a favorite to land a commitment from edge rusher [autotag]Ta’Mere Robinson[/autotag] (No. 3 in Pennsylvania).

Montgomery was offered a scholarship by Penn State back in March, and he made an unofficial visit to Penn State the following month. He also is coming off a recent official visit this past weekend. Montgomery has made two other trips previously as well, so he is pretty familiar with the environment and program. He has not made multiple visits to any other school at this time.

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