Tag: Kaveion Keys

Pair of rising Penn State defensive players start fall camp in the dog house

A pair of promising young defensive players are starting Penn State’s fall football camp under suspension.

As Penn State got started with their fall camp workouts this week, two potential key players were absent from the practice field. Linebacker [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag] and defensive end [autotag]Jameial Lyons[/autotag] are each starting off the fall camp on the team’s suspension list for undisclosed reasons.

“Jameial Lyons and Kaveion Keys are on interim suspension to deal with a personal matter, and we will not have any further comment,” the program said in a statement according to Lions247.

How long these players will be out of action remains to be seen, and it is not expected we will get any more information beyond this statement from head coach James Franklin or the program. Whether this leads to any lost playing time once the season begins also remains to be seen.

This is an unfortunate headline to start off the fall camp for the Nittany Lions as both Keys and Lyons are expected to be players on the rise this season. Keys is a redshirt freshman in 2024 and Lyons will be a sophomore as both players enter their second season in the program.

Lyons made appearances in seven games for Penn State in 2023, mostly as a deep reserve. Keys is expected to be a player that could benefit by Abdul Carter picking up some playing time at defensive end as it should allow for a few more opportunities to get on the field as a backup linebacker.

Penn State will open the 2024 season on August 31 at West Virginia. Download a 2024 schedule wallpaper for your phone and check out our early game-by-game predictions.

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Chop Robinson OUT vs. Indiana

Penn State rules DE Chop Robinson out vs. Indiana in pregame player availability report.

It was likely anticipated that Penn State would be without the services of defensive end Chop Robinson on Saturday against Indiana. Those expectations were met with the release of Penn State’s player availability report leading up to kickoff against the Hoosiers from Beaver Stadium.

Robinson was officially ruled out of action for the Indiana game. Robinson, who left last week’s game at Ohio State after a blow to the head, was one of 12 players listed as out for the home game against the Hoosiers.

Here is a look at everyone ruled out by Penn State:

  • Tyler Johnson
  • Mehki Flowers
  • Elliot Washington II
  • Tyler Holzworth
  • Feyisayo Oluleye
  • Chop Robinson
  • Kaveion Keys
  • Ian Harvie
  • Liam Powers
  • Jim Fitzgerald
  • Andrew Rappleyea
  • Smith Vilbert

Penn State also listed four players as questionable for the game, including Amin Vanover. Here is who is listed as questionable for the Nittany Lions:

  • Amin Vanover
  • Mason Stahl
  • Carmelo Taylor
  • Mason Robinson

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 48 Kaveion Keys

Penn State adds some great freshmen at linebacker in 2023. Here’s a quick look at Kaveion Keys.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Today is a look at one of the newest members of the program, freshman linebacker [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag]. Keys comes to the Nittany Lions with plenty of potential with a huge upside, but just what will his role look like in 2023? Here is a snapshot look at Keys heading into the 2023 season.

Updated uniform numbers for Penn State football’s summer arrivals

What jersey numbers will Penn State’s latest additions be wearing this season? Here are the updated football jersey numbers.

Penn State’s roster continued to be rounded out with the recent addition of more members of its latest recruiting class and transfer additions officially joining the program. Some of the new additions should be key players for the upcoming season, including wide receiver Dante Cephas and cornerback Audavion Collins, each coming from FBS programs with the ability to plug a hole in the roster instantly. Others, like freshmen running backs London Montgomery and Cam Wallace, will add to the depth on the roster while waiting a bit longer to see their moment in the spotlight.

Now those new members of the Penn State family have confirmed jersey numbers for the 2023 season.

Here is a look at the officially confirmed uniform numbers for Penn State’s newest members to the program according to the team’s official online roster;

  • 3 – Dante Cephas, WR
  • 8 – DaKaari Nelson, S
  •  9 – King Mack, S
  • 23 – Trey Potts, RB
  • 24 – London Montgomery, RB
  • 26 – Cam Wallace, RB
  • 29 – Audavion Collins, CB
  • 39 – Ty Blanding, DT
  • 48 – Kaveion Keys, LB
  • 50 – Alonzo Ford, DT
  • 56 – Joseph Mupoyi, DE
  • 79 – Addison Penn, OL
  • 87 – Andrew Rappleyea, TE

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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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James Franklin likes athletic flexibility of Class of 2023 linebackers

Penn State’s Class of 2023 adds some star power at the linebacker position

Few schools love recruiting and developing linebackers the way Penn State does. And Linebacker U added quite the trio of linebackers in the Class of 2023 with the additions of [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag], [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag], and [autotag]Ta’Mere Robinson[/autotag]. If there is one thing [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] likes about his three new linebacker recruits, it is the athleticism that allows for positional flexibility moving forward.

“[We] really like to recruit kind of three outside backers, then whoever makes sense at the end to move to Mike, do that,” Franklin said when asked about the new linebackers in the Class of 2023 in his early signing day press conference on Wednesday. “You really don’t want to play with an old school true Mike on the field. You’d rather have three outside linebackers that create position flexibility.”

Did Penn State accomplish that in the Class of 2023? Franklin seems to think so.

“We’ve got three guys that we think could really play all three positions,” Franklin said. Franklin went on to suggest Robinson would probably be the one most likely to be molded into the Mike position on the defense.

“If I had to kind of put it on the board right now, Ta’Mere probably at Mike. With his size, he’s a big, big, big young man, but has the athleticism and movement and leadership qualities,” Franklin explained.

“The good thing is we have flexibility with all three of those guys,” Franklin said, referring to Robinson, Rojas, and Keys. “All three have really good tape. All three of them are really good students. I know they’re excited about the opportunity of coming here, coming in and competing in what’s going to be one of the better linebacker rooms in the country, especially the way we’ve been able to get Abdul [Carter] to develop in his first year on campus.”

If nothing else, the future of the linebacker position appears to be pretty well-stocked for the Nittany Lions in the coming years. With Abdul Carter coming off a stellar freshman season and the addition of these three new potential options to work into the mix, Linebacker-U will be living up to its namesake.

“It’s going to be a fun position to watch over the next year,” Franklin said. Yes, it certainly should be.

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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 football recruiting profile: LB Kaveion Keys

Penn State football Class of 2023 profile: LB Kaveion Keys

Penn State has a long history of award-winning and successful NFL players all hailing from the linebacker position. [autotag]Jack Ham[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag], and [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] are just a couple of linebackers who have been difference-makers at Penn State and the NFL.

Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and his new aggressive defense need linebackers to be successful and in comes [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag]. The four-star linebacker from Virginia won’t have a far trip north but a long journey will begin next year with Diaz making him the linebacker he needs in his defense.

Here is a snapshot look at one of the final pieces in Penn State’s Class of 2023 recruiting class.

Four-star LB Kaveion Keys commits to Penn State

Penn State lands four-star linebacker commitment from Kaveion Keys in Class of 2023

Penn State got a nice little early present this holiday season a week before the opening of the early signing period on Friday morning when four-star linebacker [autotag]Kaveion Keys[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions, Keys will join Penn State’s Class of 2023, most of which is expected to officially be signed during next week’s early signing period for college football.

Keys is from Richmond, Virginia, giving Penn State another recruit from the state in its Class of 2023 haul. Keys is joined by fellow Virginia recruits Alex Birchmeier (Ashburn, VA), Tony Rojas (Fairfax, VA), Carmelo Taylor (Roanoke, VA), Mathias Barnwell (Fredericksburg, VA), and Anthony Donkoh (Aldie, VA) from the state to join Penn State’s latest recruiting class. As it stands now, Penn State’s two linebackers in the recruiting class each hail from Virginia with Keys and Rojas.

Keys is a four-star recruit according to his profiles on 247Sports and On3, although Rivals and ESPN both rate him as a three-star prospect. But according to each of the composite recruit rankings calculated by 247Sports and On3, Keys rates out to a four-star prospect.

Keys was previously committed to North Carolina but he backed off his commitment a little more than a week ago. Penn State immediately became the frontrunner as the Nittany Lions and Virginia Tech were each hoping to take advantage of the reopening of his recruitment. Virginia Tech head coach [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag] had started recruiting efforts on Key when he was Penn State’s defensive coordinator, and Keys would have been a nice recruiting win for Pry and the Hokies. Instead, Keys will leave the state behind for a chance to play for Penn State.

College football’s early signing period opens on Wednesday, December 21 and runs through Friday, December 23.

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