Tag: Keaton Ellis

King Mack mentioned as player who could play early by 247Sports

247Sports says this Class of 2023 piece could have early impact at Penn State

Penn State’s latest recruiting cycle certainly hit the mark when it came to adding quality depth across the roster. A solid follow-up to the Class of 2022, the incoming Class of 2023 is not short on quality pieces that could have an impact relatively early on for the Nittany Lions. Among those in the class highlighted as a player to watch as early as 2023 could be safety King Mack.

247Sports put together a list of 15 players across the country in the Class of 2023 that could potentially have an early impact with their new teams. Mack was the one player in Penn State’s class put in the spotlight by 247Sports in its list.

Here is what 247Sports said about one of Penn State’s next big defensive stars;

Penn State’s 2023 safety haul is absurd. The Nittany Lions landed a trio of Top247 four-star safeties from the state of Florida, headlined by King Mack. Not only is Mack the most ready-to-play prospect of the group, but he’s also the highest-upside player. Mack was a defensive and special teams terror this fall for Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, which got 50 tackles, one interception, two punt blocks, one kick block, one defensive TD, two kick return scores and two punt return TDs. The 5-foot-11, 180 pound speedster has an outstanding track profile which contributes to the excellent athleticism he shows on the field (a 10.69 100, a 21.43 200, and a 46.25 400, which won gold in Florida’s Class 3A).

As referenced by the writeup from 247Sports, Mack is one of three safeties in Penn State’s recruiting class. He is joined by four-star DaKaari Nelson from Alabama and four-star Elliot Washington from Florida. Penn State was close to adding another safety to the mix but Conrad Hussey flipped his commitment from Penn State to Florida State in the early signing period.

Penn State will have at least one starting job open at the safety position in 2023 with [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] graduating and moving on to the NFL. Penn State’s most senior safety heading into 2023 will be [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag]. Potential candidates for starting in Brown’s vacant spot include returning players such as [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag] and [autotag]Zakee Wheatley[/autotag]. But Mack certainly is on the radar coming into the program.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ safety preview

Ji’Ayir Brown’s return highlights the safety position overview for Penn State in 2022. Position overview…

Penn State is prepping for a season in which the program hopes to redeem itself on the national stage. After back-to-back seasons of mediocre results, Penn State is aiming to bounce back and prove themselves worthy of being in the Big Ten championship hunt, if not a little bit more.

Penn State kicks off the 2022 season with a Thursday night primetime matchup at Purdue on September 1. And for the second straight year, the depth and quality of the defensive secondary appears to be a strength for Penn State. The safety position loses a big-time player in Jaquan Brisker but the return of Ji’Ayir Brown coming off his breakout season is a big plus for the defense this fall.

Here is a look at the safeties on the roster for Penn State coming into the 2022 season.

WATCH: All Penn State media day live stream interviews

Penn State posted a bunch of its football media day interviews. Watch them all right here.

Penn State’s football media day on Saturday included press conference interviews with head coach James Franklin, offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. But a number of players were made available to the media as well for some Q&A of their own on the field of Beaver Stadium.

A handful of notable players also took a few minutes to sit down and answer some questions in a one-on-one setting for a live stream broadcast from Penn State’s official account. Thankfully, for those who were unable to catch the live stream coverage, Penn State posted a number of the video interviews on the YouTube page.

Penn State snapshot profile: No. 21 KJ Winston

Penn State is optimistic about the future of safety KJ Winston, but he will be an understudy this upcoming season.

Going into the 2022 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.

Penn State has a deep and young safety room, and freshman [autotag]KJ Winston[/autotag] is one of them. Winston will likely sit his first year and learn behind guys like [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag], but the safety room will have some intriguing competition starting in 2023.

Class of 2023 recruiting profile: Safety DaKaari Nelson

Four-star safety DaKaari Nelson could be a perfect fit in Penn State’s defensive secondary.

[autotag]DaKaari Nelson[/autotag] is a safety recruit in the Class of 2023 with tremendous upside potential, according to recruiting analysts that have been scouting him these past few years.

Penn State has built a solid defensive secondary for years to come with recent recruiting efforts. Nelson would fit in perfectly with that overall vision for sustained success in the secondary as the safety position in particular is due for some notable changes in the next couple of years following the pending departures of [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag].

Here is a quick profile rundown of Nelson, a prized recruit in the Class of 2023.

DaKaari Nelson’s Recruiting Profile

Penn State and Michigan State battling for four-star safety King Mack

Where Penn State stands in the recruiting process of four-star Florida safety King Mack

A pair of Big Ten schools appear to be coming down the final stretch in the recruiting process for [autotag]King Mack[/autotag], a four-star safety from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After back-to-back official visits to East Lansing and State College, the Nittany Lions still appear to be on the inside track to Mack’s commitment.

Penn State has assembled some good quality depth in the defensive secondary in recent years. After the secondary was a strength of the team in 2021, the collective unit looks to once again be a strength in 2022. But Penn State will be in need of some new blood at the safety position after the 2022 season with expected departures of [autotag]Ji’Ayir Broan[/autotag] and [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] after this season. Adding a four-star talent to the safety depth chart would be great news for Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag].

The month of June has shown more and more traction for Penn State based on the recruiting predictions coming in and a decision is expected to be announced at some point this summer. Penn State already has a commitment from Mack’s high school teammate [autotag]Conrad Hussey[/autotag] and the two could end up remaining teammates in Happy Valley.

Here’s a look at Mack’s recruiting profile as he approaches his decision date.

King Mack’s Recruiting Profile

Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 13 Cristian Driver

Penn State freshman safety Cristian Driver will use 2022 to learn under Ji’Ayir Brown and Keaton Ellis.

Going into the 2022 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 [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.

Next up is safety [autotag]Cristian Driver[/autotag], son of legendary Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver. The Nittany Lions have a young and unproven safety room, but there is still a ton of potential in the group.

After [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] and [autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] depart for the NFL following the 2022 season, Driver is a player that has all the tangibles to be a future starter for Penn State as the next man up.

Penn State Snapshot Profile: No. 2 Keaton Ellis

Penn State football could see a homegrown product emerge as a key fixture in the defense in 2022.

Going into the 2022 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.

[autotag]Keaton Ellis[/autotag] is a player to watch in 2022 as he looks to move into a key role in the Penn State defense. Ellis got a taste of a larger role in the defense while stepping into a bigger role during the bowl game last season. The homegrown product right from State College enters his fourth season at Penn State with big expectations and a standard tp live up to.

Five big questions for the Penn State defense

5 big questions for Penn State’s defense this spring.

Penn State’s defense was a strength in 2021 but faces some big questions this spring ahead of the 2022 season. With a number of notable departures to the NFL and a new defensive coordinator, this spring has plenty to be watching in Happy Valley on the defensive side of the football.

Penn State’s biggest change this season is the addition of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. The former Miami head coach comes to State College to replace Brent Pry, who has left the program to become the head coach at Virginia Tech. Diaz brings a solid reputation as a defensive coordinator and Penn State appears to have found a terrific replacement for Pry. But Diaz will have some work to do in shaping the defense with a number of key starting jobs up for grabs this spring.

Penn State is set to open spring football practices on March 21, with the annual Blue-White Game currently scheduled for Saturday, April 23.

Here are five questions I have for Penn State’s offense that may be addressed this spring (we addressed the questions for the offense last week).

Where are they now? Penn State football’s Class of 2019

Here is where every player from Penn State’s Class of 2019 sits today, four years later

The 2022 college football season will mark the fourth year since the Class of 2019 was signed by Penn State. One of the top classes in the Big Ten, coming in at No. 2 in the conference according to 247 Sports, Penn State’s recruiting haul for 2019 was certainly full of potential for big things. And entering 2022, some of those players signed by the Nittany Lions are living the dream while others are looking for some clean starts, and others remain in Happy Valley hoping to end their college careers on a high note.

With so much happening in the offseason, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at Penn State’s Class of 2019 to see where everyone is currently stands.