Tag: koby howard

Penn State’s Class of 2025 is perfectly balanced, as all things should be

Penn State has signed its Class of 2025, and it’s a solid class.

Penn State may be preparing for the Big Ten championship game this week, but Wednesday was a cause to pause and celebrate the future of the program beyond this season. Wednesday marked the beginning of the early signing period in college football, and Penn State officially inked 26 members for its Class of 2026. With a recruiting class split evenly with 13 offensive players and 13 defensive players, James Franklin and his staff have managed to pull in a balanced class that will continue to sustain what the entire staff has been working to build for the next few seasons.

More than half of this recruiting class is scheduled to enroll early in January. Penn State announced 14 members of its Class of 2025 will be early enrollees, which will allow them to go through offseason workouts and conditioning and participate in spring football practices.

This recruiting class will be one of Franklin’s best overall classes at Penn State as well. A total of 23 of the 26 commits were ranked as a four-star or five-star player by On3, 247Sports, Rivals, or ESPN. The class also spread the Penn State footprint into 10 different states, including 19 from Pennsylvania or a neighboring state.

Among the top-rated recruits in the Class of 2025 are interior offensive lineman [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] from New Jersey, cornerback [autotag]Daryus Dixson[/autotag] from California, and linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (yes, THAT LaVar Arrington).

Here is a full list of Penn State’s Class of 2025 that has been signed during the early signing period:

  • DL [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] (Miami, Fla.)
  • OL [autotag]Owen Aliciene[/autotag] (Cheshire, Conn.)
  • LB [autotag]LaVar Arrington Jr.[/autotag] (Annapolis, Md.)
  • DL [autotag]Dayshaun Burnett[/autotag] (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
  • DL [autotag]Chaz Coleman[/autotag] (Warren, Ohio)
  • RB [autotag]Jabree Coleman[/autotag] (Darby Township, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Jeff Exinor Jr.[/autotag] (Baltimore, Md.)
  • OL [autotag]Malachi Goodman[/autotag] (Bloomfield, N.J.)
  • DL [autotag]Cortez Harris[/autotag] (Largo, Md.)
  • RB [autotag]Tikey Hayes[/autotag] (Aliquippa, Pa.)
  • TE [autotag]Matt Henderson[/autotag] (Powhatan, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] (Pensacola, Fla.)
  • DB [autotag]Joshua Johnson[/autotag] (Ironton, Ohio)
  • DB [autotag]Jahmir Joseph[/autotag] (Nyack, N.Y.)
  • DL [autotag]Yvan Kemajou[/autotag] (Burtonsville, Md.)
  • TE [autotag]Brian Kortovich[/autotag] (Willoughby, Ohio)
  • QB [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] (Chandler, Ariz.)
  • OL [autotag]Brady O’Hara[/autotag] (Mars, Pa.)
  • WR [autotag]Matt Outten[/autotag] (Portsmouth, Va.)
  • WR [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
  • LB [autotag]Cam Smith[/autotag] (Salem, N.J.)
  • LB [autotag]Alex Tatsch[/autotag] (Latrobe, Pa.)
  • DB [autotag]Braz Thomas[/autotag] (Glassboro, N.J.)
  • DB [autotag]Xxavier Thomas[/autotag] (Canonsburg, Pa.)
  • OL [autotag]Michael Troutman III[/autotag] (Trenton, N.J.)

The focus will now shift to the transfer portal as Penn State’s offseason roster changes could be continuing in the coming weeks amidst its Big Ten and College Football Playoff push.

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Penn State receiver target sets commitment announcement date

Florida wide receiver Koby Howard has confirmed when he plans to announce his commitment decision. Penn State is in the final mix.

Penn State remains in the thick of a heated race to secure a commitment from one of its top wide receiver targets in the Class of 2024, and the race is now coming down the final stretch.

[autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] has reportedly set his commitment announcement date for Aug. 24, the day of his high school football season opener. Penn State is among the final teams in the running along with Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss, Miami, and Auburn. Tennessee, one of the early favorites for Howard, has seemingly fallen out of the running as the talented receiver approaches his commitment announcement.

Rivals rates Howard as a four-star player and the 26th overall player in Florida. Rivals also ranks Howard as the no. 28 overall wide receiver in the nation, and the 145th-best player overall in the nation. Howard, a 6’1″ receiver playing for Chaminade Madonna, would be a major addition to the Penn State recruiting class in 2025.

247Sports rates Howard as a three-star player, but does have him as a four-star player on the composite rankings. On3 also rates Howard as a three-star player but gives him a fourth star on their industry rankings. 247Sports seems to have Howard’s recruitment coming down between Penn State and Ole Miss, but On3 has Penn State going up against Florida for the best odds of getting Howard’s commitment. On3 gives Florida a 46.1% chance of winning this recruiting battle, and Penn State gets a 37.7% chance.

Penn State’s current Class of 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked no. 16 in the 247Sports composite team rankings. Among the 21 commitments in the recruiting class are receivers Jeff Exinor Jr. and Lyrick Samuel.

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Recruiting expert predicts four-star wide receiver will end up at Penn State

The first recruiting prediction is in for a key Penn State recruiting target, and it is an encouraging one.

Penn State has a clear need for playmaking wide receivers, and it appears a four-star receiver could be on the horizon for the Nittany Lions. Four-star wide receiver Koby Howard, from Florida, appears to be trending in a positive direction for Penn State in the Class of 2025. The first official recruiting prediction is now on the board suggesting Penn State will end up with Howard’s commitment.

The first recruiting prediction among the three major recruiting news outlets comes from John Garcia Jr., a national recruiting analyst for Rivals, and it is in favor of Penn State. The current futurecast percentage from Rivals favors Penn State with a 75.0% score.

This recruiting prediction comes a little more than a month after Howard took an official visit to Penn State in June. He currently has official visits scheduled with in-state programs Florida State and Florida in the fall. He also recently visited Ole Miss, a week before his visit to Happy Valley. Tennessee appeared to be an early favorite for Howard according to his futurecast score history on Rivals, but the Vols seemingly have fallen out of the running.

Rivals rates Howard as a four-star player and the 26th overall player in Florida. Rivals also ranks Howard as the no. 28 overall wide receiver in the nation, and the 145th-best player overall in the nation. Howard, a 6’1″ receiver playing for Chaminade Madonna, would be a major addition to the Penn State recruiting class in 2025.

247Sports rates Howard as a three-star player, but does have him as a four-star player on the composite rankings. On3 also rates Howard as a three-star player but gives him a fourth star on their industry rankings. 247Sports sesmt o have Howard’s recruitment coming down between Penn State and Ole Miss, but the On3 recruiting prediction machine has Penn State as a distant long shot. But that calculation may be based on data that has not been updated in some time.

Penn State’s current Class of 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked no. 13 in the 247Sports composite team rankings. Among the 22 commitments in the recruiting class are receivers Jeff Exinor Jr. and Lyrick Samuel.

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2025 Florida wide receiver includes Vols in top eight

2025 Florida wide receiver includes Tennessee in top eight.

2025 wide receiver Koby Howard announced his top eight schools.

Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami, Notre Dame, Missouri, LSU, Florida State and Florida are Howard’s top eight schools.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound wide receiver prospect is from Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory in Hollywood, Florida.

Tennessee offered a scholarship to Howard on June 12, 2022. UAB was the first school to offer a scholarship to Howard on May 19, 2022, while Texas A&M was the first Southeastern Conference school to offer the 2025 prospect.

The Vols have six commitments in its 2025 recruiting class: Quarterback George MacIntyre, tight end Jack Van Dorseiaer, cornerback Dylan Lewis, running back Justin Baker, wide receiver Joakim Dodson and cornerback Tyler Redmond.

In-state blue-chip WR recruit sets visit for Tennessee game

Despite the rough loss, this four-star wide receiver will be in attendance for the Tennessee game.

Florida football took a tough loss on the road against the Utah Utes to open the 2023 season but that has not put much of a hamper on its recruiting efforts so far.

Following the 24-11 defeat in Salt Lake City, four-star wide receiver [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] out of Davie (Florida) Western in the 2025 class talked to On3’s Corey Bender, sharing his thoughts on the loss as well as his plans to make another visit to campus.

“Really disappointed in tonight’s game. I was expecting the Gators to come out applying pressure all night long. I stopped watching after Utah went up 24-3,” Howard told Gators Online on Thursday.

However, despite the season-opening letdown, the 5-foot-11.5-inch, 175-pound pass-catcher is looking forward to the next of many visits he has made to the Swamp. Howard tells Bender that he will be in attendance for the Gators’ Southeastern Conference opener against the Tennessee Volunteers.

“I will be at the game on the 16th when they play Tennessee. Hopefully, they will have got their act together by then. It’s still early in the season,” Howard offered.

Howard is ranked No. 255 overall and No. 36 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at the Nos. 290 and 45, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida in front with a 24.6% chance of signing him, followed by the Florida State Seminoles (15.5%), Miami Hurricanes (13.3%) and Tennessee (8.4%).

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Blue-chip 2025 wide receiver to feast with Gators at Grill in the Ville

The Gators are hoping to seal the deal with this 2025 wide receiver who’s open to committing to the Orange and Blue.

Florida football’s first edition of its midsummer Grill in the Ville event is just a day away as the program prepares to host a plethora of prep prospects from a range of recruiting classes into the Swamp in an effort to build a closer relationship with Billy Napier and the Gators’ staff.

Among the members of the 2025 recruiting class who will be in town on Saturday, July 29, is four-star wide receiver [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag], who formerly played with Ft. Lauderdale (Florida) Western before transferring to Pensacola (Florida) Catholic ahead of his junior season.

The 5-foot-11.5-inch, 170-pound pass-catcher is coveted by schools around the country, including the Auburn Tigers, Clemson Tigers, Colorado Buffaloes, LSU Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Tennessee Volunteers, among many others.

Howard is ranked No. 283 overall and No. 45 at his position nationally according to the 247Sports composite while the On3 industry ranking has him at Nos. 298 and 48, respectively. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Florida on top with a 24.0% chance of landing him, followed by FSU (16.9%), Tennessee (10.9%) and Miami (9.1%).

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Sophomore WR target planning April visit with Florida

The Gators are trying to get four-star wide receiver Koby Howard on campus as soon as possible, but it might have to wait until April.

Pensacola Catholic wide receiver [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag] is one of the top players at his position in the class of 2025, and he’s not short on offers heading into his junior year of high school. To wrap up his sophomore year, Howard has a ton of visits lined up throughout the spring, and Florida’s should come in the middle of April at the latest, according to Gators Online.

“Right now, it’s looking like April 15. It’s set; I will most definitely be there for that one,” Howard said to GO. “I may get down there sooner to catch a practice; I just don’t know if I will have enough time to fit in a visit to catch a spring practice before the 15th.”

LSU and Miami are the teams that have hosted him so far in the spring. Howard also has plans to stop by Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU before the end of the month. Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee are all on the schedule with Florida in April.

Howard most recently stopped by the Swamp in January for one of the team’s Junior Days, but that was before wide receiver coach Keary Colbert left the team. Metting the new position coach, Billy Gonzalez, is one thing he’ll have to look forward to for this upcoming trip.

Florida State is currently the favorite to land Howard with 21.0% odds, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine. Florida is a close second though at 18.4%. Tennessee (11.9%) and Miami (9.9%) are also still in the race.

Howard is ranked No. 69 overall on the On3 industry ranking and is No. 11 among wide receivers in the class of 2025. He’s also ranked the 10th-best player in the Sunshine State.

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LSU emerging as an early favorite for 4-star 2025 receiver after visit

The Tigers will hope to pull Florida wideout Koby Howard away from several in-state suitors.

After a March 10 unofficial visit to Baton Rouge, LSU is emerging as an early favorite for 2025 four-star Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic receiver [autotag]Koby Howard[/autotag].

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound prospect is one of the top receivers in the 2025 class, and he ranks No. 69 overall nationally, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. According to a report from On3’s Sam Spiegelman (subscription required), Howard spent a lot of time on his visit with receivers coach [autotag]Cortez Hankton[/autotag].

The talented Florida wideout would be a major addition to the Tigers’ 2025 class, but there’s a lot of competition for him. He also visited Miami this spring and is being recruited heavily by Florida and Florida State, as well, in addition to Notre Dame.

Florida State is currently the favorite to land him, according to On3, holding a 21% prediction. LSU sits at just 6.7%. but it hopes that will change in the wake of his visit.

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In-state 2025 blue-chip wide receiver sets Florida visit date

Chalk up another blue-chip visitor for the Florida Gators now that the quiet period has expired.

Florida football will host its series of junior days over the second half of January, giving Billy Napier and his staff an opportunity to get some face time with some of the best prep prospects coming through the high school pipe.

Among those who have scheduled a trip to Gainesville to participate in the team’s recruiting camp is four-star wide receiver Koby Howard out of Pensacola (Florida) Catholic in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-1-inch, 175-pound pass-catcher plans on making his way to the Swamp during the last weekend of the month according to Gators Online, though he also has another prior engagement on Saturday — a 7-on-7 tournament in Orlando.

The young receiver is already being pursued by a handful of major programs, including the Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Texas A&M Aggies, Tennessee Volunteers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes. However, the Gators have an inside edge when it comes to emotional attachment.

“Florida is a school I will always have love for,” Howard offered on the Orange and Blue. “It was my dream school when I was a little boy. I know this was a down year, but I believe they will turn things around soon.”

Howard is ranked No. 76 overall and No. 17 at his position nationally according to 247Sports while the On3 consensus has him at Nos. 65 and 11, respectively; the 247Sports composite currently does not have a rating for him. Florida State is the early front-runner for his talents with a 30.6% chance of signing him according to On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine, while Florida follows behind at 26.8%, Tennessee at 11.8% and Texas A&M at 9.8%.

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Quick hitting Notre Dame Football recruiting update after this weekends action

The Irish were busy

The first full week of camp season is in the books and like many schools, the Irish had plenty of talent on campus to participate. There were offers being handed out, great experiences and more. Find out below what happened this weekend for the Irish on the recruiting front.

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