Tag: Lex Cyrus

Where does Penn State stand with 2025 recruit Lex Cyrus?

This talented receiver from PA committed elsewhere, but Penn State is still hoping to keep him close to home.

Penn State was looking to make an impression on some of their top flip targets in the class of 2025 with some time remaining before early signing day on Dec. 4. But without a home game until Nov. 2, that put them in a tough situation regarding the recruiting calendar.

Fortunately, four high-profile flip targets were able to make it to Happy Valley last weekend for their game against UCLA, giving the program another opportunity to make a late move to boost their 2025 class.

One player they thought would for sure already be committed to them is [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag], the four-star in-state wide receiver from Harrisburg who had long been a priority of [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag].

However, he shocked everyone when he committed to South Carolina on July 11, leaving many people in the fanbase to be frustrated again regarding how the position was being recruited.

But, with time still remaining before he officially signs elsewhere, Penn State is not going to give up on this recruitment, and when he was back on campus this past weekend, Sean Fitz of BlueWhiteIllustrated detailed the full-court press they put on him (subscription required).

According to the insider, the staff “rolled out the red carpet” for Cyrus and his 11 teammates who attended the UCLA game.

The speedy wide receiver continued to get better and better throughout his high school career, applying his elite track speed onto the field and flying up recruiting boards where he became considered the sixth-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the No. 29 wide receiver in the class per On3’s Industry Ranking.

There was a major push within Cyrus’s internal camp for him to become a Nittany Lion, so when he committed elsewhere it was a disappointing development.

The tides could be turning on that front, though, according to Fitz, as there are a few things working in Penn State’s favor.

One is that South Carolina has added more wide receivers to their 2025 class, bringing their total up to five. While that might not be a huge deciding factor in his decision since Penn State would also have five if Cyrus flips, it also signals he might no longer be a priority in the Gamecocks’ eyes like he was previously.

The Nittany Lions have continued to recruit him hard, maintaining a good relationship with him and his family that could ultimately allow them to break through in this process.

Fitz noted that “things seem to be trending up” regarding Penn State getting him on board following his recent visit to Happy Valley last weekend, so this will continue to be a process to monitor.

Multiple flip candidates were on campus for Penn State’s win over UCLA

Will Penn State’s win over UCLA lead to any of these commits to flipping to PSU?

Penn State remained undefeated by beating UCLA on Saturday, but the sleepy performance didn’t exactly put up a dominating difference on the scoreboard.

Not having [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] available like they expected prior to the game certainly changed some things, and with the massive USC matchup coming up next, it was understandable why they might have just tried to get out of this one by not showing too much on both sides of the ball.

Ultimately, the Nittany Lions accomplished that goal, never really having to break a sweat against the Bruins that now allows them to put their full attention on a Trojans team who is coming off an upset against Minnesota.

Perhaps the most interesting thing for Penn State this past weekend occurred off the field regarding many of their flip targets in the class of 2025 who were on campus.

Per Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports, South Carolina wide receiver commit [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag], elite Oregon cornerback commit [autotag]Brandon Finney[/autotag], Duke linebacker commit [autotag]Bradley Gompers[/autotag], and surprise Louisville cornerback commit [autotag]Josh Johnson[/autotag] all made their way to Happy Valley to take in this game (subscription required).

These four prospects represent who [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff are going to heavily pursue to close out the 2025 cycle.

Cyrus has long been a target of the Nittany Lions, and his decision to commit to South Carolina was shocking to many inside the program and inside his own family. They are not going to give up on him until he officially signs with the Gamecocks.

Similarly, Johnson was seen as someone who was going to commit to Penn State before his recruitment took a turn out of nowhere and gave his verbal to Louisville.

Finney is someone the Nittany Lions would love to add to this class, and when he committed to Oregon that was a real kick to the stomach since he’s from the McDonogh School that’s been a borderline feeder program to Penn State. However, getting him on campus for the first time since his June official visit could be a good sign his options are still open considering he’s been traveling around to other schools as well.

Gompers has picked up a ton of internal steam, offering him a scholarship last month and getting him on campus for the first time. There’s a real possibility that he could flip in Penn State’s direction.

If Franklin and his staff can pull off even one of these flips, that would be a huge win. Anything more than that would be an incredible turn of events for this 2025 class that has some holes in it and could be bolstered by landing multiple prospects who just visited this past Saturday.

Penn State shocked as top WR target Lex Cyrus picks South Carolina

Penn State missed out oe its top wide receiver target in the Class of 2025.

There have been a lot of great moments for Penn State in its 2025 recruiting cycle, and there have been a lot of frustrating moments for the program, coaching staff and fanbase.

The most recent decision from one of their top remaining targets in this cycle certainly isn’t going to make anyone happy.

[autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag], the top in-state wide receiver and the Nittany Lions’ most coveted remaining target at that position shocked everyone and decided to commit to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

This might have been bubbling under the surface for a while despite all the confidence that Penn State people had that they would get this one done. After taking his official visits to Happy Valley and then South Carolina, it took a long time for him to make up his mind.

Now, it’s clear his decision wasn’t as simple as expected.

“Really, I would say probably Coach [Mike] Furrey. He was definitely a major impact on this decision. Talking to him and the conversations I’ve had with him, he showed me that he’s probably the best coach that can develop me as a man and football player the next three to four years,” Cyrus told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated.

That quote won’t do much to quiet the crowd who is not a fan of current wide receivers coach [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag]. This was supposed to be a recruiting cycle where he showed his prowess, and so far, that has not happened.

Only two wideouts are committed to Penn State in the 2025 class after there was a clear need for them to obtain talent and bodies. Losing out on Cyrus is a massive blow for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and this program.

There’s still a chance that he can decommit and come to the Nittany Lions, but based on his comments, it sounds like that is unlikely.

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Penn State receives crystal ball pick for 2025 four-star wide receiver

Recruiting expert predicts major wide receiver commitment for Penn State coming soon.

Penn State is looking to put the final touches on their 2025 recruiting class that has seen them have plenty of ups and downs, but still will likely finish towards the top of national rankings.

Throughout the offseason, much of the conversation and attention has been spent on the wide receiver position. Following a disappointing showing last year, there is much to be desired heading into this season, and with a miniature exodus by some young players, the need to land a top group of receivers during this cycle was prevalent.

[autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] was under a lot of pressure to deliver, and it looked like he might not be able to with only one commitment for an extended period of time and others at the top of their board deciding to play elsewhere.

But, Penn State landed four-star [autotag]Jeff Exinor[/autotag] and seem to be inching closer to landing top in-state wide receiver [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag] this week.

Now, it could only be a matter of time before they add another four-star in Taz Williams Jr. following Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports putting in a Crystal Ball pick for the Nittany Lions.

So far, the Lions247 Staff writer is 11 out of 14 on his picks in this class, good for just under 79 percent. However, his all-time percentage is at 90.75, getting 255 out of 281 picks correct.

If Calvaruso is correct, that would be Penn State’s third four-star wide receiver commitment.

Williams is playing high school football in the state of Texas, but he’s originally a Pittsburgh native. The local ties are apparently working in the favor of the Nittany Lions and could get them home in this process. He said his official visit “went great” and better than he expected. He reconnected with some of the players he grew up with in Pittsburgh and loves the family atmosphere that the program has (subscription required).

To do so, they’ll have to beat out Michigan, SMU and Texas A&M.

Williams has set his commitment date for July 13.

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Top remaining Penn State 2025 WR target sets commitment date

Penn State could be days away from a significant wide receiver commitment in the Class of 2025.

Penn State went on an incredible run towards the end of June, landing some of their top recruiting targets in the class of 2025.

That was extremely important for this program who has taken some unusual losses in different processes and has been hit with more decommitments than usual during this cycle.

However, the Nittany Lions have still been able to put together one of the top classes in the nation and they still aren’t done adding.

During the midst of that incredible run where it seemed like they were landing prospects every other day, one player who seemed to be a lock commitment was still on the board.

[autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag] trimmed his list of schools to two, pitting Penn State and South Carolina against each other to land the speedy four-star wide receiver from Pennsylvania.

For a long time, the expectation was that he could commit to the Nittany Lions whenever that was, but the longer that he remains undecided, the more and more he could shock everyone and choose to leave the state.

Cyrus is the top remaining wide receiver target for Penn State, and while there are still others out there they would gladly take, they have been after the Harrisburg native for a long time.

The Nittany Lions won’t have to wait much longer for his decision as he has set his announcement date for July 11 where he’ll decide between the two schools on his list.

There have been some whispers that Cyrus might be more interested in the Gamecocks than many think, perhaps the reason why it’s taken him so long to decide where he’s going to play college football. But for what it’s worth, On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine still has Penn State as a massive favorite to land him with a 94.3 percent chance and 247Sports still has multiple Crystal Ball picks in the Nittany Lions’ favor.

Speculation on his decision will officially end on Thursday when Cyrus announces his commitment.

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Penn State misses out on four-star wide receiver target Matthew Outten

Penn State could’t land a four-star wide receiver form Virginia but moves ahead looking for other potential commits.

After closing out the month of June on a hot streak with commitments, Penn State was hoping to keep the momentum going to start off the month of July. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions ended up missing out on a commitment from a key wide receiver recruiting target.

Matthew Outten, a four-star wide receiver from Virginia, announced on Monday he will be staying closer to home to play for Virginia Tech. The Hokies, led by former Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry as the head coach, were going back and forth in the late stages of Outten’s recruitment according to recruiting projections the past couple of months. In the end, the Hokies scored a key recruiting victory over Penn State.

This one stings a bit for the Nittany Lions. Not only did they lose out on a key wide receiver that could potentially help the offense in the future, but they also lose to one of James Franklin’s former coordinators.

Penn State recently picked up a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jeff Exinor Jr., out of Maryland. The Nittany Lions already had a commitment from three-star receiver Lyrick Samuel, from Brooklyn, NY, on the board. Adding Outen would have made for a solid trio of receivers, and Outten likely would have led the receiving corp in this recruiting class.

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There is still some hope on the horizon for Penn State, however. [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag], a four-star receiver from Harrisburg, is continuing to evaluate his decision between Penn State and South Carolina. Penn State remains a heavy favorite to secure his commitment according to multiple recruiting projections at the moment.

Time will tell when Cyrus will be ready to make his decision. But we will not have to wait much longer to find out if Penn State will be adding a commitment from four-star receiver [autotag]Samari Reed[/autotag] to the Class of 2025. The Florida native is reportedly going to announce his commitment on Wednesday with a final decision expected to come down to Penn State or Kentucky.

There is always room in the recruiting class for talented wide receivers. And Penn State could definitely use more for the future.

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Info coming out of Penn State’s first official visit weekend

Penn State had a busy weekend of recruiting with a number of official visits from top recruiting targets.

Penn State entered its first official visit weekend that just wrapped up with many of the top targets coming to Happy Valley to get a better look at the program.

As one of the first dates on the calendar for multiple recruits in this crop, this served as an important time for the Nittany Lions to cement themselves at the top of the board, or to ensure they stay in consideration as more trips are taken.

Even though there is still time for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff to continue to working on gaining commitments, they ideally will start adding to their tally of 13 to fortify their 2025 class.

Because this was such an important weekend, information coming out from different prospects who made the trip is paramount in determining who is a realistic target at this point and who might be taken off the board heading into the upcoming official visits still on the calendar.

Sean Fitz of On3 was able to gather some intel and share what he’s heard so far from players coming out of this trip (subscription required).

Close to Commitment

There has been an expectation for a while that Penn State would eventually land instate wide receiver [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag] who is rated as a four-star recruit. He’s taken six trips to Happy Valley, the most out of any school, and is one of their top priorities.

Fitz seems to think that’s coming as he said he’s close to putting an official pick in for the Nittany Lions to land the speedster.

Cyrus is taking an official visit to South Carolina this upcoming weekend, the other program who is really in the mix to land him, however, Penn State has done a good job throughout this process and could be gaining another receiver commitment soon.

Feeling Good

Some of the Nittany Lions’ top defensive back targets made their way to campus this weekend, and information is coming out that they were able to stay in good standing as the recruits left.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Brandon Finney[/autotag] became a priority and it seems like Penn State is in good standing following this weekend even as he has more trips on his calendar.

Fitz said that the visit from [autotag]Antonio Branch[/autotag] went really well and the Nittany Lions are still at the top of his board saying that a decision could be coming soon and that he’s been close to locking in a commitment with Penn State.

What might have been the most important development is regarding four-star Texas linebacker [autotag]Max Granville[/autotag]. Fitz reports that the Nittany Lions are feeling “very good” about where they stand in his recruitment right now. It’s going to be a battle holding off USC, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M as he’s set to visit those campuses, but they like where they’re at following his visit.

Positive Buzz

Consensus four-star corner [autotag]Graceson Littleton[/autotag] seemed like bit of a longshot entering this official visit, but it seems like they made another good impression on the Florida native prior to him heading out to see Alabama, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

Elite wide receiver [autotag]Quincy Porter[/autotag] made his way for an important visit, and despite some pessimism that he actually views Penn State as a viable option with Michigan and Ohio State recruiting him hard, this trip seemed to have landed well for the No. 46 player in this class.

One of their other top wide receiver targets [autotag]Corey Simms[/autotag] reportedly had a “really good weekend” as he likes the staff and enjoyed his trip to Happy Valley. He’s always been viewed as a longshot, but this certainly helped their chances.

Closing Thoughts

Overall, there wasn’t much to suggest the Nittany Lions are going to secure commitments in the upcoming days, but that has rarely happened for this program during the first major official visit weekend.

Outside of Cyrus and Branch, who already seemed close to picking Penn State, there isn’t certainty that they’re going to land many of the recruits who were on campus.

However, they certainly made a good impression on many of their top targets, one of the main goals anytime the Nittany Lions host prospects in an official capacity, and that could loom large throughout the remainder of their processes.

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Penn State’s top instate WR target down to two schools after visit

Penn State could be about to add another big wide receiver to its Class of 2025.

Penn State is looking to bolster its 2025 recruiting class as it currently sits with 13 commitments in early June.

All cycles are different, but compared to how their class looked at this point last year, this one certainly leaves [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff with a lot of work remaining to ensure they land one of the premier groups in the country once again.

Because of how things worked out for the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers in 2023, a lot of attention has been given to this group and coach [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag]’ ability to land some of the top targets on their board.

With [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] being the only wide receiver commit so far, there are nervous fans as Penn State entered the official visit portion of the calendar that they might not be able to field a strong class.

Their top instate target [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag] was on campus this past weekend in what set up to be a huge visit.

The 5-foot-10 speedster has been at the top of their board for a long time, sitting as a four-star recruit and ranked No. 109 in the class and the 17th-best at his position according to On3.

For a while, Cyrus has been seen as someone who will commit to the Nittany Lions, but with Texas A&M, South Carolina, and Miami lurking, this process is still not done.

However, Brian Dohn of 247Sports says that Penn State could be getting closer to landing wide receiver coming out of this weekend as he told him it’s down to the Nittany Lions and South Carolina. It was his sixth trip to Happy Valley so this was to gain more comfort with the program. He left with a better understanding of how they will look to utilize him and told Dohn he “enjoyed the visit” (subscription required).

This is huge for Penn State as his only other scheduled official visit is to South Carolina this upcoming weekend.

Depending on how things go with that trip, the Nittany Lions could land their second wide receiver in the 2025 class soon.

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Penn State in two-horse race for top 2025 wide receiver target

Penn State is gearing up for a big weekend of recruiting. This is one key wide receiver target.

Penn State is set to enter the most important period of their recruiting calendar as official visits officially get underway this weekend with Iose Epenesa coming into town.

The rest of the officials will begin the weekend of May 31 with tons of top targets visiting Happy Valley as [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff look to start adding commitments to their class of 2025.

What has dominated the discourse this offseason is what the Nittany Lions are going to do in their wide receiver room. That was before they had four players depart in the transfer portal, led by their No. 1 guy, Keandre Lambert-Smith.

[autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] has his work cut out for him and only has one receiver currently committed in the 2025 class.

But, they are hoping that changes during this period and it sounds like their current top target, [autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag], has narrowed things down to two schools ahead of his official to Penn State.

Ryan Snyder of On3 reports that his recruitment is likely between the Nittany Lions and South Carolina following a slew of visits to different top programs across the country this spring. Cyrus told him that Penn State is constantly communicating with him and are telling them that he is their top guy. The wide receiver also said they have a really good relationship (subscription required).

That would be reflected by On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine who gives the Nittany Lions a massive 92.2% chance to land the four-star.

The Harrisburg, PA native has emerged as one of the top players at his position in the 2025 class, ranked as the 17th-best wide receiver and No. 109 player in the country by On3.

Cyrus is a 5-foot-10 speedster who has dominated on the track during his high school career, running a personal-best 10.45 seconds 100-meter dash that earned him a PIAA AAA win last spring.

Penn State swinging for fences with multiple 2025 wide receivers

Penn State is working hard to add talented wide receivers in the Class of 2025.

After what transpired last season, everyone has their eye on what Penn State does at the wide receiver position in future recruiting classes.

There is a lot of pressure and expectations on [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] to deliver elite talent to his receiver room, and while the future recruits won’t immediately help in the upcoming year, having a top pool to choose from should ensure the Nittany Lions don’t have down season in terms of production.

It’s clear that 2025 is an important target, and they are swinging for the fences in terms of who they are going after.

On3 has reported there are multiple wide receivers set to visit Happy Valley during the spring and summer with hopes that they land many of the names on their list.

As of now, there is only one receiver committed in the class, three-star [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] from New York.

Sean Fitz of On3 said that one of Hagans’ top targets, Quincy Porter, is visiting Penn State in an unofficial fashion on March 29. This will mark the second time he’s been back on campus as he wasn’t able to come to the White Out game (subscription required).

The consensus four-star recruit out of New Jersey is a 6’3″, 190-pound receiver who is rated as 54th-best player in the country and No. 7 overall player at his position according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

Two others have locked in official visits with the Nittany Lions this summer.

[autotag]Lex Cyrus[/autotag] is a Pennsylvania native and four-star recruit. He made a big leap in the new On3 rankings that have him 132nd player in the country and No. 17 wide receiver. He’s a 5’10”, 175-pounder who seems to be leaning Penn State’s way based on the amount of visits he’s already taken to Happy Valley, but he’ll be expanding his radius in the coming months before visiting the Nittany Lions starting May 31 (subscription required).

The other receiver taking an official visit is [autotag]Taz Williams Jr.[/autotag], who is playing his high school football in Texas, but grew up in Pittsburgh.

He’s a 6’0″, 180-pounder who is listed as a four-star and ranked as the 39th-best wide receiver in the class of 2025.

Ryan Snyder of On3 reported that this could be a difficult process for Penn State to win as multiple other elite programs are currently leading the way in his recruitment (subscription required).

Williams Jr. has already locked in four other official visits with the Nittany Lions hosting him starting June 14.

This is a great sign for Penn State as they clearly have recognized a need to start recruiting the receiver room at a higher rate and get in more talented players to compete with other programs in the Big Ten and those who are entering.