Tag: Luke Reynolds

Best photos from Penn State’s one-point win at Minnesota

Check out the best images from Penn State’s thriller of a victory over Minnesota.

No win in college football is ever to be considered easy, but this latest one for Penn State was one of the more nerve-racking games of the season for the Nittany Lions. Penn State did manage to come out on top of the Gophers with a 26-25 win that truly tested the mental strength of the program when faced with some adversity.

From injuries left and right on the turf to having to overcome special teams meltdowns and the inability to convert in short-yardage situations, Penn State dug deep to climb back from a 10-0 deficit and a small halftime deficit to improve to 10-1 on the year, and keeping Big Ten title hopes alive and well going into the final week of the regular season.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s one-point victory at Minnesota.

Penn State will close out the regular season at home next week against Maryland. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. Penn State can clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game with a win over the Terrapins if Ohio State is upset by Michigan next Saturday.

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Penn State escapes Minnesota’s upset bid, remains in Big Ten title contention

Penn State avoids massive upset at Minnesota and remains in the Big Ten title hunt going into next week.

It’s OK to breathe a sigh of relief, Penn State fans. The Nittany Lions are 10-1, but it certainly was not pretty on Saturday in a 26-25 victory over Minnesota. But a win is a win, and Penn State has 10 of them in 11 games.

Penn State came out sleeping its way to an early 10-0 deficit in the first half, and it was a constant battle to climb its way to a 23-22 lead in the third quarter. Penn State held a 26-25 lead after the Gophers kicked a field goal on its final possession of the game, and a fake punt and a fourth-and-short conversion on helped Penn State run the remainder of the game’s five minutes and change for a hard-fought victory. The win keeps Penn State in the mix for a spot in the Big Ten championship game and should keep the Nittany Lions for a potential first-round College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium.

And it was a roller coaster of emotions to get there.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed 20 of 27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown, a 45-yard strike to a wide-open [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] in the second quarter. Allar also picked up a short touchdown run in a game where he was under some good pressure throughout the game and let his emotions boil over a bit on the sideline in the heat of the moment. But Allar delivered another gritty performance on the road like he did at USC earlier in the season.

Not surprisingly, tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] was a big reason why Penn State came away with the Governor’s Victory Bell. Warren caught eight passes for 102 yards, including the big fourth-down conversion in the final minute to help Penn State run the clock out for good. Warren was without a touchdown in the game, but he was the game’s leading receiver.

[autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] rushed for a game-high 63 yards and a touchdown and he added six catches for 37 yards. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] had a quiet day in the box score with three tackles, but he did bring some good pressure off the edge. Minnesota just found ways to avoid letting that pressure bring them down. Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer did throw an interception to [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] and had a costly fumble when he just dropped the ball in the backfield, with Carter battling him for the fumble recovery.

Special teams disasters by Penn State have been rare this season, but they cost Penn State 9 points in the first half. A blocked punt out of the end zone led to a quick Minnesota touchdown to go up 17-10, and a blocked extra point just before halftime was returned by Minnesota for two points. Confusion on the field also led to a rushed shanked pooch punt by Warren as Drew Allar appeared to want to call timeout.

But it was the special teams that helped deliver a win in the biggest way. Kicker [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] hit a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to put Penn State up 26-22. After the Gophers had to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to one, Penn State picked up a 32-yard gain on a fake punt run by [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] from the Penn State 34-yard line to keep the drive moving. Penn State looked like it was going three-and-out on the drive after Minnesota cut the lead to one, so the fake punt was what ended up being the play of the game. But Allar picked up another fourth down conversion with a two-yard run with 2:10 remaining, and Allar’s pass to Warren for an 11-yard gain on 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 14-yard line and 26 seconds remaining was the icing on the cake.

With the win, and with Ohio State beating Indiana earlier in the day, Penn State is still in the running for a spot in the Big Ten championship game going into next week. Penn State will know when it takes the field next week if there is a chance to play for the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2016. If Ohio State loses to Michigan next week in the early kickoff window, then a Penn State win would send the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship game to face Oregon.

Penn State will close out the regular season next week at home against Maryland. Next week’s game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on Big Ten Network.

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Penn State’s Class of 2024 called ‘most underrated nationally’

Did Penn State just sign one of the most overlooked recruiting classes in the Class of 2024?

Penn State had a relatively quiet February national signing day this week after locking up its Class of 2024 back in the early signing period in December. But the pieces came together and Penn State put together another good quality class that should provide some key players for future success and add to the quality depth across the roster. It may not have been loaded with blue-chip talent like some other schools, but Penn State’s Class of 2024 should serve its role fairly well and is widely regarded as one fo the top 15 recruiting classes in the nation.

And according to College Sports Wire, it just may be the most underrated recruiting class in the nation.

“In total, six of the top twenty classes overall came from the Big Ten. That included Penn State, which came on at No. 15,” noted College Sports Wire. “While that is a solid ranking, the Penn State class could have an argument to be the most underrated overall class in the country on paper.”

Penn State’s recruiting class for the Class of 2024 ranks third in the Big Ten behind Oregon and Ohio State and holds the no. 15 ranking in the nation according to the updated 247Sports composite rankings.

College Sports Wire singled out the additions of tight end Luke Reynolds, offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, and cornerback Jon Mitchell. See what College Sports Wire had to say about Penn State’s Class of 2024 and star players coming into the program.

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Top five tight ends signed to the Big Ten during the early signing period

Top five tight ends signed to the Big Ten on early signing day #B1G

The initial hype of the early signing period has died down, but there was a ton of talent to explore and so much so we are breaking it down by position. We have already dived into the top five quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers to sign with Big Ten teams and now we want to break down a position where Ohio State is looking to replace a huge starter in tight end.

The Big Ten snagged five of the top 20 tight end recruits in the class of 2024 and they also snagged the top two rated in the country. Unfortunately, not only do the Buckeyes not have anyone on this list, but The Team Up North has two players on this list.

It should be no surprise that Iowa makes an appearance and the flashier offenses from the West Coast are left off, but enough with the introduction, let’s dive into the top five tight ends in the class to sign with Big Ten teams according to 247Sports.

Biggest theme of Penn State’s 2024 class: balance

Penn State’s 2024 class offers one of the more balanced recruiting hauls in the country.

With the first and busiest day of the college football early signing period behind us, we can confirm that Penn State signed all 25 of its Class of 2024 commits earlier today. It was a “drama-free” signing day according to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] who spoke after all the commits had signed. The class is now locked in for next year so let’s break it down.

Penn State returns a boatload of starting-caliber players from last season but will lose several starters to the NFL with more expected to announce in the coming month. Penn State has never been a heavy transfer portal school and relies mainly on keeping its returning players intact while reloading with a strong freshman class.

This years’ class is ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports Composite and 16th by On3. With 12 offensive commits and 13 defensive commits this year’s group is evenly balanced eluding to the fact that Franklin and his staff want to add quality depth around the board and fill in any neccessary holes from departing players.

From a positon standpoint is was more of the same type of balance across the board:

  • 7 skill players: QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Quintin Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag], wide recievers [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Tyseer Denmark[/autotag], and [autotag]Peter Gonzalez[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • 5 offensive lineman: [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • 6 defensive lineman: [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag], [autotag]DeAndre Cook[/autotag], [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag], and [autotag]Mylachi Williams[/autotag]
  • 5 secondary players: cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenneth Woseley, Jon Mitchell, and safties Dejuan Lane, and Vaboue Toure
  • 2 linebackers: Kari Jackson and Anthony Specca

No one position or side of the ball dominated the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State, but thats a good thing because it shows that Penn State has talent everywhere. Three wide recievers were added to arguably the worst room in 2023 and a playmaking running back was added to a room featuring two former 5-star recruits. The trenches were reloaded with talent and many of the offensive line commits should challenge for starting spots in their first year.

In the time of the transfer portal and NIL perhaps a early signing day like the one Penn State had today is not exciting, but it does not matter Franklin’s method of “underpromise, overdeliver” method still produces wins. It has in the past. Penn State’s 2024 class is balanced, solid, and most importantly adds talent across the board which is key for sustained success.

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Which Class of 2024 players will enroll early at Penn State?

It looks like a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will be on campus in January to get a jump with offseason workouts.

Now that Penn State has officially signed its Class of 2024 on the first day of the early signing period, or at least all of the commitments they had lined up, the page is quickly turning forward. Not to look past the upcoming Peach Bowl against Ole Miss later this month, but winter workouts and spring football will be here before you know it! And it seems a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 is expected to be on campus and ready to get started working with their new teammates and coaches.

Here are the players in Penn State’s Class of 2024 that are reportedly expected to enroll early in January and get started with the program:

  • DL [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag]
  • WR [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]De’Andre Cook[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag]
  • QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag]
  • LB [autotag]Kari Jackson[/autotag]
  • RB [autotag]Quinton Martin[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag]
  • TE [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag]

Every other member of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will join the program in the summer.

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Early Signing Day Tracker: Say hello to Penn State’s Class of 2024

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting …

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting to receive signed National Letters of Intent from their verbal commitments to make things official. There could always be a player or two who hold off until the traditional signing period in February for one reason or another, but Penn State is hoping for a pretty simple and straightforward opening to the early signing period.

Here is a look at each player who committed to Penn State in the Class of 2024 recruiting calendar and an update on which players have signed in the early signing period.

Updated On3 recruiting rankings gives big boost to Penn State commits

Penn State’s Class of 2024 gets a boost form updated On300 player rankings from On3.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 lineup of commitments continues to impress in the national rankings with a consensus top 10 class being put together. But on Monday, a number of Penn State commitments saw a nice boost to their individual recruiting ranking from On3, with three players moving up into the top 100 in the nation.

Offensive lineman Garrett Sexton moved up nearly 70 spots in the 2024 recruiting rankings by going from no. 112 overall in the nation up to no. 44. The newest member of the Class of 2024 lineup, defensive lineman Mylachi Williams, cruised all the way up to no. 79 from no. 205. And tight end Luke Reynolds saw a massive surge by jumping all the way up to no. 81 after not being ranked in the On300 rankings previously.

Other notable risers in the On300 rankings from On3 included quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer (no. 176), offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (no. 215), and defensive back Dejuan Lane (no. 274). All three players were previously out of the On300.

Penn State has a few other players in the Class of 2024 On300, of course. Quinton Martin (no. 109), Vaboue Toure (no. 206), and Jon Mitchell (no. 155), Josiah Brown (no. 297) are among the commits ranked inside the On300.

The updated recruiting rankings also gave Penn State a boost on the On3 team rankings for the Class of 2024. The updated rankings boosted Penn State from no. 10 in the On3 class rankings up to no. 8.

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Penn State TE commit Luke Reynolds wins ALL22 MVP

Future Penn State tight end took MVP honors at the ALL22 event

It was a great week for 2024 Penn State commits at last week’s Elite 11 and ALL22 camp in Los Angeles. [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] turned heads last week with his exceptional performance at the Elite 11 Finals.

Penn State tight end commit [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] put in a great performance of his own alongside all the top quarterback prospects in the ALL22 event that features top offensive skill positions prospects and defensive players.

Reynolds walked away as the MVP of the tight end position group following the Elite 11 Finals that took place last week. It’s a big honor for Reynolds who came into the showcase rated as a three-star prospect. He left the week showing that he could become a special talent.

On3’s director of scouting and rankings Charles Power said after the event, “[He] deserves a tip of the cap for his work on Thursday night. [He] ran a seemingly endless number of routes for the quarterbacks. Reynolds is a top athlete in the combine setting, but showed that twitch can transfer over to the field. The burst, change of direction and ability to finish catches stood out.”

There were rumors that Reynolds’ stock could be on the rise throughout the summer. He was bumped up in On3’s industry ratings to a four-star prospect after the ALL22 event where he is ranked 298th nationally and is the 17th overall tight end.

On3 themselves still have Reynolds rated as a three-star prospect.

Regardless, it was a great showing for the Penn State commit who showed how good he can be on a national setting. The Nittany Lions have developed tight ends that come through the program and should be looking forward to working with Reynolds who flashed a high ceiling of potential.

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Penn State commit Luke Reynolds now Top 100 prospect

This Penn State commit is not a top 100 player in the nation in the Class of 2024.

[autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] has had himself a couple of great weeks.

The Penn State commit earned himself an invitation out to Los Angeles for the Elite 11 finals in June. Analysts and scouts say he might have been the most impressive prospect out of anyone who competed in State College, PA for the Elite 11 Regional.

Reynolds is a 6’4″ 220 pound tight end prospect from the state of Connecticut. When he committed to Penn State in late March, Reynolds was considered a three-star prospect.

That has now changed, with his name surging up recruiting boards.

247Sports has already moved him up their list as the 80th ranked prospect in the entire class of 2024. One week prior, he was the 299th overall player. Reynolds is now rated as the sixth best tight end in the class and the number one player in Connecticut.

The meteoric rise has come in part from the fact that he’s now focusing all his attention to the tight end position. Previously, Reynolds split time at quarterback for his high school. He made the decision to become a tight end full time which is clearly paying off for him.

Former Penn State tight end, Adam Breneman, was able to speak with Reynolds at the camp. Breneman had some high praise for the Connecticut prospect, comparing Reynolds to another former Penn State tight end.

Breneman told 247Sports, “He reminds me of when I first met [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] coming out of high school. That’s an easy comparison to make because I know Mike so well.”

He continued with his analysis saying, “The first thing I noticed about Luke was his confidence. … He wanted every single rep. He knew he was gonna win those reps every time he went up, and that’s the confidence, that’s the swagger that Mike always had.”

Reynolds is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on going forward as he eventually arrives on campus. He could be the next tight end that carries on the legacy of Penn Staters playing in the NFL.

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