Tag: lyrick samuel

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 lands another four-star edge rusher in Jayden Woods

Penn State adds another four-star commitment from edge rusher Jayden Woods.

This time on the calendar suggested there would be a lot of decisions coming for top players across the country about where they’re going to play college football, and Penn State was hoping they would land many of their top targets.

A lot of eyes were on two coaches in particular as [autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] really had their first full recruiting cycle this offseason.

For a while, both had only landed one commit when [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag] jumped on board in the receiver room, however, since then, Barnes has been on an incredible run that continues to get better.

Not only did he get his first one in Cortez Harris, but he followed that up with a huge victory to land Max Granville, poaching him from the state of Texas to beat out Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

As if that wasn’t good enough, the Nittany Lions have landed another four-star edge rusher in [autotag]Jayden Woods[/autotag].

The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder is a consensus four-star in the class of 2025 and is ranked 23rd at his position and 201st overall by On3’s Industry Ranking.

This was another recruitment that was seen as something potentially hard to get home as Woods is a Kansas native and was heavily being pursued by Kansas State and Tennessee.

They were able to get him on campus twice in 2024, including an official visit that took place on the weekend of June 7.

The edge rusher talked about developing a good relationship with Barnes and the interesting connection his family has with [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag], as he recruited Woods’s father to Kansas State back when Franklin was coaching there.

He is now the 19th commit for Penn State in the class of 2025 as they continue to put together a group that could finish towards the top of national rankings with their continued pursuit of other top targets on their board.

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Crystal Ball picks sees Penn State land coveted wide receiver target

Penn State could be the favorite to add this wide receiver in the Class of 2025.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are desperately attempting to land some of their top wide receiver targets in the class of 2025.

With only one commit in [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag], this official visit portion of the calendar is going to go a long way in determining if they are able to accomplish their goals of securing some of their priority recruits.

All eyes are on what Top 50 ranked prospect [autotag]Quincy Porter[/autotag] will decide to do as he is [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag]’ and Penn State’s No. 1 guy, but that is going to be a tough recruitment to win with Michigan and Ohio State also high on his list.

The Nittany Lions are looking to land multiple future playmakers and are also extremely high on [autotag]Jeff Exinor[/autotag] out of McDonogh School in the state of Maryland.

Ranked as a four-star recruit, the 6-foot-2, 215-pounder has been linked to Penn State throughout his process.

Coming off his official visit to Happy Valley this past weekend, it seems like the Nittany Lions could be on the verge of landing their second wide receiver in the class.

Brian Dohn of 247Sports has logged a Crystal Ball pick for Penn State to secure a commitment from Exinor.

The wide receiver told people that the Nittany Lions are the leader coming out of the visit and he’s looking to move up his trip to Maryland instead of waiting to see their program later in June. Dohn said that the relationships with the coaching staff and how the offense could use him under new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] is appealing. Plus, he has relationships with past McDonough players who are now within the program (subscription required).

All of that points to Penn State landing one of their top targets and someone they believe can turn into a potential star for them.

It will be interesting to see what develops in the coming weeks, or even days, but it looks like this one could be close to wrapped up for the Nittany Lions.

Four-star WR puts Penn State in his final three schools

Nittany Lions make final three for Saint Louis 4-star wide receiver

Penn State got some good news on the recruiting front Wednesday afternoon when 4-star receiver [autotag]Corey Simms[/autotag] released his top-3 schools, with Penn State being one of the finalists.

The Saint Louis native’s final three are his hometown, Missouri, USC and Penn State. Simms officially visited Penn State on May 31 and visited USC last week.

When talking to On3’s Chad Simmons a few months back, Simms suggested many people around him want him to stay close to home, so it seems likely that the Tigers are the top option.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Simms talked about the Nittany Lions but didn’t offer extensive details on his visit.

“I enjoyed having my family come out to meet the coaches and get a feel for the school and environment. The official visit was all we expected, plus more.”

According to the 247Sports Composite, Simms is the No. 32 receiver prospect in the class of 2025 and the No. 3 player from Missouri. In addition to announcing his final three schools, Simms set his commitment date for June 30.

Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class has only one wide receiver commit in 3-star [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag]. The Nittany Lions seem like the second-place team at the moment, but a Simms commitment would be huge for next year’s class.

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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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Insider predicts how many WRs Penn State will sign in 2025

Wide receiver is a key position in Penn State’s recruiting efforts in 2025. How many will the Nittany Lions add?

There is a lot of focus on the wide receiver group for Penn State coming into the season after there was tons of frustration directed towards that group last year.

Because of that, there is tons of pressure on [autotag]Marques Hagans[/autotag] to land some elite prospects in future classes and develop the ones currently in the program to allow this offense to compete against the best teams on their schedule.

While the 2025 recruits won’t be able to impact Penn State until next season at the earliest, this is still a huge test to see if this program can start landing some of the best high school players in the country.

As it stands right now, there is only one wide receiver committed in the class by way of [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag].

There are still plenty of top options on the board as the Nittany Lions get set for their upcoming official visits that they are hoping lands them their preferred guys.

What is classified as success on the recruiting trail is to be determined, but it sounds like Penn State fans might be a bit disappointed in the overall haul that comes out of the 2025 class.

Tyler Calvaruso of 247Sports thinks the Nittany Lions are in a good spot to land their top target Lex Cyrus, but will be in a battle to land some others coming to campus. Knowing that, he’s predicting they gain three commitments from wide receivers in this class, but wouldn’t be shocked if they get four (subscription required).

Four would certainly be much more palatable than three considering there were four departures this offseason.

When it comes to the overall number, though, fit is just as important as numbers and hopefully whoever commits out of this class is able to become contributors in this offense during their careers.

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.

Penn State makes top-five of four-star wide receiver

Penn State is one of the top schools remaining for this four-star wide receiver from New Jersey.

Until the wide receiving group takes a step forward from what they showed on the field in 2023-24, a ton of attention will be given to that group in preseason workouts and recruiting.

Penn State only has one commitment at receiver so far in the class of 2025 in [autotag]Lyrick Samuel[/autotag].

It goes without saying that [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff will heavily be focused on landing as much talent as possible for that position room before this cycle is over.

They got some good news when four-star wide receiver [autotag]Michael Thomas III[/autotag] included the Nittany Lions in his top-five list.

The 5’10” 185-pound New Jersey native is rated as one of the best players in the state, listed as No. 3 and 19th-best player at his position according to On3’s Industry Rankings.

Along with Penn State, he’s also included Rutgers, Illinois, Syracuse and Boston College on his list.

An interesting note Thomas’ recruitment is that his longest standing relationship is with assistant recruiting coordinator Khalil Ahmad, who recently returned to Penn State after stepping down from his role at Syracue.

“Coach Ahmad is a cool dude. We built a relationship a while ago before he joined PSU. He keeps it 100 all the time. He just checks in on me, makes sure I’m good and gives me some good points and advice about my upcoming season,” he told Sean Fitz of On3.

Despite the close proximity, the Nittany Lions have not necessarily recruited New Jersey to the level that some might expect.

Ahmad has roots in the state from his high school coaching days and should prove to be a major asset in Penn State’s approach to recruit New Jersey at a higher level.

Getting a commitment from Thomas would be a major plus.

Penn State’s 2025 football commitment tracker

We have an updated football commitment tracker for Penn State following Monday’s latest commitment.

Penn State got off to a fast start with assembling its Class of 2025 on the recruiting trail. James Franklin and his staff quickly put together a class ranking in the top 10 of the national recruiting rankings even before the Class of 2024 was wrapping up for good. An early focus on defense was noticeable with Penn State’s recruiting plans for the Class of 2025 and some key players from neighboring states were among the early highlights of the recruiting class.

We will be keeping tabs on the Penn State Class of 2025 all the way through the recruiting cycle up until the commitments sign with Penn State. Should there be any players backing off their commitment, we will track their status as well as their recruiting process plays out.

This tracker will be updated as necessary, with the most recent update being made on February 20, 2024.

Where Penn State’s Class of 2025 ranks after Lyrick Samuel commitment

Where does Penn State’s Class of 2025 rank in the recruiting rankings after the commitment of Lyrick Samuel?

Penn State was hoping to land a surprise commitment from an in-state offensive lineman on Monday but missed out on Josh Williams to Stanford. That move was to be expected as the Haverford lineman approached his decision. But Penn State did start the week with a commitment with wide receiver Lyrick Samuel offering up his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Monday. The three-star wide receiver from New York led to Penn State’s recruiting ranking getting a slight nudge in some of the team rankings from the various recruiting outlets.

Here is an updated look at where Penn State’s Class of 2025 currently ranks according to three major recruiting outlets. Two of them are on the same page while one outlier is a bit more pessimistic about Penn State’s current recruiting ranking. Here are the latest team rankings following Monday’s commitment from Samuel, how Penn State’s current commitment list stands out, and a look at a key recruiting target to keep an eye on moving forward.