Tag: Maleek McNeil

Penn State Football: 2022-2023 transfer portal departures tracker

Let’s take an updated look at the Penn State football transfer portal tracker.

The NCAA’s transfer portal is a game-changer for players and more and more players seem to be taking advantage of the opportunity to explore all of their options. Penn State has been a program that has sent a number of players to other schools by way of the transfer portal, some with more success than others, but the Nittany Lions have also caught on to the importance of tapping talent from the transfer portal to plug some holes on the roster.

Penn State head coach James Franklin has expressed his growing concerns over the way the transfer portal is treated by programs around the country, and how the pressure to focus on just football impacts the whole process. He’s not necessarily wrong on that account, but he may also b a bit frustrated knowing every year his program will lose players through the whole process when he can be focusing his energy on preparing for a bowl game or the early signing period on the recruiting calendar.

Here is a look at each player from Penn State’s roster that has been announced or been reported to be in the NCAA transfer portal.

Penn State offensive lineman no longer on roster

Penn State football is down one more offensive lineman after an updated roster was released on Monday.

With concerns about the depth on the offensive line always rising this time of the year, Penn State is now officially down one more player on the line with two games remaining in the regular season.

[autotag]Maleek McNeil[/autotag], a freshman, is no longer on the roster according to multiple reports on Monday. McNeil did not appear in any of Penn State’s games this season, although he did reportedly dress and travel for at least two games this year. He started his time off at Penn State as a player that would require some time to develop before being ready to get on the field.

McNeil committed to Penn State in the Class of 2022 back in May of 2021. The three-star offensive tackle is from New York and committed to Penn State over offers from Auburn, Pitt, Rutgers, Duke, and more. He was one of the top recruits out of the state of New York in the Class of 2022.

There is no word on whether or not McNeil has entered the transfer portal at this time, although that would seem to be the most likely next move.

Penn State will hit the road to take on Rutgers this weekend. The Nittany Lions moved up in the polls over the weekend and continue to be playing for consideration for a New Years Six bowl game.

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2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ offensive line preview

Here’s a look at the offensive line depth for Penn State heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State has lost a couple of more veteran players on the offensive line leaving them with a more young and promising group. With just three seniors listed on the roster, a lot of young talent is going to be asked to grow up very quickly.

[autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu,[/autotag] who will be protecting the blindside of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], has a chance to become a keystone on this offensive line. The Maryland native has the size and speed at the tackle spot to really turn into something special this coming season.

Outside of Fashanu, there are a bunch of guys looking to earn their keep. Getting to know the vast depth of names on that young line may seem daunting but this list should help sort things out. A lot of these faces are going to be ones fans will see for the next two to three years.

Penn State Class of 2022: Maleek McNeil adds size to offensive line

Penn State Class of 2022 bulks up offensive line with Maleek McNeil

Position: Offensive Tackle

Height: 6′-7″

Weight: 340 lb

Hometown: Cortlandt Manor, NY

High School: Walter Panas

Twitter: @MaleekMcNeil

Committed: May 1, 2021

247 Sports: ⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐

Overview: 

If there was one position group that was clearly in need of an upgrade in the Class of 2022 after watching the 2021 regular season, it was the offensive line. Penn State looked to add some size to the interior of the offensive line and seemed to accomplish that with the addition of Maleek McNeil.

The 6′-7″ offensive tackle out of New York was a big addition to the Penn State Class of 2022, pun somewhat intended. Rated as a three-star prospect, McNeil chose to attend Penn State over offers from Auburn and Boston College, and he visited the campus three times after his commitment to the program in early May 2021.

McNeil was one of two offensive tackles added in the Class of 2022 by Penn State. Penn State also signed JUCO transfer JB Nelson from Lackawanna College. Nelson may be the player most likely to jump into a significant role in the offensive line in 2022 while offensive line coach Phil Trautwein can spend a little more time working with McNeil to get him prepared for any significant action in the trenches.

McNeil was the fourth-ranked player overall in the state of New York. Penn State also added defensive tackle Kaleb Artis, the second-ranked player from New York in the Class of 2022.

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Video highlights of each member of Penn State football’s Class of 2022

WATCH: Video highlights of each Penn State Class of 2022 player

Penn State locked in its Class of 2022 at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period, and with it comes a bunch of buzz for the future of the Nittany Lions under the leadership of head coach James Franklin. But chances are most of you are unfamiliar with what any of these new faces will bring to the table for Penn State. So it’s a good thing Penn State served up some highlight packages to give fans a quick glimpse of the kind of talent that is joining the program.

Enjoy this collection of video highlights of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022.

Big board: Penn State’s 2022 football recruiting class by position

Breaking down Penn State football’s Class of 2022 position by position.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 has long been recognized as one of the top classes in the nation. The latest (and greatest) recruiting class to be signed by James Franklin looks to add some tremendous quality and depth to various positions across the roster and has some players to really look forward to watching grow almost immediately.

For a long stretch in this recruiting cycle, Penn State had the nation’s top-ranked class, and it continued to be ranked highest among Big Ten schools up until shortly before the early signing period. But there is no disputing the ranking of Penn State’s Class of 2022 is proof Penn State has been hitting it hard on the recruiting trail this cycle.

Here is a breakdown of Penn State’s Class of 2022 broken down by position.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 is now ranked No. 2

Penn State’s latest recruiting efforts continue to pay off in a big way in the recruiting rankings for 2022

After a brilliant week of recruiting news, Penn State’s Class of 2022 continues to move up in the national rankings. And it didn’t have that far it could have moved. After coming out of the July 4th weekend with the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class according to the 247 Sports composite ranking, the Nittany Lions have moved up one spot.

According to the updated composite rankings from 247 Sports, Penn State has moved up to No. 2 in the nation, passing Notre Dame. The Irish fell one spot to occupy the ranking recently held by the Nittany Lions. Ohio State remains the nation’s recruiting leader with the highest-rated class featuring four five-star recruits in the Class of 2022.

Penn State’s recruiting ranking was given a healthy boost over the July 4th weekend with the additions of four-star defenders Tyreese Fearbry and Zane Durant. The weekend also saw the additions of linebacker Keon Wylie and defensive lineman Kaleb Artis. Penn State also added a JUCO commitment from JB Nelson. The big splash continued on Tuesday when four-star running back Nicholas Singleton from Reading, PA announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 already included a number of four-star recruits as well including wide receivers Kaden Saunders, Mekhi Flowers, and Anthony Ivey, offensive tackle Drew Shelton, quarterback Drew Allar and defensive end Ken Talley, just to name a few.

As of the morning of July 9, here is a look at the top 10 in the recruiting rankings from 247 Sports;

  1. Ohio State
  2. Penn State
  3. Notre Dame
  4. LSU
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Florida State
  7. Georgia
  8. Texas
  9. Oregon
  10. Michigan

Asking Penn State to climb to No. 1 is unrealistic at this point, barring a completely unexpected collapse from Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions are easily on track to record the highest-rated recruiting class under head coach James Franklin yet. Keeping everyone in the class still requires work too between now and the early signing period in December. And it’s possible another school may eclipse Penn State at some point. But the Nittany Lions are in a terrific spot in the middle of the summer.

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