Tag: penn state football recruiting

Penn State not dominating the state in Class of 2025 recruiting cycle

Penn State hasn’t been killing it with dominating the state this recruiting cycle. Is that a real concern though?

Penn State head coach James Franklin made it verbally clear from the moment he stepped in front of a microphone in Happy Valley that the Nittany Lions would dominate the state in football recruiting. Franklin went so far as to suggest Penn State would dominate neighboring states like New Jersey and Maryland, suggesting those are Penn State’s home states for recruiting as well. And for the most part, Franklin and his staff have typically done well in keeping some of the state’s top recruits close to home.

Players like Saquon Barkley (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2015), Micah Parsons (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2018), and Nick Singleton (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2022) all decided to play for Penn State instead of leaving the state for other opportunities. Landing the state’s top recruit is always a goal for Penn State, but that does not always happen. But landing a good share of the state’s top 10, 15, or 20 players is always a realistic possibility for Penn State.

In the recent Class of 2024, Penn State signed eight of the state’s top 15 players, including no. 2 overall Cooper Cousins and no. 3 overall running back Quinton Martin Jr. That is not a bad ratio for Penn State in terms of keeping some of the state’s top talent from leaving.

So what is going on with the Class of 2025?

All seven of the top-rated players in Pennsylvania have already committed to programs outside of the state. The highest-ranked Pennsylvania recruit committed to Penn State is linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (no. 8 according to 247Sports), and tight end Brady O’Hara (no. 9) is also committed to Penn State. Penn State has four other commits from the top 20 players in Pennsylvania, but the Nittany Lions have swung and missed on some key recruiting targets from within the Commonwealth.

Penn State probably thought it had the inside track to the state’s top recruit, quarterback Matt Zollers from Royersford, but Zollers committed to Missouri. Michigan came in and swiped the no. 2 overall recruit in the state, tight end Andrew Olesh, and Ohio State claimed the no. 3, no. 4, and no. 6 recruits in the state; edge rusher Zahir Mathis, defensive lineman Maxwell Roy, and running back Isaiah West, respectively. All three of those players came out of Philadelphia. Penn State was most recently beat out for in-state wide receiver Lex Cyrus, who committed to South Carolina.

Missing out on some of these key in-state recruiting targets has hurt Penn State overall, although the Nittany Lions are still on track to secure a top-15 recruiting class. And that could push into the top 10 with a little more work to be done. Penn State currently has the no. 12 recruiting class in the nation according to the latest update from 247Sports. This is also not the first recruiting cycle where Penn State hasn’t locked down some of the state’s top-rated recruits.

The Class of 2021 saw Penn State land a commitment from just one of the state’s top-10 recruits (wide receiver Lonnie White Jr., and he ended up pursuing a career in professional baseball after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The highest-rated recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2021 from Pennsylvania ended up being tight end Khalil Dinkins. This was the same recruiting class that saw linebacker Jermiah Trotter Jr. (no. 2) go to Clemson and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (no. 7) go to Ohio State. On the other hand, the state’s top-rated recruit was offensive lineman Nolan Rucci. Rucci committed to Wisconsin but has come home to Penn State through the transfer portal this offseason.

Penn State also landed just three of the state’s top 50 players in 2019 with Keaton Ellis (no. 2), Joey Porter Jr. (no. 4), and Daequan Hardy (no. 17). Penn State’s Class of 2019 ranked no. 12 in the nation according to 247Sports despite that in-state recruiting production.

So is Penn State not landing most of the top-rated recruits in the state a major concern? It can depend on the overall quality available in the state and the current needs of the team. Each year is different based on both variables in play. Penn  State has missed out on some key players in the state this particular recruiting cycle, but the national recruiting footprint established so far by Penn State has helped to alleviate some of those concerns.

But this recruiting cycle in particular appears to have been a bit extra painful considering some of the players available who have decided to go elsewhere. Of course, only time will tell how much damage is being done.

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Penn State comes up short after surprising Taz Williams Jr. commitment

For the second time this week, Penn State lost out on a wide receiver commitment they may have thought they had in the bag.

After it looked like Penn State was making a strong push to land a key wide receiver out of Texas in the Class of 2025, the Nittany Lions were left shaking their heads after [autotag]Taz Williams Jr.[/autotag] announced his commitment. Williams announced his commitment in a press conference at his high school in Texas, and Penn State was hoping to hear some good news.

Instead, Williams announced his commitment to the Baylor Bears, who made an even stronger late push for his commitment. And just like that, Penn State missed out on a key receiver recruiting target to another program for the second time this week.

Taz Williams is rated as a four-star wide receiver by Rivals and ESPN and a three-star recruit by 247Sports and On3. The composite and industry rankings from 247Sports and On3 each give Williams a fourth star in their recruiting profiles.

Michigan seemingly held the edge in his recruitment before Penn State seemingly made a big push in recent weeks. But in the hours leading up to his commitment announcement, word was swirling that Baylor was coming in hot with a massive NIL package for the Texas native. Texas A&M and SMU were other programs in the mix until recently. Baylor was a name that came out of nowhere in the final days.

Penn State’s Class of 2025 currently ranks no. 9 according to 247Sports, although it will be interesting to see how this weekend’s recruiting headlines impact those rankings in the coming days.

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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 lands first 2025 defensive tackle in Randy Adirika

Penn State added a defensive tackle to its loaded Class of 2025 lineup.

While the majority of players in the class of 2025 have announced where they will be playing their college football, Penn State is still working on those top prospects on their board who remain undecided.

There are still plenty of positions [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff are hoping to fill within this group. Defensive tackle seemed to be the most prevalent since they had yet to earn a commitment from a player at that position.

[autotag]Deion Barnes[/autotag] has done a great job landing edge rushers in this cycle, winning some massive recruitment processes, so with that all but shored up, he can turn his attention over to the interior.

Some rumblings started to occur that the Nittany Lions were getting close to landing another Florida prospect in [autotag]Randy Adirika[/autotag] ahead of his commitment date, and the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder made it official late on July 9.

“The environment, their style of football, the way they develop and winning culture are the main reasons I committed to Penn State. I was there only [twice] so far, but the atmosphere is amazing and the people are what stands out,” he told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated.

Penn State beat out in-state program Miami and USC to land the talented three-star defensive tackle who is listed as the 44th overall player at his position by On3’s Industry Ranking.

“The decision was very hard because I had two other schools recruiting me very well. The staff is amazing. Everyone is very down to earth and genuine people. Coach Deion Barnes did a very good job recruiting me and I trust and believe he can help me get to the next level,” he added.

Something that might have helped the Nittany Lions get this recruitment home is that Penn State quarterback commit [autotag]Bekkem Kritza[/autotag] is his high school teammate at Miami Central.

The three-star signal caller has vocal about how he wants to help the Nittany Lions build a strong recruiting class in 2025, and it seems like he was able to help them land a talented prospect down in Florida.

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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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Penn State loses out on another top in-state 2025 prospect

Penn State saw one of its top in-state targets commit to a Big Ten rival.

Ever since [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] took over as head coach of the program, his goal has been to “Dominate the State” in recruiting and keep the best high schools players in Pennsylvania home.

For the most part, he’s done an incredible job of accomplishing that.

The Nittany Lions have been littered with talented in-state prospects during Franklin’s tenure, landing notable five-stars and keeping the majority out of the hands of other programs.

Unfortunately, Penn State has had some trouble keeping the best players in the 2025 class from leaving home.

On July 8, their coveted four-star tight end target [autotag]Andrew Olesh[/autotag] announced his commitment to Michigan, handing the Nittany Lions a major loss on the recruiting trail.

He told EJ Holland of On3 that the Wolverines compared him to one of their current star tight ends and that he could do something similar in this offense. The fact that his position gets the ball so often was a major selling point for Olesh and the official visit was what ultimately pushed Michigan into his No. 1 spot.

What that means for Penn State is clear.

They have let some of the best talent in Pennsylvania get away from them in this 2025 class.

Matt Zollers, Michael Carroll, and now Olesh, the top three players in the state as ranked by On3, have all committed elsewhere. Two are five-stars in quarterback Zollers and offensive tackle Carroll, something that stings even more.

Every cycle is different, so this isn’t a “sky is falling” moment by any means, but it does signal that the Nittany Lions have to continue keeping a stranglehold on recruits in their own state no matter how much they think they have things on cruise control.

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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 emerging as favorite over Michigan and Texas A&M for four-star receiver

Will Penn State beat Michigan and Texas A&M for this four-star wide receiver as his commitment date approaches?

Coming off of the 2023 season, it has been clear that Penn State is working to try to find big-play wide receivers with help from the transfer portal and the recruiting trails. Some of that help has already arrived and more is on the way with a couple of wide receiver commitments in the Class of 2024 and 2025. Now, another key wide receiver could be making his way to Penn State with a commitment date on the horizon.

[autotag]Taz Williams Jr.[/autotag] is a four-star wide receiver from Texas. The coveted receiver recruit is scheduled to announce his commitment decision on July 13, one week from now, and Penn State could be emerging is a trending favorite for the commitment.

Williams Jr. has no shortage of great options on the table. The final four schools believed to be in the running are Big Ten programs Penn State and Michigan and in-state options Texas A&M and SMU. Williams Jr. took official visits to Texas A&M, Penn State, and Michigan in June. So who has the edge?

The first official crystal ball prediction made on 247Sports actually favors Penn State. Lions247 staff writer Tyler Calvaruso shared his official crystal ball prediction on Friday, with Penn State being the pick. Calvaruso’s track record seems to be a very positive sign for Penn State’s chances as he is 11-for-14 in his crystal ball predictions so far in the Class of 2025 and owning a 90.75% accuracy rate overall with 281 predictions officially on the record at 247Sports.

Calvaruso’s prediction, at the time of this posting, is the only prediction on the board. This will be something to monitor in the days leading up to Williams Jr.’s commitment next weekend.

This could easily change drastically if it follows a similar trend, but the On3 recruiting prediction machine is far less promising for Penn State. At the time of this post, Michigan owned a 67.5% chance of securing the commitment from the four-star wide receiver. SMU (6.4%) and Texas A&M (4.0%) were next in line. Penn State had just a 2.7% chance of winning the commitment.

But it is also worth noting the last official prediction made on On3 came three months ago. Will Penn State be grabbing another talented wide receiver in the Class of 2025 from underneath the defending Big Ten and national champions? Oh, how sweet that would be.

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LaVar Arrington II commits to Penn State (yes, he’s THAT LaVar Arrington’s son)

LaVar Arrington II will carry on the Sticks City tradition for Linebacker U.

Penn State got some recruiting fireworks on the Fourth of July for its Class of 2025. [autotag]LaVar Arrington II[/autotag], the son of legendary Penn State linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag], committed to the Nittany Lions with a post on his social media account.

Arrington II is a three-star recruit according to 247Sports, On3, and Rivals. The 6′-3″, 200-pound linebacker is entering his final season for Charter Oak in California. He chose Penn State over offers from Tennessee, UCLA, Oregon, Michigan, and more. Penn State, of course, was always viewed as a strong candidate for his commitment given his father’s connection to the program.

LaVar Arrington was an All-American linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1997 and 1999 and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The 1999 unanimous All-American won the Butkus Award and the Chuck Bednarik award before going on to be the no. 2 overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft.

Big shoes to fill? Of course. But this is a nice legacy addition for James Franklin and the Class of 2025. Arrington II is the third linebacker to join Penn State’s list of commitments in the Class of 2025. He is set to join four-star players Dayshaun Burnett and Alex Tatsch.

Arrington’s commitment video was something special for Penn State fans as well. Opening with a shot of the father and son combo transitioned to brief messages from former Penn State linebackers NaVorro Bowman, Brandon Bell, and Micah Parsons before the younger Arrington officially announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9AcPTTxAV9/

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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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