If there is one position on the Penn State football roster in the most need of top-of-the-line players, it is the wide receiver position. Penn State’s struggles to obtain elite wide receivers, and keep them in town, has been a significant shortcoming in recent years. But the Nittany Lions are working to recruit one of the nation’s top wide receivers in the Class of 2025 to Happy Valley, and they are now gearing up for an important official visit next month.
Philip Bell, a consensus four-star wide receiver from California, has locked in six official visits to his schedule, with Penn State being among them. According to 247Sports, Bell will take his first official visit to Georgia this week. He will then visit incoming Big Ten member Washington at the end of May.
Penn State will get a chance for an official visit on June 7, followed by Ohio State the next week, then Tennessee, and then USC.
“Marques Hagans hits me all the time and a lot of Penn State coaches hit me on the daily,” Bell said to 247Sports. “Coach Hagans came by the school and had a meeting with me and my mom and stepdad and said they can’t wait for me to come on my official visit.”
USC is considered the favorite to keep the California receiver close to home based on the crystal ball predictions at this stage. So Penn State may be climbing an uphill battle to grab a commitment, but getting an official visit is an indication that Penn State still is in the supposed running. The recruiting prediction machine from On3 gives Penn State just a 9.3% chance of securing Bell’s commitment.
Texas and UCLA could be late contenders to watch in the recruiting process as well.
Penn State’s Class of 2025 currently is ranked no. 7 in the nation according to the latest 247Sports composite rankings, and is still no. 3 among Big Ten schools behind Ohio State and USC.
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