The Nittany Lions went from 41st to 14th in the recruiting rankings over five days.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are on fire on the recruiting trail.
In the last five days, the Nittany Lions have seen their recruiting ranking rise from 41st to 14th nationally. Part of that is because they have added five commitments, doubling their class size.
But the bigger part of the rise up the ranks is the quality of prospect Penn State is bringing on.
On Friday, Penn State added Stafford (Virginia) North four-star RB Devyn Ford. He is widely regarded as one of the handful of elite backs in the nation. Ford had offers from Auburn, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, and USC. Also on Friday the Nittany Lions added JUCO DB Jaquan Brisker.
Ford does everything at a high level. His vision, instincts, and balance are all off the charts. While Ford does not have elite straight line speed, he is extremely quick and agile in the open field. He also accelerates through the hole extremely well, and shows some chops as a receiver out of the backfield.
Sunday brought the commitment of four-star athlete Marquis Wilson, of Windsor (Connecticut). Wilson also claimed offers from Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State.
Wilson will be playing cornerback at the next level, and should be a good one. He has above-average height/length, and quite honestly, looks like a natural playing cornerback.
Then on Monday, Penn State landed the commitments from Mineral (Va.) Louisa County five-star linebacker Brandon Smith, and Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More four-star safety Tyler Rudolph.
Rudolph is a good player with major offers, but Smith is a potential game-changer, because he has true linebacker ability while possessing defensive end size.
Smith recently posted a 4.59-second 40, 35” vertical, and a 4.38 agility shuttle. Those are in the 98th, 97th, and 90th percentile.
Those are linebacker numbers from a kid built like a defensive end. The ability to have enough size on the field in nickel and sub-packages to stop the run, while still playing pass coverage is something Smith can provide.
Smith and Ford are the only two top-100 players in the state of Virginia, and Penn State now has commitments from both. Four-star athlete Cam’Ron Kelly, of Chesapeake, is also widely expected to join the class in a few weeks. This is following the 2018 cycle in which Penn State landed the Nos. 1 an 3 recruits from Virginia.
I expect the Nittany Lions to have an excellent class provided they find a way to win double-digit games for the third-consecutive season.
Elsewhere
Oregon had a monster weekend as its No. 1 CB and No. 1 RB targets both committed.
Dollars, the 5’10, 185-pound ball carrier from Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, chose Oregon over Florida State, USC, and Washington. Dollars had long been considered an Oregon lean and already has a close friendship with Cucamonga High School teammates and current Ducks Thomas Graham Jr. and Jaylon Redd.
Criddell, the 5’11, 188-pound defensive back, selected Oregon over Florida State, Washington, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. Criddell, a Mater Dei teammate of Dollars who also holds a friendship with Graham Jr. and Redd, is the second-highest rated commitment in Oregon’s class of 2019 and the highest rated defensive back commitment for Oregon in 247Sports database, stretching back to 1999.
Tennesseelanded the nation’s No. 1 JUCO linebacker.
At 6’1, 227, Henry will step onto campus ready to compete for a starting job. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Last season at Dodge City Community College, Henry totaled 110 tackles on the year. He registered 13 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Things are happening in Knoxville, though the Volunteers will likely have to show a pulse on the field to continue this momentum into National Signing Day.
I found this rundown on Auburn recruiting visitors and targets to be extremely informative. The Tigers had a Georgia commitment on campus over the weekend.
Notre Dame went into to Texas and beat out the Lone Star powers for a four-star defensive end. Burnt Orange Nation discusses what it means for Texas.
A Wisconsin commit was selected for what was formerly known as the Army All-American Bowl.
Miami had two decommitments Monday in LB Jesiah Pierre and OL/DL Renato Brown. On Tuesday morning, Miami assistant coach Todd Hartley sent this apparent subtweet.
Commit, announce new top 12, decommit, list final 5 official visits, tweet always open to new schools, announce final 8 schools that will get camp visits, narrow down to 2, have commitment ceremony with 5 hats, commit, sign on signing day somewhere else....... #RespectMyDecision
— Todd Hartley (@coach_thartley) May 22, 2018
Maize N Brew caught up with receiver Demonte Crumes to get his thoughts on Michigan.
Maryland landed QB recruit David Summers.
Summers is not rated on the 247Sports platform, but is one of the few quarterbacks offensive coordinator Matt Canada felt comfortable enough to offer and watch throw in person. The 6’3, 205-pound gunslinger has the frame and the tools to be a serviceable quarterback in Canada’s scheme.
Checking in on some recent Oklahoma State offers.
Ohio State has also thrown out some new offers.
AZ Desert Swarm has a good breakdown of some new Arizona offers under coach Kevin Sumlin.
Rankings via the 247Sports composite unless otherwise noted.