Blessed & Honored: White Out Bearing Fruit For Recruiting

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Nobody loves the White Out more than Penn State’s recruiting staff.

Well, James Franklin’s recruiting staff could not have asked for a better weekend.

A 31-0 stomping of Iowa and a break in the rain for pre-game festivities helped Penn State football stick the landing at its annual White Out game. The Nittany Lions will take the tally in the win column, but the importance of the White Out stretches beyond the gridiron.

Happy Valley played host to too many recruits and commits to count — and the electric atmosphere surely made an impact on all those in attendance.

Let’s start with the Penn State commits.

Four-star quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, three-star wideout Peter Gonzalez, four-star linebacker Anthony Speca, four-star safety Dejuan Lane, and Class of 2026 five-star running back Messiah Mickens were all confirmed to be in attendance. Oh, and four-star linebacker DJ McClary was also in Happy Valley. He announced his commitment on Sunday.

Viral rap star Sexyy Red’s attendance didn’t hurt Penn State’s recruiting pitch, either.

Some of Penn State’s top remaining 2024 prospects also made their way to town for the game. Most notably, four-star defensive lineman Ernest Willor Jr., the top prospect from the state of Maryland, was in attendance and told 247Sports that he couldn’t hear himself think. Ohio State and Maryland are also heavily in the hunt for Willor, who is considered a top-100 prospect. He plans to announce his decision closer to National Signing Day.

Four-star edge rusher Jaylen Harvey was also on hand for the White Out. The Maryland native is Crystal Ball’d to Penn State, but Maryland and USC are also in the hunt. He had originally planned to commit on July 4 but rescheduled at the last minute. He’s 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, and is a top-30 defensive end in the Class of 2024.

Looking ahead, Penn State also had some notable prospects from future classes in the house. The most notable prospect in town was 2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who is considered the No. 1 recruit in his class. Penn State doesn’t appear to be high on Underwood’s list, but it’s notable that he came in from Michigan to see the White Out in rainy conditions. Four-star Maryland quarterback Malik Washington, a more realistic target in the Class of 2025, was also in town.

Other top prospects in the Class of 2025 included four-star athlete Brady O’Hara (editor’s note: now committed), five-star defensive back Dorian Brew, four-star wideout Marcus Harris, four-star offensive lineman Rowan Byrne, four-star tight end Ryan Ghea, four-star running back Marquise Davis, and Nate Roberts, the classes’ No. 2 overall tight end.

Peeking even further into the future, some highly rated Class of 2026 prospects were in Happy Valley this weekend as well. Five-star offensive lineman Maxwell Riley, five-star tight end Kendre Harrison, five-star offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, and four-star athlete Jordan Thomas were among those in attendance.

Harrison, a top-10 overall prospect in his class, is a particularly intriguing recruit. The North Carolina native also picked up an offer from Penn State men’s basketball this weekend and projects as either a tight end or big edge rusher. He’s a sophomore in high school and currently clocks in at 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds.

After a whirlwind of visitors this weekend, Penn State picked up two new verbal commitments in running back Tiqwai Hayes and linebacker DJ McClary. Tight end Brady O’Hara also picked up a crystal ball pick and is nearly a lock to Penn State at this point. Don’t be surprised if you see more post-White Out movement in the coming days or weeks.

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By: ryanparsons
Title: Blessed & Honored: White Out Bearing Fruit For Recruiting
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2023/9/26/23889948/penn-state-nittany-lions-football-recruiting-white-out-james-franklin-cfb
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:46:00 +0000

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