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#dominatethestate
THE SKINNY
Height/Weight: 5-foot-10, 200 pounds
Hometown/High School: Camp Hill, PA (Trinity)
Ranking: ★★★★ (0.9000 247Sports — No. 30 overall)
Notable Offers: Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Tennessee and Texas A&M
THE TALE
A Top 100 prospect in his class, Messiah Mickens has drawn interest from all of the big names across the country. Expect that only to grow, and for Penn State to continue to have to fight for his commitment, as time goes on. There is still a long way to go between now and Messiah’s signing day - the class of 2024 will just be signing their letters of intent this upcoming December/January. James Franklin and Co. will need to keep Mickens a part of Nittany Nation for over 2 years, but if there’s any staff in the country that could do it, I expect its this one.
Messiah becomes commitment No. 1 for Penn State in the class of 2026, and the Lions will look to him to be a leader as part of that class over the next couple seasons.
OUTLOOK
It is still very early in the 2026 recruiting scene, but this is a fantastic get by Franklin and Ja’Juan Seider. Messiah is Top 100, No. 30 in the class at the moment, and No. 1 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. These are the sorts of recruiting wins off of which tremendous classes can be built. Franklin has once again dominated the state, and the conveyor belt of elite running backs coming out of the Blue and White appears set to continue for the foreseeable future. It likely didn’t hurt that Mickens’ high school coach is former Penn State DT Jordan Hill, who took over at Trinity in 2021.
Currently an athlete playing two-way ball, Mickens has tremendous acceleration and reaction as a defensive back. While he’ll be a running back at the next level, his open field movement and fluidity as a defender will help his overall game toting the rock. He’ll add weight to his frame, and will need to ensure he doesn’t lose a step while doing so, but there’s a reason that he’s currently a Top 30 player in the country.
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By: Chris Lucia
Title: Oh Hello: 2026 Top 100 PA RB Messiah Mickens Commits to Penn State
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2023/8/19/23838631/oh-hello-2026-four-star-pa-rb-messiah-mickens-commits-to-penn-state-nittany-lions-football-bsd
Published Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2023 01:25:00 +0000
