What’s the impact of four-star Dejuan Lane picking Penn State?
Penn State picked up its 17th verbal commitment in the Class of 2024 on Sunday when Baltimore, Md., defender Dejuan Lane picked the Lions. It was the program’s third pledge of the first official visit weekend for the current cycle, as defensive tackle Deryc Plazz and defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam picked the school in the hours before Lane ended his recruitment.
The senior-to-be was a top target of safeties coach Anthony Poindexter. A four-star, he is the No. 307 player overall in the On3 Industry Rankings and a top 30 safety.
Lane operated his recruitment in near silence. Interviews were few and far between. So, too, were social media hints. But the 6-foot-2, 200-pound prospect did release a top-five at the end of April. The Lions made the cut along with Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia, and Maryland. It is not clear if he intended to take official visits to any or all of those schools this summer. But, it is a certainty that the only one he took so far was to Penn State, and that led him to pick the school before leaving campus.
Dejuan Lane brings speed and versatility to Penn State
One thing jumps out when watching Lane’s tape: He is a speedster. The defender tweeted this spring that he ran a hand-timed 10.4-second 100-meter dash. As a point of comparison, Penn State walk-on 2023 receiver Ethan Black set a PIAA record in the 100-meter dash this year with an electronically-timed 10.39-second mark.
Lane could be a linebacker or safety at the next level. It seems likely that his career with the Lions will start along the last line of the defense. But, time will tell based on how he feels out in the months ahead before getting to campus.
BWI film analyst Thomas Frank Carr has the following takeaways from watching Lane’s film:
“Lane makes sure you know he can do it all. He plays man coverage, underneath zone and deep zone from the slot, free safety, and split safety alignments. Not only that, but he has an interception at each of those positions, save slot corner.
“Lane shows a knack for jumping routes and understanding where the ball is going based on the offensive formation and route combination. He snags several picks in underneath coverage and has the range to cross the field and pick off passes outside his zone. Ball skills and anticipation are very valuable skills. For the Penn State defense, having a player who can take advantage of the pressure created by the defensive front is worth his weight in gold.
“Aside from those ball skills, Lane shows that he can tackle. He’s a big player for his level of competition and has enforcer-like tendencies as a box safety. He shows good range flying to the ball and making stops for the defense from several positions.”
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