The ‘S’ Zone – Prepping for a big recruiting weekend at Penn State
It’s Blue-White weekend at Penn State, and the ’S’ Zone is back for a second consecutive showing. With a busy couple of days in Happy Valley, it’s a great time for some behind-the-scenes news and notes.
While the weather forecast has faded throughout the week, it should still be a huge weekend in State College. Penn State is on a roll right now in recruiting and that coincides with its biggest spring weekend on the calendar.
Big Recruiting Weekend at Penn State
Ryan covered a lot of this in his notebook earlier today, but It’s worth going over again and/or adding to his reporting. By now those on commitment watch this weekend are pretty familiar. Offensive linemen Kevin Heywood and William Satterwhite have both been mentioned for weeks as potential Blue-White commits. There are arguments for and against both ending their respective recruitments this weekend. Heywood has other visits scheduled at this point, while Satterwhite is just coming off of an exhausting run that has seen his offer list grow. Both are also on campus on Friday, which will give the Nittany Lions more time to work their magic.
One offensive lineman that we really haven’t discussed much that we probably should be talking more about is in-state guard Caleb Brewer from Wyomissing. The three-star prospect is more of an athlete projection at this point. He’s a high school tight end and could end up playing on the offensive or defensive line in the jumbo athlete mold. I’m going to go ahead and put an RPM pick in for Brewer ahead of the weekend.
I’m also standing by with an eye on Wisconsin running back Corey Smith. The trip tomorrow will be his second to Penn State in the last month. Smith attended a practice back in late March and was impressed with the Nittany Lions. Penn State has already taken Quinton Martin as a running back in the class, but it would like at least one more. We haven’t heard a decision is imminent for Smith, but just keep that one in mind.
Class of 2025 Texas teammates Kiandrea Barker and Quannel Farrakhan Jr. have informed anyone that will listen that they’re high on the Nittany Lions. If things go well, one or both could be a part of Penn State’s Class of 2025 by the end of the weekend. Because of the timing and distance, I’m going to hold off on putting in an RPM pick for both. That said, it wouldn’t be a shock if Penn State adds to its 2025 group with these two this weekend.
Four-star defensive end Jaylen Harvey is on the list for this weekend once again. This will be his fourth trip to Penn State in 2023 and the Nittany Lions hold a strong lead. Coming out of his last weekend, which was (checks watch), a week ago, the belief was that Harvey will still hold out and take official visits. That still seems to be the vibe, but it has to happen at some point. Right?
Lightning Round
Those listed above are the guys that I’m watching this weekend. I think Penn State is in great shape with some others that I’m not quite ready to forecast:
– Washington (D.C.) Friendship defensive lineman DeAndre Cook is back for his second visit in a month. Penn State just offered and they have a need at defensive tackle.
– Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy slot receiver Jerrae Hawkins has been up a few times. I get the sense Penn State would like to see more of him this spring.
– Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep offensive lineman Zafir Stewart has made it clear that he is high on the Nittany Lions. Penn State wants to monitor his progress this spring.
– Uniontown (Pa.) Laurel Highlands 2025 cornerback Antwan Black will be an in-state player to keep an eye on down the road. He visited for a Junior Day in January.
– Buford (Ga.) Class of 2025 running back Justin Baker is making the effort to get to Penn State this weekend. That’s notable for the four-star prospect from down south.
– Pretty much any 2025 from New Jersey. Of course, I’m not serious, but there seems to be quite a bit of momentum there for the Nittany Lions since Khalil Ahmad came on board. De’zie Jones, Jahmir Joseph, Braswell Thomas and Cam Smith are just a few to remember.
Key visitors for the Nittany Lions
Penn State is in a great spot for a lot of guys, but the Nittany Lions have plenty of work ahead of them for others. It’s huge to get Top100 offensive lineman Liam Andrews back on campus this weekend. It seemed like the ship was close to sailing on that one, but a recent run of visits has Andrews more open than he was this winter. It still seems like there’s stuff to be sorted there, and that’s good news for the Nittany Lions. Expect him to be around Andrew Rappleyea a bunch this weekend.
If Benedict Umeh can get a ride down, and as of Friday afternoon that seems promising, it’s an absolutely huge opportunity for the Nittany Lions. Umeh has not been to many places, so this is a great setting for his first Penn State visit. He has an official visit scheduled to Duke right now. Academics will play a big role, but this could be his first big-time college football atmosphere. Getting him on campus is a huge priority this weekend, as he plans to go to Michigan and Notre Dame soon.
He’s on our list, but then again New Jersey safety Vaboue Toure has been on it before and hasn’t followed through. If he makes it on Saturday, that’s a big win for Penn State before the official visit season. He’s one of the Nittany Lions’ top targets at safety and he’s already set for an OV in June. Ohio State made a big impression early, but Penn State has made up ground in the last few months.
It’s a bit early to swing for 2025s, but Penn State getting Princeton (N.J.) linebacker Kamar Archie back on campus seems big. He’s quiet, but he’s shaping up to be one of the top prospects in the region in the next cycle.
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