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Penn State Football Recruiting

Recruiting notebook: How quickly will PSU know if June official visits will lead to commits?

Photo by Penn State Athletics: Caziah Holmes

The NCAA-imposed recruiting dead period will finally conclude this June, and the month is shaping up to be one of the most crucial in recent memory for Penn State football. More than two dozen players have already locked in official visits to Penn State in June, including the majority of current commits for the Class of 2022, as well as most of the Nittany Lions’ top targets.

While the impact of these official visits could be felt immediately in some instances, it may take months to see the ramifications for other players. Looking back at the official visits from the Class of 2020 could provide a glimpse of what to expect, however.

While the majority of Penn State’s commits used their official visits to State College in December, right before they officially put pen to paper during the early signing period, several other targets utilized their OVs throughout June, 2019. Here’s a look at how those weekends panned out for PSU.

Weekend of June 7

Visitors: Bryce Mostella, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Kourt Williams, Ty Hamilton, Isaiah Raikes

Results: 2/5 players signed with Penn State

The first full weekend of the month included five official visitors, including two who would become Nittany Lions. Lambert, a four-star receiver, pledged to Penn State approximately four months later, and saw extensive playing time as a freshman. Mostella, a three-star defensive end, also gave his verbal to the Nittany Lions, less than a month after the visit. Two other visitors ultimately signed with Ohio State, as Williams, a four-star linebacker, and Hamilton, a three-star defensive end, joined the Buckeyes class. Raikes, a three-star defensive tackle, signed with Texas A&M.

Weekend of June 14

Visitors: Caziah Holmes, AJ Henning, Jordan Morant, Makari Paige, Josh Fryer

Results: 1/5 players signed with Penn State

Another quintet made their way to Happy Valley the following weekend, with just one player ultimately joining the Penn State Class of 2020. Caziah Holmes, a four-star running back, committed to Penn State approximately two months later, and made some valuable contributions as a freshman last campaign. Meanwhile, three of the visitors signed with Michigan, as Henning (four-star wide receiver), Morant (four-star safety) and Paige (four-star safety) all later took their talents to Ann Arbor. Lastly, Fryer, a three-star guard, joined Ohio State.

Weekend of June 21

Visitors: Brandon Taylor, Jaden Dottin, Enzo Jennings, Coziah Izzard, Mordecai McDaniel, Jaquavion Fraziars, Fadil Diggs, Kole Taylor, DeaMonte Trayanum, Josh Downs

Results: 4/10 players signed with Penn State

The busiest week of that month yielded four commitments for Penn State, as defensive end Brandon Taylor, wide receiver Jaden Dottin, safety Enzo Jennings, and defensive tackle Coziah Izzard all signed with Penn State.

Taylor pledged to the Nittany Lions just a week after the visit, but he left the team during his freshman season for a violation of team rules. Dottin and Izzard made their commitments during the visit, while Jennings pledged just days later.

The majority of visitors still ended up elsewhere, however, as McDaniel, a four-star cornerback, and Fraziars, a four-star wide receiver, both matriculated to Florida, Diggs, a four-star defensive end, landed at Texas A&M, Taylor, a three-star tight end, signed with LSU, Trayanum, a four-star running back, joined Arizona State, and Downs, a four-star wide receiver, signed with UNC.

In total, Penn State hosted 20 prospects during those three weekends in June, and seven players ultimately signed with the Nittany Lions.

Wagner, Bellamy set OVs

Pertaining to the official visits slated for June, two more players recently set plans to travel to Penn State. Aamil Wagner, a four-star offensive lineman, and Jayden Bellamy, a three-star cornerback, both locked in official visits.

Wagner is scheduled to visit on the weekend of June 25, joining Penn State pledges Kaden Saunders, Jerry Cross, Beau Pribula, and Drew Allar. Wagner, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, and attends Wayne High School, is ranked 117th nationally in the class. In addition to Penn State, Wagner will also use OVs to see Notre Dame and Ohio State. He received his Penn State offer in July 2020.

Bellamy attends heralded Bergen Catholic, in Oradell, New Jersey. Like Wagner, he is also expected to utilize official visits for the Fighting Irish and Buckeyes. Ranked 423rd in the class, Bellamy garnered his Nittany Lions’ offer in February

Penn State offers Class of 2025 quarterback

While most of the focus this summer will be on the Class of 2022, Penn State has continued to extend offers to future classes, including an eighth-grade quarterback. On Sunday, the Nittany Lions offered Wyatt Becker, from the Class of 2025. Becker is a 6-foot-2, 165-pound QB from Pasadena, California.

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