Things are looking good for Penn State football’s 2023 recruiting class, and many expect them to get better before the end of summer.
Coach James Franklin and his staff have gotten 14 players to commit thus far, and without question, there’s more to come.
Several college football recruiting experts and Penn State fans expect multiple players to commit later this summer. Here are six players that could well be future Nittany Lions and where they would rate among the 14 who have already committed, according to 247Sports’ composite number ratings.
POTENTIAL PENN STATE COMMIT NO. 1: CLASS OF 2023 S DAKAARI NELSON
Let’s start with a player who could be a Penn State commit this afternoon.
Nelson, a four-star safety from Selma High School in Selma, Alabama, is choosing between Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky, Oregon, Penn State and Tennessee and will make his decision today at 2.
Nelson told Nittany Sports Now shortly after his official visit June 12 that Penn State was his “No. 1 school.” Both 247Sports crystal ball projections, placed Friday evening, have Nelson picking Penn State.
At 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, Nelson has a similar build to Penn State’s most recent great safety, Jaquan Brisker (6-foot-1, 201 pounds), who was an All-American in 2021 and went to the Chicago Bears in the second round of this year’s draft.
Nelson’s build and performance (eight interceptions, two returned for touchdowns as a junior) give Penn State fans reason to be excited about the prospect of him committing, as does his football IQ. Nelson told Nittany Sports Now that he’s been a defensive play-caller since his freshman year.
Nelson’s 247Sports composite number rating is 0.9084, which would make him the fifth-highest rated commit in Penn State’s class if he committed today.
POTENTIAL COMMIT NO. 2: RB TREYAUN WEBB
Webb put Penn State in his top five in March and now has it in his top three.
It seemed like Florida was the favorite fo a while, largely due to Webb (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) being from the state and his cousin, Dee, playing there in the 2000s. Over the past week, however, that feeling has shifted, and two crystal ball predictions placed this week have him committing to Penn State. He took an official visit the weekend of June 10.
Webb is the No. 5 running back in Florida from the class of 2023, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. He rushed for 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games last year. If he committed to Penn State today, his 0.9324 rating would be could for the fourth-highest in the class.
POTENTIAL COMMITS NO’S. 3 AND 4: LB’s TA’MERE ROBINSON AND TONY ROJAS
Robinson, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound four-star from Brashear High School in Pittsburgh, had his first two crystal ball projections placed back in February and his third one earlier this week on the heels of his official visit.
Penn State is in his top three, along with Miami and Virginia Tech.
Robinson’s junior season didn’t go as planned. It ended in October when he underwent surgery to repair his ACL and MCL.
His injury history might concern some, but most Penn State fans should be excited at the prospect of Robinson committing.
He’s an in-state talent, which Franklin covets, and he’s also capable of playing linebacker, on the edge and even in the secondary. Robinson’s senior season will be interesting. When healthy, he can do many things that can help any defense.
Like Robinson, Rojas (6-foot-1.5, 200 pounds) is a four-star linebacker who took his official visit to Penn State June 17-19.
Unlike Robinson, Rojas comes from Virginia.
Aside from Pennsylvania, Virginia is the state where Penn State has gotten its largest abundance of 2023 commitments. Penn State’s highest-rated recruit, five-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, is from the state, as are four-star ATH Mega Barnwell and three-star OT Anthony Donkoh.
All three crystal ball projections have Rojas picking Penn State over Clemson, Georgia and Miami.
Pennsylvania and Virginia have produced eight of Penn State’s 14 2023 commits, and there appears to be a good chance of Penn State getting at least one more from each state.
Rojas is committing July 5, and Robinson July 15.
Robinson (0.9394) and Rojas (0.9382) would each be Penn State’s fourth-highest rated recruit if one of them committed right now.
POTENTIAL PENN STATE CLASS OF 2023 COMMIT NO. 5: RB LONDON MONTGOMERY
To paraphrase the Clash, London might be calling Penn State fans soon.
All three of Montgomery’s crystal ball projections, each placed June 17, have him picking Penn State.
Montgomery (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) is currently a three-star recruit, which might be a turn-off for some. But if he can replicate or improve his 2021 numbers—2,356 yards and 36 touchdowns on 194 carries (12.1 yards per carry average), that rating could increase if it doesn’t over the rest of the summer.
With Singleton and Allen already at Penn State and Webb potentially joining the fold, it wouldn’t be easy for Montgomery to solidify himself in Penn State’s backfield. Nonetheless, Montgomery is a talent Franklin and running backs coach JaJuan Seider would enjoy having.
Montgomery (0.8889) would be Penn State’s 10th highest-rated commit if he joined the 2023 class right this second.
POTENTIAL PENN STATE CLASS OF 2023 COMMIT NO. 6: S KING MACK
Penn State could have three four-star safeties committed to its 2023 class, which would speak well of safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter.
Mack is a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the same school as fellow safety Hussey, who committed in April.
All four of Mack’s crystal ball projections have him picking Penn State, and the prospect of him playing in the same defensive backfield as his high school classmate is undoubtedly enticing.
Mack (0.9092) would be Penn State’s fifth-highest rated commit if he announced his commitment right this second. Read more about what landing Mack and Montgomery could mean for Penn State here.
