4-Star 2023 S DaKaari Nelson Commits to Penn State

DaKaari Nelson, a four-star safety from Selma High School in Alabama, is the 15th player from the Class of 2023 to commit to Penn State and the second from Alabama to do so in the past week.

1000% committed 🦁⚪️🔵 #WeAre @coachjfranklin @Coachpoindexter @Coach_MannyDiaz @SWiltfong247 @ALLGASTRNG @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney pic.twitter.com/OGvh8qtBHN

— Trickster 🃏 (@dakaari_nelson) June 25, 2022

At this time last week, Penn State hadn’t gotten a player from Alabama to commit since 2014.

Nelson’s commitment comes as no surprise. Two 247Sportscrystal ball predictions placed Friday evening had Nelson committing to Penn State. Before that, soon after his official visit ended June 12, Nelson told NittanySportsNow that Penn State was his “No. 1 school.”

He picked Penn State over Auburn, Clemson, Kentucky, Oregon and Tennessee. A big reason for Nelson’s commitment was his relationship with safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and Poindexter’s coaching style.

“He’s going to be honest with you,” Nelson told Nittany Sports Now before his official visit, “tell you what you need to hear, not what you want. He’s passionate about the way he coaches.”

Last season, Nelson had eight interceptions and two pick six’s. He is 6-foot-3 and 195-pounds, a similar build to Penn State’s most recent standout safety, Jaquan Brisker (6-foot-1, 190 pounds.)

Nelson is the second safety to commit in Penn State’s 2023 class, with four-star Conrad Hussey being the first to do so when he committed back in April. Another four-star safety, King Mack, who is Hussey’s teammate at Saint Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is predicted to pick Penn State by all four of 247’s crystal ball forecasts.

Nelson first visited Penn State last November when he watched the team’s Senior Day win over Rutgers at Beaver Stadium.

When he went on his official visit, he got to see more of the campus, and today, he announced his plans to make Penn State home.

“Every corner you turn, you see something about Nittany Lions or Penn State,” he said. “I love that a lot.”