We head to the stretch run this week, at least for the Early Signing Period, and Penn State has a great class for 2023. Here’s the latest from the Farrell Files PSU version.
— So let me start with this. This is a very good class for Penn State from a national perspective. They hit many needs and a home run at OL, DB and LB. While it seems Florida DB Daniel Harris may not end up in this class after all (it’s a coin flip daily now) it’s still a very strong group for the back end of the defense. Kaveion Keys was a massive addition as a LB who can also rush the passer and he was a great flip from UNC. More on him down the line. I know fans always want a stronger close but they will be happy with a few of these late additions depending on some factors. The late DE additions won’t wow anyone but both Joseph Mupoyi and Mason Robinson have long term potential. Let’s keep in mind that Arnold Ebiketie and Shaka Toney weren’t highly regarded and lacking size (Toney) and polish (Ebeketie) when they came out of high school as well and PSU has done a good job developing projects. And the latest addition — RB Cameron Wallace — can absolutely fly and will impact on special teams. Speed is always needed in the Big Ten and this kid brings it.
— The portal is fun right? It’s not fun to cover. I thought WR Dont’e Thornton would take an immediate visit to Penn State. Instead the Maryland native visits Auburn and Miami and now the Nittany Lions will struggle getting him on campus. Does it matter? Probably not since the former Penn State commit has been to State College a ton of times but it’s not a great sign either. Mario Cristobal at Miami was his coach at Oregon and Auburn has been very aggressive and many of Hugh Freeze’s new staff have ties to the Maryland area. I also felt Penn State was in the drivers seat for Kent State WR Dante Cephas after a great visit but hold the phone. Cephas visited UCLA this past weekend where his QB, Collin Schlee, is committed and NIL opportunities are becoming more and more evident. A hot start in the portal in my mind has slowed.
— One player they can’t afford to lose if they don’t get Daniel Harris is fellow Florida DB Conrad Hussey. The full court press is on from Florida State and Miami for Hussey and this is gonna be a tough one. He’s been committed to Penn State since April and this is the danger of recruiting Florida for a Big Ten school. However, we all know it has to be done and the battle down the stretch holding off ACC and SEC schools is always hard. PSU Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz knows what it takes to keep these kids interested but losing Harris and Hussey would hurt and both are trending the wrong way.
