To describe this weekend for No. 3 ranked Penn State football as huge, would be a massive understatement, and not just for the team, but for the future of Penn State football recruiting.
Most importantly, a win over No. 4 Ohio State would virtually lock up a spot in the college football playoffs for the Nittany Lions, and put Penn State in the driver’s seat for its first Big Ten title since 2016.
Considering it’s the top game on the college football schedule this weekend and on their schedule, it’s not surprising that the sidelines at Beaver Stadium will be filled with hundreds of recruits. At this point in time, Nittany Sports Now has confirmed that over 150+ high school recruits are expected to attend the game.
Looking at the breakdown of different recruits, there will be a large number of current Penn State commitments, plenty of recruits from Pennsylvania, a big group of uncommitted national four-star recruits and Penn State will also be hosting a few recruits who are currently committed to other programs.
The most interesting and high-profile player that fits that category is 2025 five-star quarterback Matt Zollers from Royersford, Pennsylvania and Spring-Ford High School. Back on April 4, Zollers made a verbal commitment to Missouri, selecting the Tigers over Penn State, Georgia and Pitt. He’s visiting Penn State this weekend,ย NSNย has learned.
Currently, Zollers (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) is ranked by On3 as a five-star recruit, the No. 18 player in the country, third-best quarterback and top player in Pennsylvania. He’s also listed by 247 Sports as the No. 53 overall player in the Class of 2025 and the No. 7 quarterback in the country. Rivals also has him in high standing, rating him as the No. 105 overall player and the ninth-ranked quarterback.
Unfortunately, Zollers’ senior season was cut short as he sustained a gruesome dislocated ankle injury. Zollers is currently on crutches and reportedly, isn’t permitted to put any weight on the left ankle. Reportedly, Zollers might be able to start rehabilitation in six weeks and doctors believe he could be 100% within six months.
Penn State currently has 25 commitments in their Class of 2025, including four-star quarterback Bekkem Kritza, from Hollywood, Florida, but clearly hasn’t given up yet on recruiting Zollers.
Over the next two days, Nittany Sports Now will let you know about more high-profile recruits, like Zollers, that will be in State College this weekend.