Penn State Recruiting: Thanksgiving Eve Predictions
By Editorial Staff
Before I get to my predictions, here are the visitors for this weekend.
2011 Prospects
OT Anthony Alosi – PSU Commit
TE Kyle Carter – PSU Commit
DE Shawn Oakman – PSU Commit
DE Jordan Kerner – PSU Commit
OT Donovan Smith (unofficial) – Coming back after already taken his official…good sign
DL Anthony Zettel (official) – Down to Iowa, Michigan, MSU, and PSU
DT Darian Cooper (unofficial) – Visiting with his teammates, will be back later for an official
CB Shyquawn Pullium – 2010 PSU Commit, in Prep school
DB Christon Gill – Prep school, should get a PSU offer shortly
Jumbo ATH Andrew Bennett – Looking to get an offer
2012 Prospects
RB Greg Garmon – Has visited PSU a few times
RB Drew Harris – Big time RB from PA
DB Okezie Alozie – Good prospect for 2012
DT/OG Tyler Alt – Likes Pitt and PSU, believe this is his 3rd Game this year
OG Brian Gaia – Should be a big time recruit next year
ATH Kenneth Goins – Big fan of PSU, visiting with Gaia
DE J.P. Holtz – Good looking prospect from the Pitt area
WR Eugene Lewis, – Love this guy at WR
OT J.J. Denman – Big time OT from Pa, National Recruit
WR Lamont Baldwin – Another WR I really like from the DC area
OG Derrick Nelson – Teammate of Baldwin, was very impressive at PSU’s Nike Camp
DE Kenjamin Ekanem – Good looking DE, has some nice offers
OT Blake Bars – Brother of PSU DE Brad Bars. Bars was a 2-Star late offer…Blake will be a more highly recruited player
LB Sam Lebbie – Touched on him last week, teammate of Cooper
OT Richard Webb – Touched on him last week, as well. Jeremiah McPhearson and Michael Moore are also DeMatha teammates who will be visiting
DE Brent Wilkerson – Another big time DeMatha player
QB Brendan Nosovitch – From Allentown Central Catholic, reminding some of Dan Persa, although some expect him to be more highly recruited
Also, PSU has offered tow Arizona players. 2011 OT Ryan Nowicki and 2012 WR Davonte Neal. Nowicki is 6’5 275 OT, said his leaders are USC, PSU, Oregon State, and Wash. I’m predicting he goes to USC, but will be visiting PSU soon so who knows? Neal, is just a “wow” player. Dominated at the USC Nike Camp last year, as an underclassmen. Has plenty of offers, and will be a Top 100 type player. Said he is going to visit PSU in the spring.
Now my Thanksgiving Eve Prediction Special…
QB Cardale Jones – QB from Ohio. PSU isn’t recruiting him too hard, and QB isn’t a huge need, obviously. He has been pretty quiet on the recruiting front. So I’m guessing it’s LSU or Cincy for him. But, I’m only going with one.
Prediction: Cincinatti
RB Savon Huggins – RB from NJ. Big time recruit. Eliminated PSU, but I’ll still make a prediction. I’m taking Rutgers, but Florida could definitely get him.
Prediction: Rutgers
RB Tre Mason – RB from Fla. Doesn’t seem like a PSU visit is in the works, but who knows? Still, the big time SEC schools are starting to come around. That is where he wants to be, and that is where I think he ends up.
Prediction: Auburn
RB Allan Wasonga – RB from WV. Down to Tennessee and Penn State. Since Penn State has pretty much stopped contact, I’m going with UT.
Prediction: Tennessee
WR Miles Shuler – WR from NJ. Rutgers lock.
Prediction: Rutgers
WR Matt Zanellato – WR from Virginia. Doesn’t have a Penn State offer yet, but very well could get one. Honestly, I’m shocked he doesn’t have some other offers. 6’3 180, and already looks decently big, but could add more. Great hands, and a very good route runner. Another thing, is he has great body control. If you want to see great body control…look up Brandon Lloyd of the Broncos. He’s on my fantasy team so I’ve been watching some of his games, and he has the best body control in the NFL. So body control is a very important thing, and Zanny has that. He plays at one of the premier schools in Virginia, and is dominating. I’ll say this…if Zanellato was black, most PSU fans would definitely want to offer him. But because he is white, I think some people question if he is a good enough athlete. Still, I’m not sure if he gets an offer, but if he does, he is all Penn State.
Prediction: Penn State
WR Allen Robinson – WR from Michigan. Played at Bolden’s high school. Late bloomer, has good size, and good athleticism. He has a great shot at getting an offer, and he would commit right away.
Prediction: Penn State
OT Cyrus Kouandjio – Big time OT from DeMatha. His best friend is a freshman RB at Iowa. While his brother is an OT at Alabama. This one has been in the works since his brother signed to go to Alabama.
Prediction: Alabama
OT Donovan Smith – OT from MD. If PSU doesn’t get him, someone should be fired.
Prediction: Penn State
OT Jay Whitmire – OT from VA. PSU was in on him early, but they haven’t contacted him in a while. Seems like Notre Dame, Virginia, and UNC are the leaders.
Prediction: Virginia
DT Darian Cooper – DT from MD. PSU and GT are the front runners here. UCLA and MSU have a shot as well.
Prediction: Penn State
DT Jarred Ebbert – JUCO DT. Oklahoma State, Oregon, and Penn State will be getting visits. Penn State probably in January, while Oregon is this weekend, and Oklahoma State will be in December. Very tough here. Really, can see Oklahoma State or Penn State. I’m 50/50, but I’ll go with…
Prediction: Penn State
DT Delvin Simmons – DT from Pa. Has a PSU offer, but not too much PSU interest. May visit unofficially. Still, PSU won’t be getting him.
Prediction: Florida
DT Shawn Underwood – DT from NC. Committed to UNC, but looking around. Says he’ll visit Florida. More importantly, he said he wants to get back in contact with PSU (LJ SR). Said he would like to take a visit. He had us in the top 3, before committing to UNC. Too early to tell, but I still have to make a prediction. Before that though, Underwood is 6’2 315. Perfect 1-Tech DT, can stuff the run. Has a very wide base, just very stout. Very quick for a guy his size, and will be able to bring a pass rush as well. I’m a huge fan of his, and hopefully PSU does get a visit.
Prediction: Florida (Just for the fact, I don’t see him going to UNC, and Florida is the only other team that he is going to visit)
DT Quinton Pompey – DT from Fla. He has had a weird recruitment. At one point, he’ll name PSU his leader, then won’t mention them in an article. Anyway, PSU and Miami are his leaders. Both offered. Doesn’t bode well for PSU, as he will probably want to stay in Florida. Props to PSU though…they were one of the first teams on him.
Prediction: Miami
DL Anthony Zettel – DL from Michigan. You guys should know him by now. Here is the deal…a good visit to PSU+Michigan losing to Ohio State+Rich Rod getting fired+Michigan not getting Harbaugh=Great for PSU. If all that happens, I say he comes to PSU. But at the end of the day, I think Michigan will keep Rich Rod.
Prediction: Michigan
DL Andre Sturdivant – DL from Ohio. Glenville recruit. Loves Ohio State, and is actually visiting them this weekend. Problem? No Ohio State, and unless some odd happens, he won’t get one. He said PSU and OSU were his top two schools, so things are looking for PSU.
Prediction: Penn State
DE Ishaq Williams – DE from NY. High profile recruit. Reportedly down to PSU, ND, and Syracuse. May not visit PSU again, but I’m betting he will. I feel very confident here.
Prediction: Penn State
DE Deion Barnes – DE from PA. Another pretty high profile recruit. Has always been rumored to have Penn State as his leader. Barnes and Ishaq could see playing time next year, if they do come here.
Prediction: Penn State
DB Albert Louis-Jean – DB from Mass. Miami commit, but a mixture of things could change that. A. Him not wanting to go 1500 miles away. And B. Shannon getting fired. He continues to insist he is 100% committed to Miami, but reports have him visiting PSU again. Actions speak louder than words, Albert.
Prediction: Penn State
DB Nick Stoner – DB from Indy. Indiana commit, but just got a PSU offer. He says he is only looking around, but insiders elsewhere have said he is PSU’s to lose.
Prediction: Penn State
DB – Brandon Reddish – DB from NY. Love his athleticism. Even like him at WR. Has been very quiet, but PSU is probably in front here.
Prediction: Penn State
Thus, Penn State’s class would be (In parentheses is how confident I am) …
3-Star WR Allen Robinson (95/5)
2-Star TE Kyle Carter (100/0)
4-Star OG Angelo Mangiro (100/0)
4-Star OT Donovan Smith (90/10)
2-Star OT Anthony Alosi (100/0)
3-Star DL Andre Sturdivant (70/30)
3-Star DE Jordan Kerner (100/0)
4-Star DE Ishaq Williams (75/25)
4-Star DE Shawn Oakman (100/0)
4-Star DE Deion Barnes (80/20)
4-Star DT Darian Cooper (60/40…I feel confident with him, but have to give GT some respect)
4-Star DT Jarred Ebbert (50/50)
3-Star DB Nick Stoner (75/25)
4-Star DB Albert Louis-Jean (50/50)
3-Star DB Brandon Reddish (65/35)
3-Star CB Shyqwuan Pullium (50/50…just because he may not qualify)
2-Star DB Christion Gill (65/35…just because I’m not sure if the staff will offer, they say they will, but will they?)
That’s 17. As of right now, we have room for 11-12. But, I’m sure some guys will transfer or leave the team.
Lastly, I’m not going to be 100% right. Not even close. I know that. Guys like Ebbert and ALJ are just me feeling semi-confident. If they didn’t end up at PSU, I wouldn’t be shocked at all. A guy like Reddish could very well not come to PSU. Robinson may not get an offer. Ishaq may go to ND. Maybe Zettel comes here. Who knows? This is just an idea, a blueprint of what the class will look like, mostly that is.
Now, I’m not going to talk about how Joe Pa said he is coming back. We’ll see what transpires over the next few weeks/months.
For Michigan State…again won’t go to in depth. I’ll say this…IT IS THE LAND GRANBT TROPHY!!! PSU VS SPARTY!!! SOMETHING GOTTA GIVE!!! (Caps was meant to be on). If Mauti plays…I really like our chances.
Penn State – 36
Michigan State – 32
Thanks for reading.