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Penn State Football Recruiting Roundup: May 4, 2017

By Marty Leap

Apr 16, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; A general view of Beaver Stadium at Penn State before the Blue White spring game. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; A general view of Beaver Stadium at Penn State before the Blue White spring game. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome back to our weekly look at all things Penn State football recruiting here at Victory Bell Rings, welcome back to the recruiting roundup

After a week hiatus (sorry, having a newborn at home can cause that) the Penn State Football recruiting roundup is back here at Victory Bell Rings.

Since the last roundup, a lot has happened in the world of Penn State football recruiting. Blue White weekend has come and gone and it was a great one for the Nittany Lions. Furthermore, multiple Penn State commits have punched their tickets for The Opening finals in June.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Penn State Commits Punch Their Tickets For Oregon

Each of the past two weekends Penn State commits have competed in regional camp events for Nike. At these regional events, the best players receive invites to The Opening finals in Oregon each June.

The past two weekends, a pair of Penn State commits have earned such an invite. First off, five-star running back commit Ricky Slade earned an invite at the D.C. regional two weekends ago. Slade is arguably the best running back recruit in the country, so his invite comes as no surprise.

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Joining Slade in Oregon will be wide receiver Justin Shorter. The New Jersey native competed at the New Jersey regional this past weekend and earned his invited to the finals. Shorter also won the award for being the fastest player to compete at the New Jersey regional.

Ricky Slade and Justin Shorter will join five-star quarterback commit Justin Fields in Oregon, as Fields will be competing in the Elite 11 quarterback competition.

This was not the only recognition Justin Shorter earned in the past week. He was also invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Game on January 7. Shorter is one of the best wide receiver recruits in the country, so this is an honor that he most certainly deserves.

A Successful Blue White Weekend

Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class gained a pair of commitments during the day of the Blue White Game. These commits were offensive tackles Nana Asiedu and Antwan Reed. You can read more about Asiedu’s commitment here, and Reed’s here.

The Nittany Lions also made moves with multiple un-committed recruits. Four-star safety Isheem Young had another excellent visit, continuing to solidify Penn State has his leader. Fellow in-state four-star safety Kwantel Raines is in this boat as well.

Two players Penn State has made huge moves with the past two weeks are defensive tackle Dorian Hardy and wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Hardy and Dotson are both New Jersey products, even though Dotson is originally from Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class does not have a defensive tackle, but this should change whenever Hardy decides to announce his college decision. This could come sometime early this summer.

As for Dotson, he would like to announce his decision before the end of the month. His top three are Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. He will visit Michigan later this month and could decide afterward. Right now, the Nittany Lions are the team to beat.

Another player to watch coming out of two weekends ago is offensive lineman Blake Zubovic. The Belle Vernon native visited Penn State for their spring game and this was his second visit to Penn State this spring.

Zubovic plays tackle in high school, but projects as a swingman that can play inside in college. He could make a decision as early as next month. If he is a take for the Nittany Lions, they will be tough to beat.

Penn State Makes The Cut

Last Thursday, four-star defensive lineman Tyreke Smith released a top 12 on Twitter. Penn State was one of these 12 schools.

Penn State making Smith’s top group comes as no surprise. He has visited Happy Valley multiple times this offseason, and the Nittany Lions probably sit in Smith’s top two along with Ohio State right now.

While Tyreke Smith can play defensive tackle or defensive end in college, the Nittany Lions are recruiting him as a defensive tackle. Smith is a Cleveland native, and, if he is a take for the Buckeyes, his home state team will be tough to beat.

However, if any school has a chance to do it that school is Penn State. And if he ends up not being a take in Columbus, the Nittany Lions will be the team to beat.

Next: How PSU's Recently Drafted/Signed Players Fit In The NFL

That will do it for this week. As always, stay tuned here at Victory Bell Rings for all of the latest news in the world of Penn State football recruiting.

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