Penn State Recruiting: Top Five Penn State Targets That Are Still Uncommitted

With the recent commitment of Michal Menet and the recent disappointments in seeing DE Josh King commit to Michigan State and OL Josh Ball commit to Florida State, James Franklin and the rest of the Penn State Nittany Lions coaching staff still have a ton of recruits they could land to make their 2016 class one of the best in college football.

Today, we’ll take a look at the top five Penn State targets that remain uncommitted. Now, these rankings will just not go off how many stars they have, what their rating is, or where they’re ranked but it will also take into account what the Nittany Lions needs are as of June 6th, 2015.

5. WR Tre Nixon

Out of all wide receivers in the 2016 recruiting class, Tre Nixon has been the one wide receiver James Franklin and company have recruited the hardest.

Nixon is ranked as a four-star recruit and is ranked as the 43rd best wide receiver in the 2016 recruiting class. To date, Nixon holds 46 offers including some from a few of the best programs in the country including Alabama, Auburn, and two of Penn State’s best friends, Michigan and Ohio State.

Currently, Nixon seems to be a favorite to land at Notre Dame but various schools including Duke, Alabama, Auburn, and Penn Stat have been considered threats to Notre Dame to land Nixon. In-state schools Florida, Florida State, and Miami should also be considered strong threats to nab Nixon from Notre Dame.

Considered a work in progress, Nixon needs to add on some extra pounds especially in the weight room. His biggest improvement when it comes to his game is his ability to run more than just the regular post and flag routes. But in the end, if Nixon could add weight and muscle while improving his route running.

4. TE Cary Angeline/TE Naseir Upshur

Penn State has done really well with recruiting over the past few seasons especially when it comes to recruiting tight ends. With an already stacked group of tight ends headlined by Adam Breneman and Mike Gesicki, the Nitany Lions are good to go for the next two to three seasons.

Cary Angeline could very well be the next top tight end at Penn State. At 6-foot-7 and 230-pounds, Angeline has great athleticism for his huge frame. Upshur comes in a little smaller height wise at 6-foot-3 and 233-pounds but is equally if not even more athletic than Angeline.

Considered top ten recruits in the state of Pennsylvania, a commitment from Angeline or Upshur would further strengthen Penn State’s “Dominate the State” recruiting motto. Currently however, Angeline appears to be the favorite of the two tight ends to actually land at Penn State as Upshur is a favorite to land the University of Miami .

Either way, Penn State must receive a commitment from one of these top-ten tight ends.

3. DT Karamo Dioubate

Reigning from Philadelphia, Dioubate is a fast-rising prospect and is one of the top in the state of Pennsylvania. Dioubate has never been considered a lock for Penn State but the Nittany Lions are a very strong favorite to land the defensive tackle.

With a commitment already from Shane Simmons, Dioubate would compliment Simmons extremely to the point of how effective Anthony Zettel and Anthony Johnson were in 2014. Dioubate has cooled off on Penn State recently but Penn State is still considered a favorite with 67% of 247Sport’s Crystal Ball predictions leaning towards the Nittany Lions.

Dioubate is a powerhouse on the defensive line and could fit well at any position on the line at the next level. Dioubate is an extremely physical and powerful defensive lineman who is ‘violent’ at times when he makes tackles.

Letting Dioubate land anywhere but Penn State would not sit well with the Penn State coaching staff, with that being said, there is no doubt that James Franklin and staff will be going hard after the Philadelphia defensive lineman in the upcoming months.

2. ILB Brendan Ferns

Originally an Ohio State favorite, the tables have turned with Penn State being now looking like the favorites, thanks to Ohio State not carrying Ferns desired major.

The Nittany Lions haven’t received a commitment from a top linebacker in a few recruiting classes, therefore receiving a commitment from Ferns would be huge for the Nittany Lions also when considering they would be taking Ferns from out of Ohio State’s backyard.

Ferns is a monster at inside linebacker but could also project well to play outside linebacker at the college level. A ball hawk, Ferns would fit in well for Penn State’s style of play on defense and could be very comparable to that of former Nittany Lion Mike Hull, who was one of the nation’s top linebackers during the 2014 season.

The only threats to Penn State for Ferns appears to be LSU and West Virginia with the WVU being the biggest threat.

1. DT Rashan Gary

Any surprise here? Gary is the nation’s top prospect and is Penn Stat’s top target in the 2016 recruiting class. Luckily for fans of college football recruiting, it seems that Gary’s recruiting isn’t going to end any time soon and the field for the nation’s top prospect is filled with a number of schools all having a good chance to land the nation’s top prospect.

Currently, Alabama is the favorite to land Gary with Michigan, who hired Gary’s former head coach as a favorite as well. However, Penn State shouldn’t be ruled out as insider knowledge has it rumored that Penn State still stands a very strong chance to land the defensive end.

Gary isn’t a finished prospect but he’s shown enough to be considered the nation’s top prospect which should be taken into consideration of how good Gary can be down the line at whichever school he lands at.

The only question remaining with Gary is, who? Alabama? Michigan? Ohio State? Penn State? Rutgers? Only time will tell but landing a commitment from Gary would make Gary the best commitment the Nittany Lions have ever received.

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