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Penn State Football: Recruiting Roundup March 29, 2016

By Marty Leap

Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; General view of the Penn State Nittany Lions logo inside Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State won 39-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; General view of the Penn State Nittany Lions logo inside Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State won 39-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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It has been a very busy few days for Penn State when it comes to recruiting news, so here we go with this week’s recruiting roundup!

Weekend Visitors
This past weekend, Penn State hosted over two dozen visitors to spring practice, and this included some of their top class of 2017 targets.

Four-star cornerback Lamont Wade and four-star offensive lineman CJ Thorpe were both back at Penn State after recently visiting for Junior Day. As I have said before, I believe Penn State is the leader for Thorpe, while they are running second to Ohio State in Wade’s recruitment. I fully expect Penn State to gain a verbal commitment from CJ Thorpe, and for them to have a real shot at Wade if the product on the field improves this fall.

The Nittany Lions also hosted five players from Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech over the weekend. The two players that highlighted this group were class of 2017 three-star cornerback Donovan Johnson, and class of 2018 athlete Kalon Gervin. Both of these players hold Penn State offers, and Gervin is going to be one of the most sought after recruits in the Midwest in 2018.

Another player of note that was on campus was athlete CJ Holmes. The Cheshire (CT) native picked up a Penn State offer while on campus, and has the ability to play defensive back or wide receiver in college.

Holmes also holds offers from Boston College, Mississippi State, Rutgers, and Tennessee, among others, and I expect the Nittany Lions to be a big time player for Holmes moving forward.

Avery Roberts Sets Announcement
Four-star Concord (DE) linebacker Avery Roberts will announce his commitment on April 21. The six-foot-one, 215-pound Roberts will choose between Clemson, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Stanford.

Roberts has visited Penn State multiple times in recent years, and his final visit before announcing will be to Penn State for the Blue White Game on April 16. While Roberts is very high on Nebraska and North Carolina, I will be surprised if he commits anywhere other than Penn State.

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One of the oldest sayings in recruiting is ‘watch what a recruit does, not what they say,’ and what Roberts has done more than anything else is visit Penn State. With David Adams off the board, and Penn State having such a big need at linebacker, Roberts might be the top remaining target on their board. Locking up his commitment is vital and I believe it will indeed happen.

2018 Linebacker Offered
Speaking of linebackers, over the weekend Penn State extended a scholarship offer to class of 2018 Erie Cathedral Prep linebacker Matthew Bauer. Bauer is shaping up to be one of the top prospects in the state of Pennsylvania for the class of 2018, and the Nittany Lions should be tough to beat here.

I spoke with connections at Erie Cathedral Prep, and they confirmed to me that Bauer is a lifelong Penn State fan and has always wanted to be a Nittany Lion. Furthermore, most of the people around Bauer are also Penn State fans. While I expect Bauer to visit other schools as more offers begin to roll in, ultimately I see the Nittany Lions as the team to beat here.

Penn State Makes The Cut
A pair of top offensive line targets released their top groups over the weekend, and Penn State made the cut for both. Four-star IMG Academy guard Robert Hainsey Tweeted a top 10 that includes Penn State over the weekend.

Hainsey also picked up a scholarship offer from Notre Dame last week, and his recruitment appears to be mainly a five-team race between Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

Also, Stow (OH) offensive lineman Michael Miranda discussed his finalists with Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports. Penn State made the cut for Miranda as well, which is no surprise, as the Nittany Lions appear to lead for Miranda after his visit to Happy Valley last weekend. Miranda has said he’d like to make a decision before the end of the school year.

Over the weekend, Flemington (MI) wide receiver KJ Hamler told Wiltfong that right now Michigan State and Penn State are standing out most to him. The three-star recruit visited Penn State for junior day last month, and also holds offers from Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oregon, and Syracuse, among others.

Monday afternoon, three-star Bridgeton (NJ) athlete Markquese Bell released his top 10 on Twitter, and it included the Nittany Lions. Bell has already visited Penn State once this spring, is expected to make another spring visit to Happy Valley, and the Nittany Lions are firmly in the mix here.

Monday Visitors
On Monday afternoon Penn State hosted a pair of class of 2017 recruits. Three-star Mallard Creek (NC) offensive tackle Eric Douglas was in Happy Valley for a visit, as was three-star New Jersey safety Jermaine Wilder.

Douglas was originally supposed to visit Penn State for their junior day last month but was unable to make the trip. Wilder does not hold a Penn State offer, and I only believe that will change if the Nittany Lions miss out on some other top defensive back targets.

That will do it for this week. As always, stay tuned here at Victory Bell Rings for all the Penn State recruiting news you need to know.

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