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Penn State Football Recruiting Roundup: February 20, 2017

By Marty Leap

Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin checks out the field before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the USC Trojans at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2017; Pasadena, CA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin checks out the field before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the USC Trojans at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Welcome back to the weekly Penn State football recruiting roundup here at VBR

College football recruiting has no offseason, and that is certainly proving to be true in the world of Penn State football recruiting. The Nittany Lions currently have the top ranked recruiting class in the country for the 2018 recruiting cycle, and they continue to have momentum on the recruiting trail.

This past weekend the Nittany Lions hosted a small group of visitors on campus, and this upcoming weekend is the much larger Junior Day. In the past week the Nittany Lions have also extended new scholarship offers.

A Top Target Visits

The visitor load was a light one this past weekend, however, that included one of Penn State’s top targets. Four-star safety Isheem Young, who plays his high school ball for Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia, was on campus for the first time since before the 2016 football season.

Isheem Young is one of the best all-around players in the country in the 2018 recruiting cycle. According to 247 Sports, Young is the 56th best player in the country. He also checks in as the sixth best safety in the country, and the third best player in the state of Pennsylvania.

Young’s recruitment still has a long way to go. I expect him to use his official visits in the fall before making a decision. That said, Penn State and Florida State appear to have separated themselves form the pack.

If he were deciding today I would pick the Nittany Lions. While his recruitment is far from over, Penn State is in a very good spot right now.

Justin Fields Checks In At The Opening Regionals

Penn State quarterback commit Justin Fields is taking part in The Opening regional competition in Orlando, Florida. The Kennesaw, Georgia, native checked in down in Orlando yesterday.

Justin Fields is one of the best quarterback prospects in the entire country for the 2018 cycle. In fact, Fields is one of the best prospects in the country regardless of position. He checks in as the 33rd best player in the country and the third best dual threat quarterback according to 247 Sports’ composite rankings.

Fields is a great athlete with a big arm. Not surprisingly, he put on a show Sunday. He ran a 4.51 second 40-yard dash and 4.16 second shuttle time. Both of these were the best among the quarterbacks in Orlando. Fields also drew raves from Steve Wiltfong of 247 Sports for his ability throwing the football. Due to his performance, Fields was invited to the Elite 11 competition in June.

Justin Fields is one of the absolute best high school quarterbacks in the country. He will be a great quarterback for the Nittany Lions one day. Until then, he will continue to do great on the camp circuits and keep doing a great job of promoting the Penn State brand.

A Pair Of Monday Visitors

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James Franklin and company are slated to host a pair of visitors on Monday. These two visitors are three-star defensive end John Morgan and three-star safety Michael Dowell.

John Morgan is from Hyattsville, Maryland, where he attends national powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School. Morgan has the ability to play tight end or defensive end in college, but the Nittany Lions are recruiting him as a defensive end.

Morgan has always been high on the Nittany Lions. In fact, I believe Penn State is his current leader. However, I am not sure he is a take right now. The Nittany Lions have 10-12 spots left in their 2018 recruiting class, and, barring any de-commitments, will most likely only take one more defensive end. Right now, the staff has multiple targets higher on their defensive end board than Morgan.

As for Dowell, he hails from St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio. Like Morgan, Dowell is not on top of the staff’s board at his position right now. The Nittany Lions already have one 2018 safety commit in Isaiah Humphries and, along with the aforementioned Isheem Young, they are among the leaders for Aliquippa native Kwantel Raines.

However, due to family ties, Michigan State will be very tough to beat for Michael Dowell’s services.

While neither John Morgan nor Michael Dowell are on top of Penn State’s recruiting board right now, it is important to keep showing interest in players like this. As we saw this past cycle with Ellis Brooks, you never know when you may need to turn to a plan B player.

Penn State Extends A New Offer

Last week, the Nittany Lions extended an offer to defensive athlete Thomas Booker.

Booker is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, where he attends Gilman High School. He is a four-star prospect that can play either linebacker or on the defensive line in college. He is a very similar player to current Penn State commit Nick Tarburton.

In order for the Nittany Lions to become a player for Booker, they need to get him on campus for a visit. Hopefully this will happen at some point this offseason.

A Pair Of Sunday Visitors

On Sunday, Penn State hosted a pair of visitors. These visitors were three-star linebacker Brian Asamoah and four-star offensive tackle Antwan Reed.

Asamoah is a native of Columbus, Ohio. As for Reed, he hails from Muskegon, Michigan. While this was Antwan Reed’s first time on campus, Brian Asamoah visited in the fall. Although both of these recruitments have a ways to go, the Nittany Lions appear to be in the mix for both. Especially Asamoah’s, as I would not be surprised to see him end up at Penn State in the end.

Next: Mike Gesicki Primed For Big 2017 Season

That will do it for today. Penn State will host their yearly junior day this weekend. Due to this, there will be another look at recruiting later this week. Stay tuned here at VBR for my Junior Day preview later in the week.

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