Penn State Football Recruiting: Junior Day Preview

This weekend will be a busy one in Happy Valley in terms of football recruiting

Every calendar year has a few big weekends for recruiting. For each college football program these weekends vary. As for Penn State football recruiting, this weekend is one of the biggest of the year.

This weekend is Penn State’s Junior Day. The Nittany Lion coaching staff will host a large amount of class of 2018 and class of 2019 recruits this weekend, making it one of the most important weekends of the year for Penn State Football recruiting.

Some of Penn State’s top un-committed targets in the class of 2018 will be on campus this weekend. This includes, but is not limited to, defensive end Dorian Hardy, safety Kwantel Raines, defensive tackle Tyler Friday, and linebacker Xavier Peters.

Dorian Hardy hails from Montvale, New Jersey. He camped for the Nittany Lions last weekend, but has not been back to Happy Valley since. He also attended Junior Day last spring. The Nittany Lions are heavily in the mix for the four-star pass rusher.

Raines, a four-star prospect, is a native of Aliquippa. The Nittany Lions have not signed a Quip in over 30 years, however, Raines very well may change that. He visited Pitt for their junior day last weekend and this appears to be an in-state battle.

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Kwantel Raines last visited Penn State for their 41-14 thumping of Iowa in November. Getting Raines back on campus is big for the Nittany Lions. While he does not appear close to a decision, the Nittany Lions are in a very good spot right now.

Four-star defensive tackle Tyler Friday is one of the top defensive tackle recruits in the country. The New Jersey native is the second best defensive tackle recruit, and 38th best overall, in the country according to the composite ratings of 247 Sports. As of now, the Nittany Lions appear to be a long shot in Friday’s recruitment, but getting him on campus is the first step toward changing that.

Xavier Peters is a four-star linebacker from West Chester, Ohio. He has said in the past that the Ohio State Buckeyes are his dream school. However, he does not currently hold an offer from the Buckeyes. If Ohio State offers, his recruitment will end. But if they never do, the Nittany Lions may prove to be the team to beat.

Tight end commit Zack Kuntz will also be on campus this weekend. This will already be Kuntz’s third visit to campus since committing in November.

As I said above, the Nittany Lions will also be hosting a slew of class of 2019 recruits this weekend. Some 2019 recruits that will be on campus to keep an eye on are athlete DeMarcco Hellams, defensive tackle Jacob Lacey, and cornerback Nyquee Hawkins.

DeMarcco Hellams was offered by the Nittany Lions earlier this week. The Maryland native attends powerhouse DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville. He already holds early offers from Louisville, Maryland, Michigan, and North Carolina, among others.

Jacob Lacey is one of the top junior defensive tackles in the country. The Bowling Green, Kentucky, native is ranked by 247 Sports as the 37th best recruit in the country in the 2019 recruiting cycle. This will be his first visit to Penn State.

Four-star cornerback Nyquee Hawkins is a native of Orange, New Jersey. This will be his fourth visit to State College since August. Penn State is currently the team to beat for Hawkins, and I would not be surprised if he winds up being the first member of the Nittany Lions’ 2019 recruiting class.

Next: Recruiting Roundup: February 20, 2017

Obviously, this is not the full visitor list for this weekend. These are visitors I have been able to confirm through social media and other free outlets. While I am not expecting the Nittany Lions to pick up any commitments this weekend, I also would not be shocked if one were to happen.

As always, stay tuned here at Victory Bell Rings for all the latest news in the world of Penn State football recruiting.

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