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Penn State football recruiting commit breakdown: DE Jayson Oweh

By Marty Leap

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: A homecoming crowd of 108,062 pack the stands as the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated Penn State Nittany Lions 6-4 during NCAA football at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2004 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 23: A homecoming crowd of 108,062 pack the stands as the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated Penn State Nittany Lions 6-4 during NCAA football at Beaver Stadium on October 23, 2004 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /
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Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class picked up its 23rd member on Thursday evening

Four-star defensive end Jayson Oweh has committed to Penn State. The Blairstown, New Jersey, native committed to the Nittany Lions at the Under Armor All-American Game on Thursday evening. Oweh chose the Nittany Lions over Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ohio State, among others.

The recruitment of Jayson Oweh was a crazy one. A year ago he had just switched from being a basketball recruit to a football recruit. His first big offer came from the Nittany Lions in April of 2017 and forming this early relationship with Oweh paid off for James Franklin and company.

After a great senior season for Blair Academy, Jayson Oweh experienced a huge jump in recruiting rankings. He is currently ranked as the 106th best player in the country according to the composite rankings of 247 Sports. After his strong showing at the Under Armor All-American festivities in Orlando this week, it would not be a surprise to see Oweh become a top-100 player.

Despite having over 30 offers, Oweh’s recruitment came down to the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes. At one point in his recruitment Ohio State appeared to be his leader. However, in the end, the Nittany Lion coaching staff was able to secure a commitment from Oweh and beat out their rival Buckeyes for the talented pass rusher.

Jayson Oweh is still very raw and will take a year or two to develop. After a year or two of development though Oweh will be an elite pass rusher for coordinator Brent Pry and the Nittany Lion defense.

Off the ball Jayson Oweh has great explosion and burst. At six-foot-five he brings great length and reach to the defensive end position, and his frame gives him room to fill out quite a bit once he gets in Dwight Galt’s weight program.

Oweh also moves very well laterally and this is something he uses to his advantage on the field. He also has strong footwork and is very good with his hands, two key components to being a successful defensive lineman.

Jayson Oweh would appear to be on a similar trajectory as that of current Nittany Lions defensive end Shane Simmons. Like Simmons, Oweh is a highly touted pass rusher in high school that will require a redshirt season and some additional seasoning. But as Penn State fans started to see with Simmons in the second half of the 2017 season, it will be worth the wait.

With the addition of Oweh, Penn State adds another elite talent to an elite recruiting class. When you pair him with Aeneas Hawkins, Judge Culpepper, PJ Mustipher, and potentially Micah Parsons and/or Nick Tarburton, it is uncertain if Parsons and Tarburton will play linebacker or defensive line, the Nittany Lions have one of the best defensive line classes in the FBS.

Next: Recruiting roundup: 1/3/2018

With the commitment of Jayson Oweh, Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class holds strong as the fourth best in the country according to 247 Sports. You can watch his impressive senior film here. Welcome to Happy Valley, Jayson!

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