Penn State Football Recruiting: Big visit weekend, new offers, and more

Welcome back to the weekly look at all things Penn State football recruiting here at Victory Bell Rings – the recruiting roundup

Two weeks of spring practice are now in the books for Penn State football. With this, the world of Penn State football recruiting is as busy as ever.

This past weekend was a huge recruiting weekend in Happy Valley for the Nittany Lions. During the visits, new offers went out from James Franklin and his coaching staff. Additionally, one of Penn State’s top targets set a commitment date.

With all of that said, let’s dive into this week’s Penn State football recruiting roundup.

Big visitor weekend

Some of Penn State’s top targets for the 2019, 2020, and 2021 recruiting cycles were on campus this past weekend. This included the Nittany Lions top two remaining quarterback targets – Taisun Phommachanh and Garrett Shrader.

Prior to Joe Moorhead departing for Mississippi State, Penn State was going to be almost impossible to beat for Shrader. However, Moorhead leaving has changed his recruitment significantly. Now, the Nittany Lions are behind both the Bulldogs and South Carolina, even after his visit this past weekend.

As for Phommachanh, the Nittany Lions are firmly in the mix as one of his top two or three schools along with programs such as Florida State and Georgia. This past weekend was a huge success for the Nittany Lions with Phommachanh, and Penn State should get an official visit from him. The Nittany Lions will be squarely in this one until the end.

Other big visitors from the 2019 recruiting cycle included defensive lineman Adisa Isaac, linebacker Andre White, offensive linemen Jakai Moore and Saleem Wormley, and safety Nick Cross.

The Nittany Lions are firmly in the mix for all of these players. To be honest, after this past weekend, the Nittany Lions most likely find themselves in the top two, if not the leader, for each of these players. I feel very comfortable saying at least three of these players will end up signing with Penn State.

Class of 2020 visitors included defensive end Jacolbe Cowan, linebacker Mekhail Sherman, and quarterback Michael Alaimo.

Meanwhile, the class of 2021 was highlighted by athlete Gabe Stephens and defensive end Jack Sawyer.

New offers

One of the new offers that went out over the weekend was to the aforementioned Saleem Wormley. Penn State joins programs such as Florida State, Maryland, and Notre Dame in offering Wormley.

If Penn State pushed for the Delaware native, they would be very difficult to beat.

Another player to earn an offer over the weekend was Jack Sawyer, who will be one of the top recruits in the country for the 2021 cycle. Penn State should be a player for Sawyer throughout his recruitment. Fellow class of 2021 recruit Gabe Stephens was also offered over the weekend. Like Sawyer, Stephens figures to be a big-time national recruit for 2021.

Top target sets commitment date

Top-100 running back Devyn Ford has a top group of Ohio State, Penn State, and Virginia Tech. He has taken an unofficial visit to each school this offseason and he will officially visit each later this spring. After these official visits, he will announce his commitment.

According to Evan Watkins of VTScoop, Ford will announce his college decision on May 18. While the Hokies currently appear to be the team to beat, both Penn State and Ohio State will get a chance to change that. The Nittany Lions made a big impression on Ford during his last visit to campus, if they can do it again when he officially visits for the Blue White Game then you never know what may happen.

Next: Penn State advances to NIT Championship

That will do it for this week. As always, stay tuned here at Victory Bell Rings for all of the latest news in the world of Penn State football recruiting.