Penn State Football recruiting: Updated 2022 defensive big board

Defensive coordinator Brent Pry of the Penn State Nittany Lions(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Defensive coordinator Brent Pry of the Penn State Nittany Lions(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
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Brandon Smith, Penn State Football
Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Brandon Smith (Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

Linebacker

Penn State’s lone defensive commit is a linebacker, 4-star Ken Talley. With Talley on board, Penn State is looking to have one of their best linebacker hauls under James Franklin.

Top targets include 5-star Shawn Murphy out of Virginia and 4-star Jaishawn Barham in Maryland.

They will be tough gets as most of the big boys are interested in both.

Abdul Carter, a 4-star out of Glenside, Pa, is also out there and Penn State is interested in him. His recruitment has been quiet, but he’s a tremendous athlete that Penn State would like to get on board.

Another target include 4-star Moses Walker out of Brooklyn, he, like Carter, has had a quiet recruitment to date.

A combination of Talley and Carter would be a solid outside linebacker haul for the Nittany Lions. Having those two in the fold, would allow the staff to put on a full-court press for one of Murphy and Barham .