What letterman Shaka Toney Would Tell a Penn State Football recruit
By Evan Smith
Penn State Football letterman Shaka Toney knows what it takes to succeed as a Nittany Lion.
Toney, a fifth-year senior and NFL Draft hopeful to hear his name called in the early rounds this week, has some simple advice for any recruit considering committing to the Nittany Lions.
“The biggest thing I’d tell them is be ready for the culture,” Toney said during an appearance on FanSided’s The Matt Lombardo Show podcast. “We’re all about hard work and competing. It’s not endless five stars signing there … it’s a lot of guys who are hard workers, who were underrecruited and undervalued.”
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According to ESPN, of the 20 recruits Penn State Football has for the incoming 2021 class, there are zero five-star recruits, seven four-star recruits and 9 three star recruits. Only four of PSU’s recruits are listed in the ESPN Top 300.
This is of no surprise to Shaka Toney.
“That team was built buy a lot of lower three, four and even two stars,” Toney said. “You have to show up to work and prove it, no one is going to give you anything. Listen, we love you, we’re going to embrace you like a brother, but you gotta respect the culture, no one is above the culture. Some kids think they want to work hard but you’re going to leave that building every day exhausted.”
The former three-star recruit himself is hoping to hear his name called in this week’s 2021 NFL Draft and will bring whatever team that draft’s him a lot of pass rushing skill.