Major Penn State Football recruiting target is back on the market

Penn State Football only has two weeks remaining until the early signing period for the 2023 class

Penn State Football is looking to close out its 2023 recruiting class strong and there’s now a chance Kaveion Keys is a part of that plan.

The 4-star linebacker from Virginia reopened him recruitment on Thursday after being committed to North Carolina since August. The Nittany Lions were a finalist for Keys during his first commitment, likely coming in second place.

Keys was a recruit Victory Bell Rings identified as a possible flip candidate back in October thanks to a strong season from first year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and breakout season freshman linebacker Abdul Carter. At the same time, North Carolina’s defense struggled mightily this season.

While Penn State should feel good about its chances of getting back into the picture with Keys, other schools will come calling. A recruit of this caliber reopening his commitment this late in the cycle will get the attention of everyone.

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Keys is one of the best linebackers in the region for the 2023 class. Penn State already has commitments from arguably the other two top linebackers in the Mid-Atlantic in Ta’Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas.

Landing Keys would give the Nittany Lions one of the best linebacker hauls in the country.

Keys is from Richmond, VA, which seems like a significant fact considering Penn State has crushed it in the state of Virginia in the 2023 cycle. The Nittany Lions currently have commitments from five of the top ten recruits in the state. Keys would be the sixth top ten Virginia recruit to end up at Penn State.

Penn State Football currently has the No. 13 recruiting class in the nation according to 247 Sports. The class has 19 members, with 15 of them being rated 4-star or better. Keys would be the 16th blue-chip recruit in the class, giving the Nittany Lions an 80% blue-chip ratio for this class.