Penn State’s in-state rebound continues in the Class of 2022. After a busy June of official visits and camps, July has seen a flurry of commitments. The latest is four-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, who chose the Nittany Lions on July 22.
Below is a rundown of Penn State’s 2022 class, which has 24 verbal commitments. All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite. The most recent commitments are listed first, and analysis of commitments will continue to be added as the class unfolds.
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Abdul Carter, LB
High school: La Salle College High School
Hometown: Glenside, Pa.
Ranking: No. 314 overall, No. 36 LB
Date of commitment: July 31, 2021
Notable: Linebacker U added another key cog for the future with the No. 10 player in Pennsylvania. Carter, a four-star outside linebacker listed at 6-3 and 205 pounds, took an official visit to Penn State in June and also took an official visit to South Carolina. He was back on campus on the day of his commitment as part of Penn State’s Lasch Bash recruiting event. Lasch Bash has typically been a marquee recruiting weekend, and this time it clearly was enough to help close the deal with Carter, who spent time with his future classmates and teammates before picking Penn State. It was a fitting way for Penn State to wrap up July, a month that has bolstered the class with a flurry of commitments. Carter is the second linebacker in the class, joining Imhotep’s Keon Wylie, a three-star prospect.
Kevin Winston Jr., S
High school:DeMatha Catholic (Md.)
Hometown:Hyattsville, Md.
Ranking:No. 646 overall, No. 45 safety
Date of commitment:July 31, 2021
Notable: As Penn State’s class unfolds, we’re learning more about safeties coach Anthony Poindexter’s abilities as a recruiter and more about what the future secondary could look like. Penn State has long had success at DeMatha Catholic, the high school alma mater of former PSU defensive end Shane Simmons and current PSU offensive lineman Golden Israel-Achumba and defensive tackle Coziah Izzard.
The 6-2, 190-pound Winston is the fourth safety in this class, though there is some positional flexibility with Cristian Driver, who also plays wide receiver. Winston is the No. 13 prospect in Maryland, and the Terps were his other finalist.
Cristian Driver, S
High school: Liberty Christian (Texas)
Hometown: Argyle, Texas
Ranking: No. 210 overall, No. 15 safety
Date of commitment:July 29, 2021
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Notable: Just how early did James Franklin’s recruitment start with this four-star prospect? Cristian Driver, the son of former Green Bay Packers standout Donald Driver, has one of the most unique connections to Franklin. During Franklin’s lone season in the NFL, in 2005, he was the Packers’ receivers coach, and his prized pupil was Donald Driver. Since then, Franklin has spoken multiple times about what that one season meant to him and the importance of Donald Driver’s friendship. Driver even spoke to Penn State’s team when they were in Dallas ahead of the Cotton Bowl in 2019. What Franklin learned from working with the receiver before returning to college football helped lay the foundation for a recruitment that would officially start 13 years later. As Franklin often says in recruiting, it’s all about relationships, right?
While Franklin may be more like family than coach to Cristian Driver, there’s no denying Penn State liked what it saw early on from the 6-foot, 180-pound defensive back and wide receiver. The Nittany Lions made him a priority by extending an offer in November 2018, making it one of Cristian’s earliest offers. Cristian’s NFL connections don’t end there, as he’ll play his senior season under the instruction of Liberty Christian’s first year head coach who just so happens to be 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten.
During Driver’s commitment ceremony, he expressed a desire to continue playing wide receiver at the next level as well. “I’m hoping that I can come in and help anyway possible, even if they do need me at safety,” Driver said.
Cam Miller, CB
High school:Trinity Christian Academy (Fla.)
Hometown:Jacksonville, Fla.
Ranking:No. 281 overall, No. 30 CB
Date of commitment:July 26, 2021
Notable:With plenty of skill-position talents, two quarterbacks, notable offensive linemen and a pair of safeties among others already in the fold, the Nittany Lions now have a cornerback in the 6-foot, 180-pound Miller. Penn State offered Miller in November of 2020, and he made two trips to Happy Valley, including one for an official visit, in June. Miller attended Fernandina Beach High School last season, where he was thrust into option quarterback duties but also played receiver, defensive back and returner on kicks and punts. He also played basketball. The versatile athlete transferred to Trinity Christian Academy this summer and projects as a corner for the Nittany Lions. Miller’s other college finalist was Virginia Tech.
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Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE
High school:McDonogh School
Hometown:Owings Mills, Md.
Ranking:No. 50 overall, No. 9 DL
Date of commitment:July 22, 2021
Notable: Penn State’s top target on the board picked Penn State over Georgia, marking the kind of recruiting victory that takes this Penn State class from a very good one to a potentially special one. Penn State’s run of former McDonogh players, from PJ Mustipher to D’von Ellies to Curtis Jacobs, is a testament to the Nittany Lions’ strong foothold in Maryland and with this powerhouse program.
The 6-5, 250-pound four-star prospect is one of the most intriguing defensive additions since Penn State landed Micah Parsons. Penn State signed Jacobs, a versatile linebacker also from McDonogh who was ranked No. 36 nationally, in the 2020 class. Linebacker Brandon Smith, ranked No. 18 overall in the 2019 cycle, was an important addition, too. But getting a defensive linemen with this kind of pedigree hasn’t happened at Penn State very often, especially recently. Get ready for more comparisons to Parsons’ 2018 signing class. That group finished ranked sixth in the national team class rankings that year; this group could end up being Penn State’s highest-rated signing class ever.
Jordan Allen, S
High school:Lafayette Christian Academy (La.)
Hometown: Lafayette, La.
Ranking: No. 494 overall, No. 36 safety
Date of commitment:July 17, 2021
Notable:It’s outside of Penn State’s traditional recruiting footprint, but Allen gives the Nittany Lions a 6-foot, 182-pound defensive back. Penn State hasn’t been shy about adding talented defensive backs and getting them on the field early. While they’ve dipped into the junior college ranks to fill holes on the current roster, especially at safety, they’ll continue to retool the last line of defense for years to come.
Kaytron Allen, RB
High school:IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Hometown: Norfolk, Va.
Ranking:No. 132 overall, No. 10 RB
Date of commitment:July 16, 2021
Notable: It’s a good problem to have and one Penn State continues to be all too familiar with: The Nittany Lions’ backfield is the team’s most well-stocked position, both now and looking into the future. Penn State’s second running back of the cycle, this one a 5-11, 220-pounder, marks the second time the Nittany Lions have built a two-running back class featuring one back from IMG Academy; the other was the 2019 class that brought in Noah Cain and Devyn Ford. Getting two backs aboard is no easy feat, especially when they’re both top-10 prospects at the position. It’s a testament to the school’s historic success at the position, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider’s recruiting abilities and Penn State’s desire to divvy up carries to keep backs healthy as they near the NFL.
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Nicholas Singleton, RB
High School:Governor Mifflin
Hometown:Reading, Pa.
Ranking:No. 98 overall, No. 6 RB
Date of commitment:July 6, 2021
Notable:Adding Singleton is an emphatic statement that a down year for in-state recruiting for the Nittany Lions in 2021 is not being repeated. The No. 2 player in the state picked Penn State over Notre Dame, Alabama, Wisconsin and Texas A&M. Singleton, who is expected to enroll early, gives the offense an important piece to build around in the future. He became the first top-100 player to commit to the Nittany Lions in this class. Singleton attends the same high school as former Penn State linebacker Jan Johnson, and being less than 150 miles from home at a university where the last two highly coveted in-state running back signees were Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders carries weight.
Kaleb Artis, DL
High School: St. Francis Prep
Hometown: Fresh Meadows, N.Y.
Ranking: No. 430 overall, No. 63 DL
Date of commitment: July 4, 2021
Notable: The No. 2 player in New York, Artis was Penn State’s third commitment of July 4 and its fifth of the holiday weekend. In June, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman took official visits to Auburn, Penn State and Virginia. While Penn State’s class early on was highlighted by offensive standouts and a turnaround in Pennsylvania recruiting, Artis’ pledge helps bolster a defense that still is in still in search of cornerbacks and more linemen.
Zane Durant, DT
High School: Lake Nona
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
Ranking: No. 338 overall, No. 46 DL
Date of commitment: July 4, 2021
Notable: Penn State’s holiday weekend haul of commitments continued with the four-star prospect who was on campus June 18 for an official visit. Durant’s other finalists included Indiana, UCF and Miami. Durant is the first high school defensive tackle Penn State has landed since the 2020 cycle, which featured the trio of Cole Brevard, Fatorma Mulbah and Coziah Izzard. The Nittany Lions have added two college defensive tackles in the offseason in Duke graduate transfer Derrick Tangelo and junior college transfer Jordan van den Berg.
Keon Wylie, LB
High school:Imhotep Charter
Hometown:Philadelphia
Ranking:No. 638 overall, No. 68 LB
Date of commitment:July 3, 2021
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Notable: Wylie, a three-star linebacker who is the No. 17 prospect in Pennsylvania, took official visits to Penn State, Pitt and Kentucky in June. For as much as Penn State’s 2021 class struggled to make a dent in Pennsylvania, the 2022 class has rebounded — particularly in the talent-rich Philadelphia area. Wylie joins Northeast High School edge rusher Ken Talley and former Northeast (and current Lackawanna College) safety Tyrece Mills as Penn State’s efforts to pluck talent from Philadelphia continues. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect is the first linebacker in the Nittany Lions’ class, and Wylie is high school teammates with Pennsylvania’s top prospect, edge rusher Enai White.
JB Nelson, OT
School: Lackawanna College/Mt. Lebanon High
Hometown:Pittsburgh
Ranking: No. 2 overall juco player
Date of commitment:July 2, 2021
Notable:The Lackawanna College to Penn State pipeline continues to be one of Penn State’s most important recruiting pieces. Nelson is the second Lackawanna Falcon in this class, joining safety Tyrece Mills. Nelson picked up a Penn State offer on June 6 and is the third offensive lineman in this class. Nelson’s other offers included Maryland, West Virginia, NC State and Ole Miss. Adding Nelson now is a nice boost, especially because it’s just days after offensive tackle commit Drew Shelton reaffirmed his Penn State commitment after taking an official visit to Florida last month. Remember, whenever a team adds a junior college transfer, it’s often doing so to fill some sort of hole or deficiency on the roster. Penn State currently has five former Lackawanna College players on this year’s roster — safeties Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown, offensive lineman Anthony Whigan, wide receiver Norval Black and specialist Bradley King.
Tyler Johnson, WR
High School: Magna Vista
Hometown: Ridgeway, Va.
Ranking: No. 591 overall, No. 77 WR
Date of commitment: June 21, 2021
Notable: Penn State’s class is filling up, with Johnson becoming at least the third receiver in the class. Athlete Mehki Flowers could play in the secondary, so Johnson gives this group a receiver whose recruitment and ranking was impacted by this unusual recruiting cycle. Johnson picked up a Penn State offer in May, worked out for the staff in June and then quickly returned for an official visit. It’s basically a one-month relationship that’s been built and now bolstered by in-person activities. The Nittany Lions must be looking at him as a sleeper pick in a class that’s loaded with talent. The 6-foot, 175-pound prospect picked Penn State over offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Duke and others.
Alex Bacchetta, P
High School: Westminster Schools
Hometown: Atlanta
Ranking: N/A in 247Sports Composite, No. 1 punter in Kohl’s Kicking Academy rankings
Date of commitment: May 25, 2021
Notable: Penn State is set at kicker and punter after it signed kicker Sander Sahaydak in the 2021 cycle and added Bacchetta to this class. Hailing from the same high school as former Penn State punter Blake Gillikin, Bacchetta is the team’s first true scholarship punter since Gillikin. Joe Lorig has relied on current kicker Jordan Stout to handle kickoffs, punts and long-range field goals, but the divide in the future could be clearer with a true punter in Bacchetta and one of the top kicker recruits in the country in Sahaydak.
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Tyrece Mills, S
School: Lackawanna College/Northeast High
Hometown: Philadelphia
Ranking: No. 3 overall juco player
Date of commitment: May 5, 2021
Notable: Scranton’s Lackawanna College continues to be one of Penn State’s best places to help fill needs on the roster, and that’s exactly what Mills should do. The outlook at safety will be one of the most interesting positions on the team with former Lackawanna College standout Jaquan Brisker out of eligibility after this season. Another former Falcon, Ji’Ayir Brown, is competing for a starting job alongside Brisker this year. Mills’ connection with commit Ken Talley and relationship with graduate assistant Deion Barnes, formerly a coach at Northeast High, can’t be overlooked in his recruitment.
Maleek McNeil, OT
High School: The Williston Northampton School
Hometown: Easthampton, Mass.
Ranking: No. 756 overall, No. 68 OT
Date of commitment: May 1, 2021
Notable: No prospect in Penn State’s class has a more towering stature than the 6-foot-8, 340-pound McNeil, and that adds to the attraction, as Phil Trautwein will have to develop a player with the kind of frame that doesn’t come around often. McNeil’s other offers included the likes of Rutgers and Boston College. Though McNeil hasn’t had a high-profile recruitment like the other tackle in this class, Drew Shelton, Trautwein’s own career was built around being not the most highly touted lineman but becoming a technician and developing into a starter at Florida. Now we’ll see if Trautwein can transform McNeil into a Big Ten lineman in a few years.
Drew Allar, QB
High School: Medina High
Hometown: Medina, Ohio
Ranking: No. 142 overall, No. 11 QB
Date of commitment: March 8, 2021
Notable: Two-quarterback classes are always fascinating in that the competition is going to come to a head at some point during their collegiate careers. Allar was the first quarterback Mike Yurcich offered once he was hired as Penn State’s offensive coordinator in January. The 6-foot-4, 228-pound four-star prospect’s stock is on the rise, making him one of the most intriguing quarterback prospects in this cycle. What Penn State’s offense does this year with a third coordinator in three seasons and whether Yurcich can rebuild Sean Clifford will be worth watching for Allar and Beau Pribula, the other quarterback in this class. Yurcich’s track record with quarterbacks was part of the reason James Franklin targeted him, and for Penn State to get to where it wants to be, it needs an elite quarterback. Allar could be that player.
Mehki Flowers, WR
High School: Central Dauphin East
Hometown: Harrisburg, Pa.
Ranking: No. 135 overall, No. 19 WR
Date of commitment: Jan. 1, 2021
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Notable: As one of the top athletes in Pennsylvania, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound wide receiver/safety is the highest-ranked player in the state to commit to Penn State so far this cycle. Flowers, ranked fourth in Pennsylvania, can help Penn State fix what went wrong in-state in the 2021 cycle. The Harrisburg area has long been good to Penn State, and the Nittany Lions are firmly entrenched with many players in the mid-state region. Flowers transferred from Steel High, where he helped the Rollers win a Class-A state title, to Central Dauphin East last winter.
Anthony Ivey, WR
High School: Manheim Township High
Hometown: Lancaster, Pa.
Ranking: No. 189 overall, No. 27 WR
Date of commitment: Oct. 29, 2020
Notable: It’s possible the Nittany Lions could roll out an all-Pennsylvania receiving corps a few years down the road with Flowers, Ivey and 2021 class cornerstone Lonnie White Jr. Though the ebbs and flows of talent in Pennsylvania are out of Penn State’s control, the 2022 cycle is going much better than 2021 within the state for Penn State. Securing pledges from the two best in-state receivers in Flowers and Ivey reaffirms Penn State’s desire to keep the best players home. Penn State should be able to promote Parker Washington’s success during his freshman season, as well as the development of Jahan Dotson, who was once one of Pennsylvania’s top wide receiver prospects and has blossomed into one of the Big Ten’s top playmakers.
Ken Talley, Edge
High School: Northeast High
Hometown: Philadelphia
Ranking: No. 250 overall, No. 11 edge
Date of commitment: Sept. 8, 2020
Notable: When Barnes was coaching at Northeast High, it helped fulfill a passion for the former PSU defensive end. Fast forward a couple of years and Barnes’ work at Northeast has helped give the Nittany Lions a pipeline into the city that’s often been lacking. Talley was one of Barnes’ players at Northeast. No part of the state is more important for Penn State to stay competitive in than the eastern part. Between the likes of Northeast, Imhotep Charter, St. Joe’s Prep and Archbishop Wood, the collection of talent has coaches from Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and everywhere else trying to pluck the best players. Talley’s status as the No. 9 player in Pennsylvania keeps Penn State’s brand alive and well in Philadelphia.
Drew Shelton, OT
High School: IMG Academy (Fla.)
Hometown: Downingtown, Pa.
Ranking: No. 129 overall, No. 14 OT
Date of commitment: Sept. 4, 2020
Notable: Don’t let the change of high schools fool you — Shelton is a Pennsylvania prospect who left Downingtown West High following his junior season and moved to Florida last winter, where he now attends IMG Academy. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive tackle is relatively new to the position after playing tight end as a freshman, but with his size and athleticism, Downingtown West put him at tackle because it wanted to get him on the field early. Shelton became one of the top offensive line prospects this cycle, and though Penn State will have to work to keep his pledge — especially after he went from being two and a half hours from State College to now living in Bradenton, Fla. — Trautwein has made it clear to Shelton that signing him is a priority. Shelton’s family has long been friends with the family of 2021 signee Lonnie White Jr.
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Beau Pribula, QB
High School: Central York High
Hometown: York, Pa.
Ranking: No. 376 overall, No. 26 QB
Date of commitment: Aug. 3, 2020
Notable: When the offense sputtered last season during Kirk Ciarrocca’s first and only season with the Nittany Lions, it didn’t worry Pribula. A longtime Penn State fan who grew up attending games in Beaver Stadium, Pribula was the first quarterback to commit to this class and gave Franklin his verbal pledge over a video call. The 6-2, 215-pound three-star prospect — like everyone else in this class — didn’t have a camp circuit to traverse last summer, but his profile rose when he led Central York to the Pennsylvania Class 6A state championship game, where it lost to St. Joseph’s Prep.
Jerry Cross, TE
High School: King
Hometown: Milwaukee
Ranking: No. 218 overall, No. 8 TE
Date of commitment: July 28, 2020
Notable: Penn State’s recent success at tight end with players like Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth is making it a popular landing spot, though Cross’ commitment was a surprise last summer largely because it came without him seeing the campus. His sole impression of Penn State came over video calls. Though that could create some trepidation for a staff that wants players to surrender all other official visits once they commit to Penn State, Cross has only reaffirmed his pledge. In May, he was the second player in the class to tweet that he was “107 percent locked in” with his Penn State pledge.
Kaden Saunders, WR
High School: Westerville South
Hometown: Westerville, Ohio
Ranking: No. 114 overall, No. 15 WR
Date of commitment: July 25, 2020
Notable: All classes start somewhere, and through the most unusual recruiting calendar and last year’s 0-5 start for Penn State, Saunders remained a leader in the class and hasn’t wavered in his commitment. Saunders trains in the shadow of The Horseshoe but continues working to recruit other prospects to his class at Penn State rather than Ohio State. The potential to have a wide receiver/quarterback duo hailing from Ohio in years to come would be quite a statement for Penn State. The 5-11, 172-pound four-star prospect has worked out with Allar. Saunders added an Alabama offer in February, which usually creates pause for some, but he was the first commit this spring to reinforce that he’s “107 percent” committed to Penn State, and he intends to keep recruiting others to join him.
(Photo courtesy of Drew Allar)
