LSU Tigers 2021 Commit Greg Penn III SI All-American Player Profile
Of the 16 current LSU commits, linebacker Greg Penn III is the latest to pledge his commitment to the Tigers. The highly touted prospect out of the DMV area fits the mold of LSU’s recent history of successful linebackers.
Penn is one of three linebackers in the 2021 class, joining outside linebackers Raesjon Davis and Zavier Carter. While Davis and Carter are more fit for outside roles with the Tigers, Penn will be viewed as more of an inside linebacker because of his bigger build.
Inside linebacker is a position that, after 2020, will likely need some depth as senior Jabril Cox will be gone from the program and potentially junior Damone Clark, depending on the kind of season he has with the Tigers. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds Penn possesses the frame to really build muscle over the next year before he arrives to Baton Rouge.
LSU has Micah Baskerville, Antoine Sampah and Josh White all of whom will likely return next season so Penn’s addition will be highly valued. Penn is excited to get to work with defensive coordinator Bo Pelini, who has a background in coaching up linebackers.
“LSU is getting a lot of linebackers to the league, they just have a great history of that. Devin White and now Patrick Queen, you go back and look at Kwon Alexander, I mean it's a trend," Penn told LSUCountry back in April. "I feel like that 4-3 defense really fits me well and that coach Pelini will do everything he can to get me to the next level. He feels I can play any linebacker position, very versatile and really just feels I fit the system he's looking to put back in place at LSU."
Here is Penn’s SI All-American player profile and scouting report.
Frame: Adequate height with above-average length. Some muscle definition in upper extremities and trunk, with room to add some weight throughout.
Athleticism: Quicker than fast with a burst through the line of scrimmage. Solid lateral ability with inside-out pursuit style. Good play diagnostics with build up in reaction time out of the box. Could stand to open up stride.
Instincts: Aggressive approach in declaring early and anticipating snap count on blitzes and/or inside stunts. Solid motor through the whistle with scraping ability in between the tackles. Asked to spy against athletic passers on occasion with eye discipline and has success in contain.
Polish: Efficient movement skill with inside-out style. Despite the aggression, he breaks down with control versus the run and when attacking the passer. Appears athletic enough to hold his own in coverage, though not asked to do so much at the prep level.
Bottom Line: Penn is an early-down run-stuffing linebacker with great activity level and range from sideline to sideline. He has the quickness and physicality to rack up tackles by the dozen, complete with tone-setting finishing power. As he adds some mass and develops on third down, it won’t take much to get him on the field at a high major program.
