Who's Next? Get to Know Penn State's 2021 Recruiting Class
Penn State's 15 commits to the 2021 recruiting class have signed their Letters of Intent, though recruiting certainly isn't over. Coach James Franklin has time, and a little space, to add more players to this class.
Penn State sits outside the SI All-American Top 25 but has moved up in some other rankings. 247Sports has Penn State at No. 21 nationally, and fifth in the Big Ten, while Rivals.com ranks the team at No. 26.
Though Franklin famously said this fall that Penn State "hasn't gotten it done" in recruiting recently, the 2021 class offers plenty of promise. Here's a look at some of the more interesting stories from the class.
Lonnie White, Jr., a two-sport star at Malvern Prep, could be an immediate contributor for Penn State at receiver next year. Or he could sign a professional baseball contract next summer, particularly if he keeps climbing MLB draft boards. White originally was committed to play baseball at Clemson but told the Philadelphia Inquirer this week that "I kind of wanted to stay closer to home." He plans to play football and baseball at Penn State. In addition, White's parents, Lonnie and Regina, were athletes at East Stroudsburg, where Franklin played quarterback.
Quarterback Christian Veilleux, a highly recruited prospect from Ottawa, Ontario, played football at three different schools. He started in the Ottawa City League before moving to Buffalo and then eventually to Maryland's The Bullis School. There, Veilleux broke Dwanye Haskins' single-season record for touchdown passes. Unfortunately, Veilleux didn't have a senior season, which was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Penn State welcomed twins Wednesday: Brothers Kalen and Kobe King of Detroit Cass Technical signed their Letters of Intent. In fact, the brothers were Penn State's first two signees of 2021 (Kobe King officially is listed as the first).
Penn State's Michigan connection was scheduled to be on display Wednesday night. All four commits from the state (the Kings, Jamari Buddin and Jaylen Reed) had games scheduled in the Michigan state playoffs. Further, three future teammates were set to play in one game, as the King brothers' Cass Technical faced Buddin's Belleville team in a duel of unbeatens. Those games, however, once again were postponed.
Offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, also unable to play a senior season, nevertheless will arrive at Penn State with a statistic the offensive staff loves. Tengwall made 77 pancake blocks as a junior at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Maryland.
St. Xavier High Coach Steve Specht called receiver Liam Clifford "arguably the best football player to come out of" the school, whose alumni include Sean Clifford, Penn State's starting quarterback and Liam's older brother. Sean introduced Liam during Penn State's Signing Day ceremony Wednesday.
This is a huge stat: Defensive end Rodney McGraw made 91 tackles (22 for loss) in his senior season at Elkhart (Ind.) Central High.
Even though he didn't play football this season, Jeffrey Davis, Jr. still finished his career as a four-year letter-winner. Davis won four letters, including one as an eighth-grader, at Kingswood Oxford Prep in Connecticut. He transferred to another school this year, but his senior season was canceled.
Zakee Wheatley played just two games this season because of pandemic cancellations but still made two interceptions. He had 56 catches and five interceptions as a junior.
Kicker Sander Sahaydak, from Liberty High in Bethlehem, Pa., comes from a soccer family. His uncle Tim played at North Carolina and professionally in Miami and Columbus. His aunt Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak also played at North Carolina and won two NCAA titles, a World Cup title and an Olympic gold medal. The Sahaydaks coach the women's soccer team at the University of Central Florida, where Tiffany is the head coach.
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