Penn State Lands on SI All-American's 2021 'All-Decommit Offensive Team'
Sifting through the recruiting news post-Signing Day, SI All-American compiled this intriguing list. Who were the most compelling decommits of the 2021 recruiting cycle?
SI All-American found plenty to form an 'All-Decommit Offensive Team.' And Penn State found its way into being represented.
Remember Dont'e Thornton? The receiver from Maryland initially committed to Penn State in 2019. Ultimately, though, Thornton signed with Oregon, a team for which he long wanted to play.
"A deep receiver group in the 2021 cycle left plenty of room for fluidity on the commitment list," SI All-American's John Garcia, Jr. wrote in the piece. "One of the top talents to make an early decision was SI99 talent Thornton, who picked Penn State around National Signing Day 2019 as an underclassman. Just about two months later, the Oregon Ducks extended him a scholarship offer and his plans began to change. By the summer, more offers would roll in and a decommitment was made. Thornton, who told SIAA he wanted to play for the Ducks since he was five or six, would make a final decision on Mario Cristobal’s program in October of 2020."
The 6-4, 185-pound Thornton projects as a "lead 'X' receiver in a college offense with a downfield passing game," according to his SI All-American evaluation. That certainly describes the kind of receiver Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich likes to employ.
Commitments and decommitments occur often, and Penn State certainly has traded on both sides of the recruiting coin. Still, Thornton's development at Oregon will be interesting to watch, particularly considering how he might have thrived in Penn State's new offense.
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