All Aboard: Penn State's 2021 Recruiting Class to Reunite on Campus
The Penn State football team in January welcomed seven early enrollees from the 2021 recruiting class, all of whom got a head start with spring drills. Several freshmen made a quick impact, notably cornerback Kalen King, who was one of the team's spring award-winners.
The remainder of the class enrolls this summer, with Penn State's first summer session beginning Monday. Here's a look at who's arriving.
Jamari Buddin
Position: Linebacker
Height/weight: 6-2, 204
Hometown/High school: Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville High
Profile: 3-star prospect, according to Rivals and 247Sports; Team captain and four-year letterman at Belleville; Made 43 tackles (8 for loss) and two sacks in his team's 9-0 season; Made 61 tackles (29 for loss) and nine sacks during a 10-1 season in 2019; Helped Belleville to a 37-3 record over the past four seasons.
Quotable: Head coach Jermain Crowell: "Jamari’s a passionate, aggressive and explosive football player. He can be real calm, cool and collected off the field, but on the field he’s a disrupter and a playmaker. Penn State is getting a great pass rusher and he’s going to develop the more snaps he gets. When the lights come on is when he plays his best, in the biggest games."
Liam Clifford
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-1, 191
Hometown/High school: Maineville, Ohio/St. Xavier
Profile: 3-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; 2020 Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association offensive player of the year for Division 1; Set multiple St. Xavier records, vier, including career receptions (166), career receiving yards (2,538), career receiving touchdowns (30), season receiving touchdowns (13 in 2019), season receiving yards (1,180 in 2019) and most receiving yards in a game (300); Made 72 catches for 1,090 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, as St. Xavier won the Ohio Division I state title; Will play on the same team for the first time with brother Sean, a quarterback at Penn State.
Quotable: Head coach Steve Specht: "Liam Clifford is arguably the best football player to come out of St. Xavier High School. More important, he is a quality human being who cares deeply about people and leaving situations better than he found them. As good as he is as a football player, he is a better leader and person. We were blessed to have had Liam at St. Xavier."
Khalil Dinkins
Position: Tight end
Height/weight: 6-4, 221
Hometown/High school: Wexford, Pa; North Allegheny
Profile: 3-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Four-year letterwinner at North Allegheny and captain as a senior; Helped North Allegheny to a 36-3 four-year record, including a 10-0 mark in 2020; Had 413 receiving yards and six touchdown catches last season; Father Darnell played tight end at Pitt and in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints.
Quotable: Head coach Art Walker: "Khalil Dinkins may be the most versatile football player I have ever coached. He is a big, athletic, fast and physical athlete that has great ball skills and is very aggressive. He is also a great young man with a passion to compete and lead all while maintaining a sincere love of his teammates. He has a very bright future as a student-athlete at Penn State University."
Jaylen Reed
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 6-0, 196
Hometown/High school: Detroit/Martin Luther King Jr. High
Profile: 4-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Three-year letterwinner at Martin Luther King Jr. High and an all-state selection in 2019; Made 119 tackles and forced eight fumbles that season; Helped his team to a 12-2 record and a state title in 2018; Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 9 recruit in Michigan.
Quotable: Head coach Tyrone Spencer: "Jaylen Reed has been a three-year starter for us and has been the glue that holds our defense together. He is a guy that is always around the football and gives maximum effort on every play. He can play a plethora of positions and has a high football IQ. He's very instinctual. Jaylen has a 300-pound bench press, squats 425 pounds and runs 4.5 in the 40. Jaylen is a hard worker and plays the game with passion and toughness. He leads by example and with his play on the field. He has been great for us and leaves his mark as one of the best defenders to come out of King High School."
Sander Sahaydak
Position: Kicker
Height/weight: 6-0, 159
Hometown/High school: Bethlehem, Pa; Liberty High
Profile: 3-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Four-year letterwinner at Liberty and two-time, first-team all-conference kicker; Set school records for most field goals in a game (four) and longest field goal (53 yards). Made 15 of 17 field goals the last two seasons; Rated a five-star kicker by Kohl's Professionals Camps; comes from a soccer lineage: his aunt, Tiffany Roberts Sahayadak, and uncle Tim are the head and associate head coaches of the Central Florida women's soccer team.
Quotable: Head coach John Truby: "Sander is not only a great young man, but he is an absolute game-changer on the football field. As good as Sander is right now, I truly believe he will continue to develop and he has an opportunity to become legendary. No situation or stage will be too big for this young man. I can't wait to watch him kick in front of 110,000 fans in Happy Valley.”
Davon Townley Jr.
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-6, 220
Hometown/High school: Minneapolis/North Community High
Profile: 4-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Two-time captain and an all-conference selection; Made 42 tackles (seven for loss) and 3.5 sacks in shortened six-game season in 2020; Also made five interceptions; Began playing high school football as a junior; Ranked by 247Sports as the No. 3 prospect in Minnesota; In basketball, averaged 17.5 points and 9.4 rebounds as a junior.
Quotable: Head coach Charles Adams: "Davon is an outstanding athlete that will continue to grow and develop in a great program. His energy will outmatch any opponent. He has the potential to be the next big-time NFL defensive prospect."
Harrison Wallace III
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-1, 180
Hometown/High school: Montgomery, Ala./Pike Road High
Profile: 3-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Two-year letterwinner and captain at Pike Road; Team MVP in 2019 and 2020; Made 27 catches for 696 yards and seven touchdowns last season for Pike Road, which went 10-1.
Quotable: Head coach Patrick Browning: "Harrison is a great person who comes from a great family. He’s a phenomenal athlete who can do anything on the field. He’s very intelligent and very respectful and leads by example. He’s the type of player you want to coach. He’s going to make the receiver room better from day one."
Zakee Wheatley
Position: Defensive back
Height/weight: 6-2, 183
Hometown/High school: Crofton, Md./Archbishop Spalding High
Profile: 4-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Three-year letterwinner at Archbishop Spalding; Had two touchdowns and two interceptions in the two games his team played last season; Made 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and five interceptions as a junior; also caught 56 passes for 810 yards and seven touchdowns that season; Ranked by Rivals as the No. 10 player in Maryland.
Quotable: Head coach Kyle Schmitt: "Zakee is one of the best players in the history of Archbishop Spalding. He is a three-year starter on both sides of the ball, making a tremendous impact on our program. He has length, athleticism, toughness and elite ball skills that will make him an impact player in the Penn State secondary. Most importantly, he epitomizes what Spalding football is all about and was a model for his younger teammates. Those same qualities make him a great fit for Penn State."
Lonnie White Jr.
Position: Wide receiver
Height/weight: 6-2, 201
Hometown/High school: Coatesville, Pa,/Malvern Prep
Profile: 4-star prospect according to Rivals and 247Sports; Four-year letterwinner at Malvern Prep, where he was a 2020 captain and team MVP the past two seasons; All-state selection in 2019; made 17 receptions for 369 yards and four touchdowns in a four-game 2020 season; Owns the school record for single-season rushing yards by a quarterback; Accounted for more than 1,800 total yards (1,065 rushing) as a quarterback in 2019; Also considered one of the nation's top-50 baseball recruits and likely will be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft this summer; Father Lonnie was an All-American basketball player at East Stroudsburg, playing at the same time Penn State coach James Franklin played quarterback.
Quotable: Head coach Dave Gueriera: "Lonnie’s a once-in-a-generation athlete. Electrifying with the ball in his hands and a rare combination of size, athleticism and heart."
