2023 Four-Star DL Neeo Avery commits to Penn State Football
Happy New Years Eve!
Penn State Football continues to clean up this recruiting cycle as they have now landed their sixth commitment in the 2023 class as Good Counsel (MD) four-star defensive end Neeo Avery announced his decision via Instagram Live on New Year's Eve.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound prospect chose the Nittany Lions over opportunities from various power-five schools such as Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Maryland, among many others.
Rivals Mid-Atlantic Recruiting Analyst Adam Friedman spoke with Penn State's newest commit to break down his decision and more.
"Overall, I really felt that it (Penn State) was going to be the best place for me, the best fit," Avery told Rivals National Analyst, Adam Friedman.
Avery is currently ranked as the number five overall prospect in Maryland for the class of 2023. He is a jumbo athlete that the Penn State staff had in camp this past offseason and liked what they saw.
At a shade under 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds during the summer, Avery showed off his speed running a 4.58 forty-yard dash in front of the Nittany Lions coaching staff and the staff has been on him ever since. Avery's ability to run, coupled with his length and height has coach (James) Franklin and staff excited for his versatility and upside.
Now although Avery is listed as a defensive end in our database, the PSU staff nor Avery are ready to commit to one side of the ball for when he arrives in Happy Valley, as he has some time to figure out what position he feels is best for his long term future.
Regardless of which side of the ball he ends up on, Avery plans to contribute early on.
"I know that I can come in and make an impact right from the jump" Avery shared.
With four games left in the Good Counsel season this past year Avery really started to flash what he capable of on defense and it played a big role in why Rivals has him projected him on the defensive side of the ball.
Prospects with Avery's length that can run and get after the quarterback like he displays on film usually end up getting paid quite well to do so in the NFL.
Now when Avery gets to campus, he will have some immediate friends as his former high school teammate Landon Tengwall is a true freshman with the team currently. He credited Tengwall with assisting him in his decision and answering any questions that he may have had about Penn State.
Ultimately though for Avery, the Nittany Lions just made the most sense, he found himself being pulled towards Penn State more than others.
Said Avery, "Out of the all the schools I just gravitated to Penn State the most."
With the addition of Avery, Penn State now has the third best class in the class of 2023 Rivals team rankings. Avery is also the program's fourth four-star recruit to commit to the Nittany Lions in 2023.
**Credit to Rivals National Recruiting Analyst, Adam Friedman for assisting NittanyNation on this article with quotes from Avery.