Recruiting: Breaking down Penn State's big visit weekend

Penn State hosted three official visitors last weekend in Kaytron Allen, Ryan Brubaker and Keon Sabb, but this is the first major weekend when it comes to official visitors, with James Franklin and his staff expecting 13 players for an all expenses paid weekend in State College.

The list also includes arguably the two most important players in the class in running back Nick Singleton and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton. Add in defensive backs Jaeden Gould and Keenan Nelson Jr. and three of their top defensive tackle prospects and it’s easy to understand why this weekend has been one of the most anticipated in a very long time.

Learn the latest on each official visitor, plus the top players expected to camp this upcoming weekend.

Related: Recruiting Notes - Multiple Offensive Linemen impress at camp

Schools: Penn State, Notre Dame, USC, Oregon

Anderson just went to USC this past weekend with his high school teammate, Ty Kana, who's committed to the Trojans. I feel as if all four of his schools have a real chance here, although I give a slight edge to Notre Dame currently. We also know that players like Darrius Clemons and Cristian Driver are ahead of him on PSU's recruiting board.

Schools: Penn State, Auburn, Florida State, Virginia

Artis took his first official visit to Auburn last weekend. He's set to go to Virginia next week (June 18-20) and Florida State at the end of the month. I'm getting close to putting in a FutureCast for Penn State here. I think both Auburn and Florida State intrigue him, but I'm not so sure that he's going to go that far away from home for college. This will be his first and only trip to Penn State, as I expect him to decide in July. I think if anyone were to make a surprise commitment this weekend or in the days that follow, it would be him, although I still lean towards Artis finishing out his visits.

Schools: Penn State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers

Bellamy arrived on campus Thursday evening for his first of three officials. It's believed that Notre Dame and Penn State are in the best position because Ohio State has a few other cornerbacks ahead of him on their board. This is his first and likely only visit to campus. I expect Jaeden Gould to end up at Penn State, and that may help a little bit, but I don't think it'll have a major pull on where Bellamy ultimately ends up. If I had to pick a school right now, I'd probably lean towards Notre Dame, but it's close.

Schools: Penn State, Florida State, Miami, West Virginia

Bissainthe just went to West Virginia this past weekend, and now he's back in the northeast to check out Penn State. The easy picks here are Florida State and Miami, but our sources feel pretty good about PSU's chances now that they know they're getting him on campus. They've had success in the past when it comes to one and done official visits with Florida prospects, so the game plan should be fairly similar here. I could genuinely see him ending up at Penn State. He's said mixed things on when he'll decide, but I expect it to be this summer.

Schools: Penn State, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Brown is wrapping up a very busy week, as he previously went to West Virginia (June 4-6) and South Carolina (June 7-9). He also took unofficial visits to three of his top five schools, leaving Penn State as the only school he hasn't seen in person yet. Brown keeps his cards close, but I think Penn State should be one of the two schools he ultimately decides between if all goes well this weekend. Virginia Tech is probably the other school at the moment.

Schools: Penn State, Alabama, Georgia

Georgia got its opportunity to impress Dennis-Sutton last weekend and Kirby Smart and his staff did just that. That shouldn't be a surprise to those of you who have been following his recruitment closely, as we reported in the beginning of May that UGA's staff was gaining momentum with he and his family. However, the Nittany Lions still have the edge in a few categories, and I expect Franklin and his staff to roll out the red carpet this weekend. He'll go to Alabama next week, so I'm not expecting anything more than a visit this weekend, but Penn State still sits in a good spot here.

Schools: Penn State, USC

Gould went to Southern Cal last weekend for an official visit, but all signs still point to him ending up at Penn State. Don't be surprised if he doesn't announce his commitment this weekend. We're hearing that he wants to go home and then announce some time next week, but I expect him to be a Nittany Lion.

Schools: Penn State, South Carolina

Nelson made a surprise visit to Penn State last Sunday with his father. Our sources were unaware of him coming all the way up to Saturday morning when he posted his tweet, so it genuinely was a spur of the moment trip that should pay dividends for Penn State. He's now back for a full weekend, and I think there's a real chance he could commit. With that said, he and his father continue to stress that they're going to visit South Carolina in a few weeks, so don't be totally surprised if Nelson doesn't end his recruitment this weekend. I think a commitment in the next 4-5 days is 50/50 with a good visit. I logged my pick for Penn State this week.

Schools: Penn State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Wisconsin

Penn State's top remaining prospect on offense, and arguably the entire class, Singleton will be returning for his first true visit to Penn State since Oct. 2019. Unlike almost every other player on this list, Singleton took unofficial visits to Penn State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin before the pandemic, so he knows what to expect for three of his four official visits. Alabama, which is June 25-27, is the only school he's never seen. I expect Singleton to take all four of his official visits before deciding. I'm close to logging a Penn State FutureCast pick for Singleton. If all goes well, that may come after this weekend.

Schools: Penn State, Indiana, Purdue, Stanford

Strickland made the trip to his mother's alma mater last weekend in Purdue. He also has trips lined up to Stanford (June 18-20) and Indiana (June 25-27). We were also told that Strickland came onto campus early for an unofficial yesterday, which allowed the staff to put him through some workouts. It's unclear at this time how he performed, but the fact that he's coming for an official visit means he's still very much in play for the Nittany Lions, although I do believe Artis and VanSumeren are ahead of him. It's also unclear how Jordan van den Berg's commitment this week impacts the allotted scholarship numbers at defensive tackle.

Schools: Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oregon, Texas A&M

VanSumeren's top schools remain somewhat of a mystery, as he and his family have decided not to put his entire official visit schedule out there publicly. We were always expecting Penn State to host him at some point, however, and he made that official following his trip to Michigan State this past weekend. Most of my colleagues give the Spartans an edge with VanSumeren following his brother’s decision to transfer there from Big Ten rival Michigan. Other schools he's mentioned previously for a potential visit include Alabama, Clemson, Kentucky, Oregon and Texas A&M.

Schools: Penn State, Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame

Winston took his first official visit last weekend to Michigan State, and while the Spartans impressed, I still believe Penn State and Notre Dame are the two schools he'll end up deciding between, although the Irish have a few players ahead of Winston currently. This is his first visit to Penn State, so it would be a surprise if he committed while on campus or shortly after, but if any school should be considered the favorite, I would give a slight edge to Penn State. Maryland will get a visit next weekend (June 18-20) followed by the trip to South Bend (June 25-27).

I have additional names that I still have to confirm and add to this list. I'll work on that later today. Sunday's camp won't be as deep as last week's camp, but there are a few names that stand out to me.

2022 OL Justin Kanyuk has held a handful of FCS offers for awhile now, and just over the past week, Buffalo, Maryland and North Carolina have made the move. Another OL, Jacob Sacra, holds a handful of offers from schools like Maryland, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia. Also, LB Adam Trick has 14 offers. Army, Navy, Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and a few Ivy Leagues are the notable ones.

In the 2023 Ath. Mousa Kane is up to three offers with Clemson, Purdue and Rutgers. The Clemson offer is more so a camp invite, but they have interest. TE Preston Zinter is the brother of Zak Zinter. He's approaching a dozen scholarship offers now and I wouldn't be surprised if Penn State joins that group.

Another player to remember is 2025 QB Stone Saunders from Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, Pa. He just picked up an offer from Michigan last week and I expect him to be a player we talk about a lot in the years to come.

2022

DE Derek Berlitz - Catawissa, Pa. - Southern Columbia

WR Pierce Brown - Santa Ana, Calif. - Orange Lutheran

TE Thomas Chernasky - Lake Ariel, Pa. - Western Wayne

DT Tywan January - Springfield, Ohio - Springfield

OL Justin Kanyuk - Bethlehem, Pa. - Bethlehem Catholic

QB James McCauley - White Plains, N.Y. - Archbishop Stepinac

OL Jacob Sacra - Baltimore, Md. - St. Frances

LB Adam Trick - Huber Heights, Ohio - Wayne

2023

DE Gensley Auguste - West Orange, N.J. - West Orange

DE Carsten Casady - Rolesville, N.C. - Rolesville

TE Wyatt Cooper - Camp Hill, Pa. - Trinity

TE Lacota Dippre - Jermyn, Pa. - Lakeland

LB Dillon Dunathan - Damascus, Md. - Damascus

LB Sean Gollogly - Boonsboro, Md. - Boonsboro

Saf. Xavier Holmes - Cocoa, Fla. - Cocoa

TE Kristian Ingman - Bradenton, Fla. - IMG Academy

DB Moussa Kane - Blairtown, NJ. - Blair Academy

WR Saboor Karriem - Montclair, N.J. - Montclair

Ath. KP Price - Towson, Md. - Calvert Hall

WR Shawn Thigpen - Springfield, Ohio - Springfield

DE Austin Watt - Delaware, Ohio - Olentangy

TE Preston Zinter - Lawrence, Mass. - Central Catholic

2024 & 2025

CB Donovan Biggs - Monroville, Pa. - Gateway

QB Jordan Brooks - Towson, Md. - Concordia Prep

QB DJ Mazzone - Atlanta, Ga. - Marist School

LB Edward Palumbo - White Plains, N.Y. - Archbishop Stepinac

Ath. Jaquon Reynolds - Monroeville, Pa. - Gateway

QB Stone Saunders - Harrisburg, Pa. - Bishop McDevitt (2025)

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