Penn State is one of four schools still in the mix with Lafayette, La., cornerback Jordan Allen.

A three-star prospect from Lafayette Christian Academy, one of the state’s top programs, Allen earned an offer from the Nittany Lions at the end of January and quickly built a bond with cornerbacks coach Terry Smith. Head coach James Franklin has also been regularly in contact, and although Allen was unable to take his official visit in June due to a death in the family, his interest in the Nittany Lions hasn’t faded.

“Coach Smith keeps telling me that I’m their number one guy and that they need me to bring the defense together because I’m a very versatile guy,” Allen said. “He said that he can see me playing a couple different positions. Coach Franklin calls me all the time and we talk about all the different things he thinks I can accomplish when I get there. He’s been showing me different videos and stuff like that to get me more comfortable with the school.”

Over the past two years, Allen has earned more than 40 scholarship offers, so he’s built relationships with coaches all over the country. He said he’s grown fond of how Penn State’s staff has approached the process.

“One thing about them is that they’ve always kept it real,” Allen said. “They never hide anything. Any question I have, they let me know what it is. Everything is uncut, which I like. I never appreciate coaches lying to me and leading me on and stuff like that. They always let me know what it is. The feel for their coaching staff has been a real plus for me.”

Since he wasn’t able to visit, Allen said he’s been researching the school on his own, in addition to doing Zoom videos with the staff. He said he feels comfortable with what he knows already to still commit to Penn State if that’s the best fit for him.

“I’ve been watching different videos that they’ve sent me, but honestly, I just do a lot of that on my own, too,” Allen said. “I’ve been researching the history of the school, videos of their facilities, videos of the atmosphere at their stadium. That’s how I’ve been handling that. I would’ve loved to have visit, but I can still get the information I need to make a good decision. I’ve been researching them and all of these schools a lot.”

Georgia, Louisville and Miami are the other three schools that Allen is deciding between. He took official visits to both Louisville and Miami, and took an unofficial visit to Georgia early in the process, before the pandemic.

“Miami gave me a great vibe while I was on campus. It felt like home, to be honest," Allen said. "The coaches are real welcoming and they weren’t separated. Everyone was together, so it felt good down there. Louisville is recruiting me real hard, too. It’s the same thing with them. They showed me everything when I was there and I felt comfortable. With Georgia, their coaches are talking to me almost everyday. They’ve shown me how I fit into their program and all that kind of stuff.”

Allen set a commitment date for July 17 and he’s not wavering with just 10 days remaining.

“July 17th, it’ll be case closed,” he said. “I’ll be locked in and committed. My recruitment will be shutdown.”

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98, @GregPickel, @ThomasFrankCarr

• Follow us on Instagram

• Like us on Facebook