Penn State football picked up its biggest commitment since 2018 Thursday with the addition of five-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton.
A 6-foot-5, 253-pound edge rusher from McDonogh School in Baltimore, Dennis-Sutton has been the staff’s top overall target in the class for almost two years now, earning an offer from the Nittany Lions back in May 2019. Five months later, in October, he attended Penn State's White Out win over Michigan, and it ultimately ended up being the only unofficial visit he took, as all in-person recruiting was put on hold the following spring.
By the time the NCAA opened everything up in June, Dennis-Sutton was basically down to three schools, as the Nittany Lions wound up beating out SEC powers Alabama and Georgia.
10 Things to Know: Five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton commits to Penn State
“It really just came down to relationships. I feel like I have a great relationship with all of their coaches,” Dennis-Sutton said. “Also, they produce players. They’ve done a great job getting the most out of guys. I just trust their process and I like the way they go about it. It really comes down to trust.”
This recruitment was truly a team effort, especially over the past two months. Head coach James Franklin and defensive coordinator Brent Pry were both heavily involved, while defensive line coach John Scott Jr. was technically his lead recruiter. But even beyond those three, safeties coach Anthony Poindexter has become the primary recruiter for the school, while National Recruiting Director Kenny Sanders actually graduated from McDonogh in 2000. In fact, one could argue that Sanders played as big of a role as anyone. Graduate assistant Deion Barnes also had a big hand in this commitment.
“All of their coaches had a major impact,” Dennis-Sutton said. “From John Scott and Coach Franklin down to Kenny Sanders and Deion Barnes, everyone just showed that they were committed to me and want to help me reach my potential. They all showed a lot of love.”
In regards to Scott specifically, who will oversee Dennis-Sutton’s development over the next few years, he said he feels confident that Scott will help him reach his potential in the years ahead. His current ranking of No. 11 overall in the nation suggests that Scott should have plenty to work with.
“Coach Scott has already shown me that he can get the best out of guys," Dennis-Sutton said. “He’s really only had one guy so far that is on that [NFL] level, and that was Jayson Oweh, who got drafted really high. I think that’s impressive. But also, before he got here, he produced some guys [at South Carolina]. I feel like his track record is impressive.”
Penn State’s other committed players - the Class of 2022 is now up to 21 verbal commitments - also played a role in getting Dennis-Sutton to join the team. He said that he’s “become close with all of them,” adding "there really isn’t one guy I’m closer with. All of them have been messaging me and showing me why they committed to Penn State. They’re a great group.”Throughout the process, Dennis-Sutton earned 35 verbal scholarship offers. He included Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC among his top 12 schools, with Alabama, Georgia and Penn State ultimately emerging as his top three.
He took official visits to all three of his top schools, with Georgia hosting him first, June 4-6. Penn State then hosted him the following weekend, June 11-13, with Alabama getting him on campus June 18-20. Dennis-Sutton ultimately chose between the Nittany Lions and Bulldogs.
He's now the third defensive end in Penn State's Class of 2022, joining two four-star prospects in Ken Talley, from Philadelphia, and Tyreese Fearbry, from Pittsburgh. With just one week remaining in July, this class could be all but finished by the time the season starts, as three more 2022 prospects are planning to announce their decisions next week.
Three-star cornerback Cam Miller, from Fernandina Beach, Fla., will announce this upcoming Monday, July 26. He's expected to choose between Penn State and Virginia Tech. Three days later, July 29, four-star athlete Cristian Driver will make his decision public, and the Nittany Lions are considered the favorite. Safety KJ Winston is also set to announce next Saturday, July 31. He's down to Penn State and Maryland.
If Franklin and his staff are able to land all three of those players, they'll be at 24 commitments in this year's class, which now ranks No. 2 in the nation. Another linebacker would be ideal, although adding the best available talent will likely determine if this class grows beyond 25 scholarship players.
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