Decision day: Previewing Dani Dennis-Sutton's Thursday commitment
Penn State enters Thursday with 20 Class of 2022 commitments.
None of them are five-star recruits, but if the number jumps to 21 pledges today, that fact will change, too.
It's decision day for Dani Dennis-Sutton, the superbly talented defensive end from Maryland who is the best player at his position and No. 11 overall, according to Rivals.
Dennis-Sutton will announce his choice at 5 p.m. at Owing Mills, Md., McDonogh High School where he plays.
Here's what fans need to know before the pick is made.
Where Penn State stands
Penn State's torrid July recruiting run has helped fill out the class on defense.
As things currently stand, the Lions have commitments on Brent Pry's side of the ball from seven players, in addition to Mehki Flowers, who will one day be either a receiver or safety.
Ends: Tyreese Fearbry, Ken Talley
Tackles: Zane Durant, Kaleb Artis
Linebackers: Keon Wylie
Corners: Jordan Allen
Safety: Tyrece Mills
Landing Fearbry and Talley filled two of this cycle's three available defensive end scholarships, and it goes without saying that one has always been saved for Dennis-Sutton.
The contenders
It has seemingly come down to Penn State and Georgia, though Alabama has been mentioned plenty throughout this recruitment.
The 6-foot-5, 253-pound prospect used the June visit window to check out those schools before locking in a decision date.
All three wanted him badly, and he had a high amount of interest in each.
What he's said about the Lions
"Really, the message hasn’t changed much,” Dennis-Sutton told BWI back in June. “This is a relationship that goes back years. I do think they’ve been discussing more of how they want to use me on the field and how they can help me get to the next level.
"They think they can produce me and expand my game. But really, the talks we’re having now are pretty much the same. They’ve been there since my freshman year, so I built a very strong relationship with them for a long time. We have a very strong bond, a strong connection. I really like it up there.”
What FutureCast says
Penn State appears to be in the driver's seat entering the day.
Georgia once had a number of forecasts logged in Rivals' FutureCast, but ever since BWI expert Ryan Snyder logged his pick for the Lions back on July 16, five previous predictions for the Bulldogs have flipped to the Lions, in addition to one more that has come in for PSU.
Final word
This has been a staff-wide effort for head coach James Franklin and co., and they're now just hours away from finding out whether or not it has paid off.
According to Rivals, Penn State last landed a five-star recruit when Justin Shorter and Micah Parsons signed with the Lions back in the Class of 2018. Dennis-Sutton would be the program's highest-rated commit since the former picked PSU.
Blue-White Illustrated will have complete coverage of Dennis-Sutton's announcement before and after it inside The Lions Den and at bwi.rivals.com.
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