Duckett anchoring Pennsylvania defense
After a standout career at Harrisburg (Pa.) Bishop McDevitt, safety Jon Duckett will continue his football career in his home state. Kent State, Akron, Army, Pitt and Syracuse were also involved in Duckett's recruitment, but in the end the 6-foot, 200-pound athlete chose to walk-on at Penn State.
"I had a couple of offers, and then they went through because people acted right away," he said. "My lifelong dream was to go to Penn State, and they came in late so it was just a natural fit to go there."
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Duckett was recruited for the Nittany Lions by assistant coach Mike McQueary, and said that the choice was an easy one.
"It was close to home, I watched them when I was growing up," he said. "I loved Penn State altogether, I always wanted to go there, so it was just a real easy one to accept."
Duckett made his decision at the Blue-White Game, and will enroll at University Park for the fall semester in August. He is looking forward to starting his Penn State career as a safety, where he was a first team all-state pick as a senior.
"Just the experience, I'm hoping to get onto the field," he said. "If not, I'll keep working for it and that, but to play in front of 110,000 people, that was just a great experience."
This weekend, Duckett will take the field in his last high school game. He'll play linebacker and safety for the Pennsylvania squad in the Big 33 Classic against Ohio.
He's impressed all week in practice, according to Pennsylvania head coach Dick Beck.
"He is much faster than I anticipated," said Beck. "Sizewise, I don't think that he can play linebacker at Penn State, but he probably definitely could play strong safety. Maybe if he were an inch or two taller he would really be special, but I think he can make up a lot of that with his heart."
Duckett has anchored the Pennsylvania defense as a linebacker in its 5-2 alignment.
"He's pursued the ball and covered the backside of the backfield," said Beck. "He can run with most of the backs, so I think that's important."
Duckett is one of two future Nittany Lion walk-ons playing the in game, as he joins Selinsgrove's Ryan Keiser on the Pennsylvania roster.
"I think him and Keiser are absolute steals as walk-ons," said Beck. "How these guys don't get scholarships, at least at some I-AA schools is amazing."