- Offensive lineman Saleem Wormley makes his debut in Rivals100
Running back Devyn Ford, who sits at No. 15 overall, remains the highest-ranked prospect in the class, while wide receiver John Dunmore, No. 54, linebacker Brandon Smith, No. 58, and offensive lineman Caedan Wallace, No. 69, all remain following the latest update.
Those four are now joined by offensive lineman Saleem Wormley, who continues to climb in the rankings following an excellent summer camp circuit. Back in April, Wormley had a very strong performance when the Rivals Camp Series made its stop in New Jersey. He went from unranked to No. 103 overall, joining the Rivals250. Wormley then backed up that performance against the nation's best in June, putting in another excellent workout at the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta.
“Saleem was great at the camp," said mid-Atlantic analyst Adam Friedman following the Five-Star Challenge. "We saw it at the New Jersey camp and more of it in Atlanta this week. You look at him and he’s not as wide as some of the other linemen, but he does a good job. He has some really strong hands and does a good job getting them on the chest. He is pretty athletic for an interior guy and he is agile enough to move from left to right."
With the addition of Wormley, the 2019 class is now tied with the Class of 2006 for the most Rivals100 prospects in school history.That year, Joe Paterno and his assistants signed five-star cornerback A.J. Wallace, who was ranked No. 19 in that class, as well as defensive tackle Jared Odrick, No. 31, defensive end Maurice Evans, No. 46, plus two offensive lineman, Antonio Logan-El, No. 58, and J.B. Walton, No. 72.
Despite how highly-ranked last year's was, Penn State finished with just four Rivals100 prospects in the Class of 2018: Linebacker Micah Parsons, No. 6, wide receiver Justin Shorter, No. 18, running back Ricky Slade, No. 37, and offensive lineman Rasheed Walker, No. 65.
In addition to the prospects that have already committed, Penn State is also still pursuing multiple players within the Rivals100. Defensive end Zach Harrison remains at No. 17 overall, while running backs Mark-Antony Richards, No. 70, and Noah Cain, No. 71, also made the list. Cain has been one of the staff's top remaining targets for a few months now, while Richards just announced this week that the Nittany Lions made his Top 5. Richards is yet to visit State College, but could take an official visit this season. Cain visited in April and is planning to take an official visit for the game against Wisconsin in November.
Two other notable prospects are safety Lewis Cine, No. 91, and tight end Hudson Henry, No. 98. Out of those two, Cine remains one of the staff's most important targets. Following an official visit to University Park in June, he went on to visit Georgia, Michigan and Texas. He's expected to make a decision during the season. Henry is yet to visit Penn State but is supposed to take an official visit this season.
Below is a complete breakdown of the Penn State commits and targets within the Rivals100.
UPDATED - Class of 2019 Rivals100
- Down two spots from No. 2
- Up three spots from No. 14
- Down two spots from No. 13.
- Holds steady at No. 17.
- Down seven spots from No. 47.
- Up one spot from No. 59.
- Down one spot from No. 68.
No. 70) RB Mark Antony Richards
- Down 42 spots from No. 28.
- Down 22 spots from No. 49.
- Down four spots from No. 73.
- Up 21 spots from No. 103.
- Up seven spots from No. 91.
- Holds steady at No. 98.
