There aren’t many commitment announcements these days that truly catch fans and reporters by surprise. If you follow the right people and know where to look on social media, you'll find the clues. However, there are a few each year that seem to come out of nowhere, and in the Class of 2020, defensive lineman Amin Vanover fit that description.

In June 2019, Penn State was as hot as any school in the nation on the recruiting trail. The Nittany Lions added 10 commitments that month alone, eight of whom announced in a one-week span between June 21-28. That included three defensive linemen: Fatorma Mulbah, Coziah Izzard and Brandon Taylor. Taylor was the last of those three to announce, declaring his decision on Friday, June 28.

At the time, myself and colleagues thought that Taylor’s commitment would wrap up a great week on the recruiting trail. We knew Vanover, who resides in Newark, N.J., was high on Penn State, but did James Franklin and his staff have room to add a fifth defensive linemen now? Also, was he even close to committing? He hadn't spoken to the media in months. It didn’t take long to learn the answer, as Vanover went on to announce his commitment just 45 minutes after Taylor.

“It was pretty much always Penn State,” said Danny Marangi, who was previously Vanover’s defensive coordinator at St. Joseph’s before taking over as the head coach in January. “Rutgers was making a big push, but he was pretty locked in on Penn State. I remember a bunch of Big Ten schools showing interest in him, but Penn State was always out front.”

A four-star prospect, Vanover earned over 20 scholarship offers. Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas A&M were among the top schools. As Marangi explained, a few schools circled back late in the process, hoping to earn a visit.

“Clemson came in late. They were snooping around to try and gauge his interest,” he said. “Florida was another school. [Florida] didn’t offer, but they were also trying to gauge his interest. They both made it clear that he was someone they really liked.”

Throughout his high school career, Vanover was as consistent as they come. During his sophomore season at his hometown high school, Abraham Clark, he totaled eight sacks. He then made the move to St. Joseph’s in Montvale for his junior season. Despite a major step up in competition, he once again totaled eight sacks. For his senior year, he was slightly better, totaling 8.5 sacks and 49 tackles, 17 of which were for a loss of yards.

“We primarily used him outside and had him move around,” said Marangi, referring to the defensive end position. “Amin has always been freakishly athletic. He doesn’t look like he’s someone that lives in the weight room, but he’s also taken guys and lifted them right off the ground. He’s a lot stronger than people think. He’s similar to another Penn State player that came from here, Smith Vilbert.”

Marangi added, “Amin is probably better from side-to-side. His agility is better, but I could definitely see him moving inside and packing on the weight. I could see him reaching 300 pounds. He’s a unique athlete that really could play a few positions if needed. Smith is more straight-ahead powerful. That’s his strength.”

Vanover was never one to open up during the recruiting process. He did just two interviews with Rivals.com, but as Marangi explained, he’s much more comfortable with those that know him best.

“As a person, Amin is as genuine as it gets,’ he said. “I think one thing that people don’t know about him is that he’s a little bit of a goofball. He doesn’t show that much, but amongst his teammates and coaching staff, he adds a sense of levity to downtimes. But also, when all the pressure is on, he’ll be there. He’ll be ready to roll, but he’ll also have a big grin on his face. That’s a great player to have in any locker room.”

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