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Published Jul 2, 2021
Friday Mailbag: How many commitments can we expect this summer?
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Ryan Snyder  •  Happy Valley Insider
BWI Recruiting Analyst
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@RivalsSnyder

Blue White Illustrated's Ryan Snyder recently started a new Friday feature, opening up his Twitter notifications for fans to ask any recruiting question they'd like. Now, even those who don't subscribe to BWI will get the opportunity to ask questions.

With official visits wrapping up last weekend, July should see a flurry of commitments, but how many could we see? Also, what's the situation at running back, and does Penn State have a chance with one of New York's top players?

Check out this week's answers below.

- Over/Under 6 commitments before end of Summer? @Teesus18

I've spent the past couple of nights preparing for what might happen over the next few days, so that alone should tell you something. As of Friday morning, I think we could easily see six commitments before we reach the halfway point in July. In fact, I think we could see six commitments in just the next three days.

Here's who we know are making a move in the days ahead: LB Keon Wylie (July 3), DT Kaleb Artis (July 4), DT Zane Durant (July 4), DE Tyreese Fearbry (July 4) and RB Nick Singleton (July 6). That doesn't include junior college OL JB Nelson, who's been very quiet but is expected to announce any day now.

There is a universe where Penn State lands all six of those players in the next few days. Yes, I do believe Durant is a real option for the Nittany Lions. In fact, I'm close to logging a FutureCast. I've already logged picks for Artis, Nelson and Wylie.

But even if they only get four or five commitments out of that group, which is likely, we're still watching RB Kaytron Allen, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, CB Jordan Allen, CB Cam Miller, CB Keenan Nelson and Saf. KJ Winston in the weeks ahead. All of those players are realistic. If I had to set and over/under for the summer, it would be 9.5.


- What’s the deal with K. Allen at IMG? Is he committing soon and is PSU the favorite? - @PSUfootball1

Currently, I get the impression that Penn State wants to see what happens with Nick Singleton and go from there. We've been calling Omarion Hampton and Singleton PSU's 1A and 1B for months now, and both have commitment dates locked in now. Singleton will make a move next Tuesday, July 6, while all signs point towards Hampton ending up at North Carolina on July 22. I've already logged a pick for Hampton, and although I haven't formally logged a FutureCast for Singleton yet, I do believe that Penn State is the team to beat.

Once the staff has a feel for what Singleton is going to do, it'll make it easier for them to decide on who to push for next. With that said, I do believe that Kaytron Allen is not only a very real option, but is currently favoring the Nittany Lions. The dilemma, of course, is whether they prefer a combination of Ramon Brown or George Pettaway. I get the impression that Allen and Brown are a more likely combination with Singleton than Pettaway, but that still has to be worked out.

But yes, Allen is a very real option for Penn State. He hasn't announced a date.


- Is there a timeline for moses walker? and is psu trending here? - @PSUmob

It depends on what you consider trending. I'm under the impression that his Penn State official visit certainly gave Moses Walker something to think about. There's been a lot of talk that he bonded well with Brent Pry and that Penn State isn't far enough from home to keep him from seriously coming here.

With that said, he did still go directly to Rutgers after spending 48 hours in State College, and that's never really a good sign. Some of my colleagues expected him to commit to Rutgers pretty quickly, but Penn State sources firmly believe that they've given Walker a reason to think this all over.

It's important to note that he rarely speaks with the media, so when exactly he's planning to decide to tough to get a feel for. If I had to make a pick today, I'd probably still lean towards Rutgers, but the fact that I'm teetering isn't what I expected when I learned he was driving to Piscataway and not straight home Sunday night.


- How much confidence and recruiting momentum do you think landing both [Dani Dennis-Sutton] and Singleton would bring to the program? - @Grejdus89

Landing who I consider their top two overall prospects in the class would be huge for everyone up in Lasch, especially after a grueling June. Ever since official visits were allowed a few years ago, it's become an incredibly busy month, but this year was unlike anything we've seen before and probably will ever see again. When you add in some of the players who we all had penciled in a few weeks ago, only for them to change their minds after giving what I considered a silent commitment, landing those top two players specifically does a lot from a confidence standpoint.

As far as how they'll help the staff add other prospects, I think it's important to keep in mind that by the time Dani Dennis-Sutton decides, which should be in about three weeks or so, Penn State's class should be about 80 percent full. Now, don't get me wrong, landing a five-star player helps a lot in the rankings, and recruits look at that all the time, but in regards to who he and Singleton can specifically help recruit on the trail, the options should be down to a handful of guys.


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