Penn State now has 10 Rivals250 commits with addition of Allar and Carter

It was a strong summer on the recruiting trail for the Penn State football program, and that was evident once again on Tuesday with the release of the updated Rivals250 for the Class of 2022.

Overall, the Nittany Lions now have 10 players among the top 250, up from eight, as quarterback Drew Allar and linebacker Abdul Carter joined the group. Carter was already a 5.8 four-star prospect, while Allar previously held a three-star, 5.7 rating.

A native of Medina, Ohio, Allar had one of the best summers of any quarterback in the country. His final camp may have been his best, as Allar finished among the top 11 quarterbacks at the Elite 11 Final in Los Angeles.

"Allar was very solid at the Elite 11 where he showed off an excellent frame, a very capable arm and he only did things to prove he was beyond capable of being considered a four-star prospect," said Rivals National Recruiting Director Adam Gorney. "Do I think he was clearly one of the top quarterbacks there without question? No. But he was definitely on the high side of that second group and he had an outstanding showing all week."

Aside from Carter and Allar, a few other Penn State commits also made big moves, none more than wide receiver Kaden Saunders. Back in June, the Ohio native caught the attention of scouts when he was unstoppable at both the Under Armour Future 50 camp and the Rivals Five-Star Challenge. Saunders took home most-valuable player honors at the Five-Star Challenge, and those efforts were reflected in the rankings, moving up 81 spots to No. 78 overall. He's also now among the top 10 wide receivers nationally.

"He was one of the best prospects we saw at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge and no cornerback - and some of the best in the country were there - could hang with him," Gorney said. "Not only is Saunders super fast and has an extra gear that few receivers can get to but he's also excellent at setting up cornerbacks and creating space with just the threat of his speed down the field. Saunders also has phenomenal hands and catches everything, even badly thrown balls. I get the KJ Hamler comparisons but Saunders is taller so he has a bigger catch radius."

Athlete Mehki Flowers also made a significant move, up 42 spots to No. 97, joining the Rivals100. Flowers’ move comes after a strong performance at The Opening in July.

"Flowers got a chance to show off his skill set as a safety this summer and shined," said Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman. "He can handle the speed of elite receivers and did a nice job anticipating throws. Flowers has good instincts and patience in coverage as well."

As for the other six committed players in the Rival250, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton remains the top-ranked player in the class. Holding a five-star rating, he held firm at No. 11 overall. Dennis-Sutton was unstoppable in April and May, dominating multiple camps.

Outside the Rivals100 is where you'll find the remaining committed players. Running back Nick Singleton moved down just four spots to No. 128 overall. Penn State's other running back commit, Kaytron Allen, dropped 32 spots to No. 150, while offensive lineman Drew Shelton dropped 37 spots to No. 160.

Penn State's final two committed players are defensive end Ken Talley, who moved down nine spots to No. 193, while athlete Cristian Driver moved up five spots to No. 224.

With 24 players currently committed, James Franklin and his staff don't have much room to add additional players, but there are still a handful of prospects to monitor in the Rivals250. Wide receiver Andre Greene Jr. just announced his top six on Monday after visiting Penn State in July. He moved up again, climbing all the way to No. 36 in the nation. Linebacker Jaishawn Barham is also still among the Rivals100 at No. 94 overall. We believe Penn State, Maryland and South Carolina rank among his top schools currently.

Penn State doesn't have a need for another running back, but Ja'Juan Seider continues to recruit Virginia native George Pettaway. North Carolina is considered the favorite for Pettaway, who sits just outside the Rivals100 at No. 101 overall. Wide receiver Darrius Clemsons is down to Penn State, Auburn and Oregon. He sits at No. 118.

Two other players to keep an eye on in the months ahead include offensive lineman Aamil Wagner and defensive end Samuel Okunlola. Wagner, who ranks 203rd overall, is believed to be leaning towards Notre Dame, although he should also return to Penn State for a game this season. Okunlola, who sits at No. 238, took just one visit this summer to Georgia.

You can see the complete list of commits and targets below.

11) DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (No Change)

36) WR Andre Greene (Up 49 spots from No. 85)

78) WR Kaden Saunders (Up 81 spots from No. 159)

84) LB Jaishawn Barham (Down 8 sports from No. 76)

97) Ath. Mehki Flowers (Up 42 spots from No. 139)

101) RB George Pettaway (Up 15 spots from No. 116)

118) WR Darrius Clemons (Down five spots from No. 113)

128) RB Nick Singleton (Down four spots from No. 124)

150) RB Kaytron Allen (Down 32 spots from No. 118)

160) OL Drew Shelton (Down 37 spots from No. 123)

196) QB Drew Allar (New to Rivals250)

202) DE Ken Talley (Down nine spots from No. 193)

203) OL Aamil Wagner (Down eight spots from No. 195)

223) LB Abdul Carter (New to Rivals250)

224) Ath. Cristian Driver (Up five spots from No. 229)

238) DE Samuel Okunlola (Down seven spots from No. 231)

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