Penn State picks up a commitment from ATH Ejani Shakir

Penn State is building on their top five ranked recruiting class with the addition of speedy athlete Ejani Shakir. The Atco (N.J.) Winslow Township star had plenty of offers to choose from but the coaching staff and environment at Penn State was too much for him to pass up.

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"I decided to pick the Nittany Lions because I just felt like that was home for me from the first day that I visited the campus," Shakir said. "I wanted to commit that day because it was so crazy driving up to the stadium with the music playing and everything. I had never been up to a big campus like that before. The fact that the stadium has 107,000 people is just crazy.

"Everything about Penn State is great," he said. "The education, the campus, the atmosphere - I haven't heard any bad feedback from anybody about Penn State.

"I've been to a couple schools but no place really shocked me like Penn State," said Shakir. "Nothing really felt like home like they did. Other schools have a good campus and good facilities but it just didn't feel right and I couldn't see myself in their jersey. Penn State just felt right. I can see myself in the blue and white with the black cleats.

"They want to see what I can do on offense and defense but I want to go up there for receiver," he said. "Coach Terry Smith and coach Stubbs are the two that really stayed on me the most. It's been great getting to hear how they talk and explain things to me. I can believe every word they say to me. It just feels right to me."

Penn State has built a very strong foundation in this recruiting class with four offensive line commits and three tight end commits but they've been lacking explosive playmakers. Landing Shakir's commitment is a big step in right direction to fill that need. Whether he lands on the offensive or defensive side of the ball, Shakir brings a speedy element to the field and he should be a contributor on special teams as well. As a receiver, Shakir has no problem creating separation between him and the defender. He is extremely dangerous when he can get the ball in his hands in the open field. Defenders have a very difficult time getting their hands on him and slowing him down. After seeing his film and in-person, it isn't a surprise to see Shakir posted times of 21.7-seconds in the 200m and 48.8 in the 400m.