Recruiting: Achumba & Adams Earn Four-Star Rating
Penn State's Class of 2020 is far from finished, but when it's all said and done, the offensive line will undoubtedly be a point of focus that fans remember in the years to come.
Following Olu Fashanu's commitment earlier this week, the Nittany Lions have already added six offensive linemen to the class, and they may not even be done yet. However, it won't just be the total number that fans remember, but also the talent. That became even more clear Thursday, as two more future Nittany Lions jumped from three stars to four.
RJ Adams, from Woodbridge, Va., and Golden Achumba, from DeMatha in Hyattsville, Md., both proved this spring that they deserved a second look. In mid-April, Achumba left the Rivals 3 Stripe Camp in Washington, D.C., as a top performer. Not only was he one of the most dominant linemen in attendance, but he was also recognized as the player who raised his stock the most that day.
"There were plenty of players that could have won this award but the player that raised his stock the most was Penn State offensive line commit Golden Achumba," said Rivals analyst Adam Friedman. "He has come a long way over the last year, reshaping his body and getting much stronger. Achumba played with a ton of energy and was dominant at times, even though he didn’t win all of his reps. Penn State is getting a good one that should start for a couple seasons on the interior of the offensive line."
Achumba has since earned an invitation to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge, which will take place later this month in Atlanta. Adams was also very good at that camp. Friedman added, "Adams isn’t close to a finished product but he had a lot of success on Sunday using his agility and ability to quickly reset."
Just a few weeks later, the pair were once again recognized, this time at the Baltimore Under Armour camp. Adams walked away as the MVP of the Big Man Challenge. He also earned an invitation to the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. Achumba didn't win any specific awards that day, but was easily one of the top performers during the OL vs. DL challenge.
Penn State now has eight four-star players in their 2020 class, four of whom are offensive linemen. Aaryn Parks remains the highest-ranked member of the class. He moved up to No. 67 overall in the Rivals100 and will join Achumba at the Five-Star Challenge. Linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Derek Wingo will also be in Atlanta. The Nittany Lions remain at No. 11 overall in the 2020 Team Rankings.