Penn State’s Class of 2022 added another four-star prospect Friday in Ath. Mehki Flowers.

A native of Steelton, Pa., Flowers earned an offer from James Franklin and his staff back in June 2019 following a standout performance during PSU's Lion Strong 7-on-7 tournament. Overall, more than 20 schools extended an offer, although the Nittany Lions were considered the heavy favorites throughout his recruitment.

“I got my first offer from them at a 7-on-7 camp, and that was special to me to get that in person,” Flowers said. “Ever since then, they’ve been telling me that they want me to play offense and defense.”

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Listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Flowers could play either wide receiver or safety at the next level. He said if he had to choose, he would lean towards playing wide receiver in college. Openly, he'd love to play both.

“I grew up playing both sides of the ball, so to me, it comes naturally,” Flowers said. “Looking at their situation, both [position groups] play fast and that’s what I love to do, so I just feel like I’ll be a perfect fit.”

He added, “If I had to pick, it would probably be wide receiver, but I enjoy both. James Franklin has been telling me that I’ll be able to do that there, and that’s big.”

Flowers announced his top 10 schools just a few days ago. Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Nebraska, Virginia Tech and West Virginia were a few of the more notable schools that the Nittany Lions beat out. Former Penn State tight end Adam Breneman, who’s now a graduate assistant at Arizona State, as well as other members of the ASU staff gave Flowers something to seriously consider. He said Virginia Tech was also high on his list.

“It was pretty close. I would say that Arizona State was big. I really liked getting to know everyone there,” Flowers said. "They were second for me, but also Virginia Tech. Those were definitely two of the other top schools for me.”

Due to the pandemic, and the subsequent dead period that the NCAA enacted, Flowers was only able to visit Connecticut, Rutgers and Virginia Tech, in addition to multiple visits to Penn State.

“The first reason, anyone can probably guess, and that’s because home is where the heart is,” Flowers said, when asked why Penn State was the best fit. “Staying home means a lot to me. I like having family be able to come out whenever. The second reason is the coaches. They just made me feel special, made me feel at home when I first stepped onto campus.”

Flowers is now the eighth prospect to commit to Penn State in the Class of 2022. All eight players hold a four-star rating, which is a major reason why the Nittany Lions now have the second-ranked class in the nation. But there’s also still plenty of other prospects still available. Flowers said he plans to recruit both Enai White and Nick Singleton, among others.

“The 2022 class is definitely special. It’s a really strong PA class. There are so many guys coming from my area, and that’s definitely a good thing.”

He added, “I’ve already connected with guys in the 2022 and 2021 classes. I’ve talked to Landon [Tengwall], Christian [Veilleux], Sander [Sahaydak]. I’ve also been in heavy contact with Beau [Pribula], Anthony [Ivey], Ken [Talley], all those 2022 guys. It’s nice knowing you already have a bond with those guys.”

In 2020, Flowers led Steel-High to the PIAA 1A state championship game, where they defeated Jeannette, 32-20. He totaled 1,006 yards receiving and 23 total touchdowns. He was named Pennsylvania's Offensive Player of the Year by the Patriot News.

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