Penn State has 24 Class of 2022 verbal commitments as August winds to a close, and all of them are expected to take the field this fall after the coronavirus pandemic kept some away from it last year.
Which recruit's senior season film are we most interested in seeing?
BWI's Ryan Snyder and Greg Pickel make their picks below.
The candidates
As a quick reminder, here is the full rundown of who is already committed to the Nittany Lions' Class of 2022.
For this particular topic, we knocked out Cam Miller, Tyler Johnson, and KJ Winston from the running, as Ryan addressed the trio as three guys he believes could see a ratings bump if they play to their potential this fall, but otherwise, the rest of the group is fair game.
Without further ado, here's the list on order of commitment date:
July 25, 2020 - Four-star WR Kaden Saunders, Westerville (Ohio) Westerville South
July 28, 2020 - Four-star TE Jerry Cross, Milwaukee (Wisc.) Rufus King
Aug. 3, 2020 - Four-star QB Beau Pribula, York (Pa.) Central York
Sept. 4, 2020 - Four-star OL Drew Shelton, Downingtown (Pa.) Downingtown West
Sept. 8, 2020 - Four-star DE Ken Talley, Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast High
Nov. 29, 2020 - Four-star WR Anthony Ivey, Manheim (Pa.) Manheim Township
Jan. 1, 2021 - Four-star ATH. Mehki Flowers, Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin East
March 8, 2021 - Three-star QB Drew Allar, Medina (Ohio) Medina High
May 1, 2021 - Three-star OL Maleek McNeil, Easthampton (Mass.) Williston Northampton
May 5, 2021 - Three-star S Tyrece Mills, Philadelphia (Pa.) Lackawanna College
May 25, 2021 - Two-star K Alex Bacchetta, Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster
June 21, 2021 - Three-star WR Tyler Johnson, Ridgeway (Va.) Magna Vista
July 2, 2021 - Three-star OL JB Nelson, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Lackawanna College
July 3, 2021 - Three-star DE Keon Wylie, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Tyreese Fearbry, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Perry Traditional Academy
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Zane Durant, Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona
July 4, 2021 - Four-star DT Kaleb Artis, Queens (N.Y.) St. Francis Prep
July 6, 2021 - Four-star RB Nicholas Singleton, Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin
July 16, 2021 - Four-star RB Kaytron Allen, Norfolk (Va.) IMG Academy (Fla.)
July 17, 2021 - Three-star CB Jordan Allen, Lafayette, (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy
July 22, 2021 - Five-star DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Baltimore (Md.) McDonogh
July 29, 2021 - Four-star CB Cristian Driver - Argyle (Texas) Liberty Christian
July 31, 2021 - Three-star Saf. KJ Winston - Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic
July 31, 2021 - Four-star LB Abdul Carter - Philadelphia (Pa.) La Salle College High
Ryan's pick
I think it has to be Dani Dennis-Sutton. Let's start with the simple fact that he didn't play a single game last season. I know it was a messed up year for all of these players, but not being able to play even once was unique when you look at the rest of the class.
Now, with that said, he used his time off wisely, reshaping his body from a potential defensive tackle longterm into a strong edge rusher. That paid off this past summer when we watched Dennis-Sutton dominate at multiple camps. But still, his five-star rating is based primarily off of what we saw this summer and not what we saw on the field two years ago.
Speaking of two years ago, Dennis-Sutton didn't even play defensive end at the time. He was a three-technique defensive tackle for McDonogh his sophomore year, taking on a ton of double-teams and plugging A and B gaps. That's not what he'll be expected to do when he gets to State College in the months to come.
Finally, when you add in the fact that he dislocated his elbow less than two weeks ago, we'll have to keep an eye on how that potential injury impacts him when he gets back on the field. Elbow injuries aren't nearly as bad shoulder injuries can be, but I want to see how he recovers from that. The good news is that Dennis-Sutton does expect to be back by mid-September, only missing one or two games.
Greg's pick
I'm picking two players here, and while you can say that's a cop-out, it feels wrong to go with one and not the other when the logic for the selection applies to both.
Four-star end Ken Talley and three-star linebacker Keon Wylie both missed out on a fall season but were able to play in the spring, and it doesn't take many of their limited junior year clips to realize that each improved despite the chaotic nature of 2020 and shined during a few games a few months ago.
Now, I'm excited to see what each can do for an encore.
The pair play each other in October, which is the highlight of Talley's schedule at Northeast. Meanwhile, besides that matchup, Wylie and Imhotep will battle Pittsburgh Central Catholic, DeMatha Catholic and La Salle College High right out of the gate.
Simply put, both players will have a chance to raise their profiles, which are already pretty darn good, throughout the fall, and that makes them my pair of picks for this particular question.
Who just missed the cut?
Ryan: There's a ton, but quarterbacks impact so much, so I have to pick Drew Allar here. I watched Beau Pribula play in person three times last year. Allar wasn't even on the radar last fall, so really watching his progression and footwork is something I'll follow each week. Just like Dennis-Sutton, his rise through the rankings is based more so on his camp performances this past summer than anything else. How he translates a really good summer to the field intrigues me.
Greg: I was super impressed by how Pribula looked at a 7-on-7 camp earlier this summer, and so I'm curious to see how the improvements he showcased there, particularly in terms of accuracy and arm strength, translate to the field with pads on. Kaleb Artis also was nearly the commit I went with. A big senior season could set him up for a shot at early playing time with the Nittany Lions in 2022.
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