One of Penn State's top recruits- Jerome Baker (LB)- will visit this weekend.
Student Sports
Penn State will host it's Junior Day this Saturday (February 15), and it's looking like a big one. Last year's Junior Day was a great success in terms of introducing the recruits to the school, as newly signed Nittany Lions Mark Allen, Chris Godwin, Troy Apke, and Troy Reeder were all in attendance. It is also worth noting though, that a Junior Day appearance is far from a guarantee of a commitment. To give a few quick examples, Dravon Henry and Montae Nicholson each attended PSU's Junior Day last year, and both of these top Pennsylvania talents chose to look elsewhere.
That being said, it is still so early in 2015 cycle, that the time to be optimistic is now. So let's take a look at some of the big names that will be on campus for Junior Day 2014.
Brandon Wimbush (QB) ★★★★
Josh Adams (RB) ★★★★
Ryan Bates (OL) ★★★★
Steven Gonzalez (OL) ★★★★
Sterling Jenkins (OL) ★★★★
Kamonte Carter (LB) ★★★★
Jerome Baker (LB) ★★★★
John Reid (CB) ★★★★
Jordan Whitehead (CB) ★★★★
**Update- Adam McLean (Gaithersburg, MD) ★★★★ will also be in attendance.
There are a lot of big names on this list (and this is not the full list- for that check out the BWI and Lions247 message boards). The first thing that jumps out to you right away is the #STARPOWER. There are plenty of other visitors attending that are not as highly ranked at this group, but these are the cream of the crop, so to speak. And the best part? Every single one of them has Penn State high on their list right now.
Brandon Wimbush is one of the top Dual-Threat QB's in the nation. Josh Adams is one of the top players in Pennsylvania, and one of the elite backs in the country. Ryan Bates and Sterling Jenkins are two of the top ten talents in the state, and are both big and powerful linemen. It is assumed that Bates will be one of the first commitments to the 2015 class. Jenkins is a slightly different story, as the Nittany Lions are in battle with Meyer's Buckeyes and Hoke's Wolverines for his services. Steven Gonzalez is another offensive line name to watch. Out of New Jersey, he is among the staff's most highly sought after linemen (and there are a lot of them). Kamonte Carter is an athlete who will likely play linebacker at Penn State should he commit. I'd say there is a good chance of that happening this weekend. Baker is one of the top athlete/linebacker prospects in the entire country, but is very high on Penn State. Hailing from Cleveland, you would think he'd be a Buckeye all the way, but he says that is not the case. Baker was a last minute addition to the list, and is a huge name to add. Reid and Whitehead are two big defensive back recruits for the staff. Reid is arguably the top player in the state (he and Sterling Jenkins fluctuate based on the source), and is very high on the Lions. He is part of the very highly touted defensive backfield group Penn State is looking at. Whitehead is another highly regarded corner, also hailing from Pennsylvania.
When all is said and done with this year's Junior Day, I expect to see at least three or four new offers be sent out, and maybe even a commitment. I'll be sure to update when I can. ALSO- I was trying to have my complete 2015 Recruiting Primer ready for today, but I've been going much more in depth with it than I originally planned. Therefore, it will be ready for you by Tuesday at the absolute latest. So be on the lookout for that. It's going to be good, I promise. #DominateTheState