Penn State has plenty of targets remaining on its recruiting radar with less than a week until National Signing Day. Today, we're going to take a look at a handful of those targets and try to give a realistic assessment of what the Nittany Lions' chances are at earning their commitments. Let's look at who's left on the board.
WR Dredrick Snelson (Fort Lauderdale, Fl.)
Snelson will visit Penn State this weekend. The Nittany Lions have made the Minnesota commit a priority since former Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover came on board as Herb Hand's replacement, paying him multiple home visits. They'll look to seal the deal and earn his verbal commitment during his official visit. If not, it appears that Snelson will make his announcement on National Signing Day.
Chances of committing: 70%
Best Guess: Penn State
ILB Brendan Ferns (St. Clairsville, Oh.)
Penn State's chances of landing Ferns took a hit when a snowstorm prevented him and his family from making it to Happy Valley for their official visit last weekend. Not only did Ferns miss out on the chance to spend time with nearly the entire committed class, but his parents missed the chance to continue bonding with the McGoverns and Menets, who they have grown close to over the last few months. Ferns has a visit to West Virginia scheduled for this weekend, but it's unclear what his plans are at this moment. Unless he makes it to State College, I'm putting the chances of Ferns becoming a Nittany Lion slightly below 50/50.
Chances of committing: 45%
Best Guess: West Virginia
CB Damar Hamlin (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Hamlin took an official visit to Penn State last weekend, and was even part of the party van that made its way from Pittsburgh to Happy Valley. Reports have been saying that he'll end up at either Ohio State or Pittsburgh for some time, but Penn State has continued to hang around. He received an in-home visit from James Franklin and a few other staff members on Wednesday, he will take his official visit to Pittsburgh this weekend, and he is set to make his final decision on Monday, February 1.
Chances of committing: 30%
Best Guess: Ohio State
DE Rashad Weaver (Fort Lauderdale, Fl.)
Weaver is famously one of the recruits that Jim Harbaugh advised to look elsewhere because he wasn't sure if he was going to have room on National Signing Day. As a result, Weaver de-committed from the Wolverines and began looking at Penn State and Pitt. Per his Twitter feed, he will visit Pitt on Saturday morning, then travel to Penn State for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. I'm giving Penn State the edge here with the slightly longer visit and the staff's ability to sell the defensive tackle depth chart.
Chances of committing: 60%
Best Guess: Penn State
WR Dae'lun Darien (Baltimore, Md.)
Darien is another receiver that Penn State offered once Tre Nixon headed elsewhere. Darien is currently a Temple commit, but he'll be in Happy Valley this weekend. Other than that, it's tough to tell at this point.
Chances of committing: ?
Best Guess: Temple
DT Antonio Shelton (Westerville, Oh.)
Shelton was offered by Penn State on January 23 and has become one of the Nittany Lions' primary targets since then. The former Illinois commit backed off from his Fighting Illini pledge on January 25, the same day he received an in-home visit from James Franklin and Sean Spencer. He's scheduled to be on campus this weekend and seems to be one of the guys most likely to commit to Penn State.
Chances of committing: 70%
Best Guess: Penn State
WR Taysir Mack (Brooklyn, Ny.)
The final receiver to watch is Mack, who picked up his Penn State offer during a Joe Moorhead in-home visit on January 19. He's not currently listed as a name who will be in attendance this weekend at Penn State, but that could change. Mack is currently committed to Rutgers, so gaining a commitment from him would be fun on a few levels.
Chances of committing: 50%
Best Guess: If Penn State has a spot, Penn State. If not, Rutgers.
CB Lavert Hill (Detroit, Mi.)
Yes, Lavert Hill is still on Penn State's board. After seemingly knocking the Nittany Lions out on contention, the one-time commit has them back in his final three. He's set to announce on National Signing Day. He recently told the Detroit News that the race between his final three (Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State) is "pretty even." So who knows!
Chances of committing: 33.3333333333%
Best Guess: Michigan
Other Names to Watch:
SDE Brenon Thrift (Lackawanna Community College, Pa.)
DT Tyrell Chavis (Nassau Community College, NY)
ATH Aaron Hansford (St. John's College, DC)