Committany Nation: Ellis Brooks Set To Announce and Nittany Lions Busy In 2018

Ellis Brooks Ready To Commit

Following his official visit to Happy Valley, Virginia linebacker Ellis Brooks announced on Twitter Sunday night that he would be committing today (Monday, January 30).

Brooks’ presumed final five would be the five schools he took an official visit to: Maryland, Northwestern, LSU, Oregon, and Penn State. The Terrapins and the Nittany Lions were the presumed leaders heading into the visit, and now that Brooks is ready to decide so suddenly after his stop in Happy Valley, it probably only means good things for James Franklin’s program.

The 247 Crystal Ball agrees, with 13 predictions coming in for Penn State last night; most notably, from Sean Fitz and Steve Wiltfong.

This would obviously be a monumental get for the Nittany Lions. Linebacker help is sorely needed, and Brooks has the build and instincts to be play right away in Happy Valley.

Other Official Visitor Notes

• WR Mark Webb: According to his twitter, it looks like Pennsylvania wide receiver is sticking with the Georgia Bulldogs.
• TE Peyton Hendershot: The Indiana commit was on campus without an offer, and as far as we know, he left Penn State without an offer. Still a kid to keep an eye on over the final few days.
• WR Henry Ruggs: It looks like Ruggs cancelled his visit to Penn State. Even if he would have followed through with the visit, the Nittany Lions had a longshot chance at best to land his signature.

Mini-Junior Day News and Notes

Penn State hosted a handful of 2018 prospects on Sunday, and not surprisingly, there was quite a bit of buzz.

RB Ricky Slade

The five-star running back tweeted this during the visit, which of course brought questions if a commitment was shortly to follow. Spoiler alert: He didn’t commit. Still, Slade has had Penn State in his top two — if not leading — for months now, so him making a pledge to the Nittany Lions in a couple days, weeks, or months wouldn’t surprise anybody.

LB Jesse Luketa

The Canadian linebacker was in Happy Valley as expected, but alas, no commitment. Like Brooks, he had a string of 247 Crystal Ball predictions to Penn State heading into the weekend, so it’s safe to say the Lions probably lead here.

LB/DE Nick Tarburton

Pennridge’s Nick Tarburton has blown up as of late, having landed offers from Louisville, Maryland, Pitt, Michigan State, and Rutgers in the past couple weeks. And now, the linebacker has an offer from Penn State. At 6-foot-3.5, 242 pounds, Tarburton is a massive high school linebacker, so the chances he grows into a defensive end are high.

Regardless of his position, his film is really, really fun to watch. Like whatever you are doing, please stop, and watch the first play of this film, because he very nearly decapitates the poor running back. Thoughts and prayers to that poor young man.

As for Penn State’s chances, in a word: good. Sean Fitz has already put in his Crystal Ball for the Nittany Lions, which is a very good sign.

OT Rasheed Walker

Penn State only took one true offensive tackle — Desmond Holmes — in the 2017 class, so look for the 2018 offensive line group to be a little bit more tackle heavy. At the very top of that list is Maryland’s Rasheed Walker. He last visited Penn State for the Ohio State game (if you don’t remember, the Nittany Lions won), so two visits in the last three months isn’t a bad start to his recruitment.

TE Zach Kuntz (COMMIT)

Penn State’s 6-foot-7 tight end commit was in town getting another look at his future home, and presumably, helping the staff reel in some more recruits.