Committany Nation: Four-Star DL Visits, Quarterback Dominoes, and More

Tyreke Smith Back At Penn State

The Nittany Lions hosted four-star Ohio defensive lineman Tyreke Smith for a visit on Wednesday, according to the four-star prospect’s twitter.

This was Smith’s fifth visit to Penn State in the last 13 months, so he’s been a familiar face on campus. Unfortunately for James Franklin and Co., the Buckeyes are going to be tough to beat here. Urban Meyer can pretty much pick-and-choose who he wants in the Buckeye State, so it’s hard to see Smith ending up anywhere but Columbus.

Jace Ruder Commits to North Carolina

Despite picking up a four-star quarterback just days before, Penn State target Jace Ruder still made the call to the Tar Heels following his visit to Chapel Hill. The Nittany Lions will once again regroup at quarterback recruiting, and they’ll see where they want to go from here. New Jersey’s Devin Leary and Allan Walters remain options, as does Connecticut’s Will Levis who is slowly blowing up, landing offers from Syracuse, UConn, Florida State, Ole Miss, UNC, and Iowa since the beginning of June.

While I don’t think Penn State wants to wait around too long, there’s definitely a case to be made for the Nittany Lions to be selective here. With everyone outside of Chris Godwin back for Penn State’s offense, Joe Moorhead’s unit should be clicking on all cylinders in 2017. If that happens, one would think a potent Nittany Lion offense would be a great reminder for quarterbacks around the nation of the opportunity in Happy Valley.

News and Notes

• 2020 wideout Julian Fleming went in-depth with Tyler Donahue of Land of 10 on his offer from the Nittany Lions. Fleming admits that most of his family are Penn State fans.
• Former commit Chris Bleich pledged to UCLA. In addition to being previously committed to the Nittany Lions, Bleich was also a lean to Rutgers and Nebraska at one point or another, so there’s a decent possibility his recruitment isn’t over. Regardless, wouldn’t expect Penn State to stay too involved.
• Penn State is taking a look at Germany — yes, Germany’s — Julius Welschof, according to 247Sports. What makes things even more interesting is that the 6-foot-6, 248-pound defensive end could enroll this summer, if given the opportunity.