Blessed & Honored: Recapping the Weekend & Setting the Stage Ahead

FALLOUT FROM THE WEEKEND

Penn State hosted a number of uncommitted prospects for official visits over the weekend, and as the teenagers tend to do, they tweeted it about.

Three-star NJ defensive end Smith Vilbert might be the most intriguing player that Penn State is after. He’s new to football, but at 6-foot-5.5, 250 pounds (to go along with an enormous wingspan), you can’t draw them up much better than Vilbert.

Due to his late start on the recruiting process, Vilbert has only officially visited Oregon and Penn State so far — both of which have 247 Crystal Ball predictions in favor of them. While the Nittany Lions seem to be a little more realistic than the Ducks (Penn State has seven of the nine predictions in its favor), Vilbert’s recruitment is just getting going. If he doesn’t sign on December 19, he’s the type of kid that will be flooded with more “elite” offers.

Three-star NY defensive tackle Jared Harrison-Hunte was also in this weekend, and like Vilbert, his 247 Crystal Ball points to Penn State being the favorite. He’s yet to make an announcement on when he’ll decide though, so for now, the Nittany Lions will continue to be in wait-and-see mode.

While Florida defensive tackle Jaquaze Sorrells ended up not making the trip, Cornelius Johnson, Trevor Keegan, and Jakai Moore did. More on them below...

DECISIONS AHEAD

• Four-star WR Cornelius Johnson will be announcing on December 19. His final five will be Penn State, Michigan, Stanford, Notre Dame, and Alabama, but the first three schools seem to be the more realistic options. He has a Michigan visit scheduled for this weekend so the Wolverines could gain some late momentum here.
• Three-star OT Jakai Moore will also announce on December 19. He’s down to South Carolina (where he officially visited way back on April 28) and Penn State (where he officially visited three days ago). As Dave Fawcett of Inside NoVa points out, James Franklin and Co. will have their in-home visit with Moore on Thursday, while Will Muschamp and Co. will get the last crack Friday.
• Fresh off his Happy Valley visit, four-star OT Trevor Keegan will be committing this Friday at 6:30. He’ll be choosing from a top three of Penn State, Georgia, and Michigan, and it looks likely that his longtime leaders, the Michigan Wolverines, will be the pick.
• Last but not least, but five-star defensive end Zach Harrison will announce his commitment on the 19th. His final three is the same as it’s always been — Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State — but unfortunately, the Nittany Lions seem like the least likely option. Hope for a Zettel 2.0 though!