Blessed & Honored: Penn State Prospects Move Into Rivals250

Devyn Ford Back At Penn State

Four-star RB Devyn Ford visited Happy Valley on Monday, and his coach recapped the trip with Greg Pickel of PennLive. As his coach talks about in the article, Ford is expected to take official visits this spring before deciding sometime in June.

Virginia Tech, Ohio State, and Clemson continue to be the other contenders here, with the in-state Hokies perhaps being in the pole position. Goes without saying, but getting Ford back for Blue and White weekend would be the ideal scenario for James Franklin and his staff.

PA Linebacker Racks Up Offers

While he doesn’t have a Penn State offer yet, Malvern Prep’s Keith Maguire is still being pursued by some of the country’s best programs, having landed offers from Notre Dame, Ohio State, Clemson, and Texas A&M. Yesterday, he added Alabama to that group.

We’ll see if the Nittany Lions eventually come calling, but for whatever reason, they’re hesitant to pull the trigger.

PSU ‘Croots Jump Into Rivals250

Rivals released updated rankings for the 2019 class earlier this week. There wasn’t a whole lot of movement for prospects that were originally in the Rivals 250 (Lewis Cine, Brandon Smith, etc.), as this update was more so just for prospects that were unranked (Xavier Truss) or for players who were originally given a lazy rating (Taisun Phommachanh had a rating of 5.5, for example).

CB Sheridan Jones: No. 118

• Reclassified from the 2020 class. Was a borderline five-star there, but still a high-level prospect even with the move. Ohio State appears to lead.

S Noa Pola-Gates: No. 137

• Made the long trip from Arizona to visit Penn State for the most recent Junior Day. Really, really good athlete. Will continue to land national offers.

OT Xavier Truss: No. 139

• Talked about on Tuesday. Penn State has done a good job so far, but his recruitment is wide open.

QB Taisun Phommachanh: No. 145

• Talked about on Tuesday, as well. Penn State, Florida State, and Michigan seem to make sense, but he’ll pick up more offers this winter/spring.

LB Osita Ekwonu: No. 148

• Not too much known about his recruitment for now, but has a twin brother — OL Ikem Ekwonu — who does not have a Penn State offer. Would imagine they might be a package deal.

WR John Metchie: No. 170

• Penn State was in on Metchie early, offering the Canadian transplant before his junior season. Lions will have to fend off Notre Dame and Michigan, but Penn State offering early could play huge dividends.

TE Jahleel Billingsley: No. 196

• Visited Penn State for the February Junior Day. Just landed a Michigan offer; would expect more Big Ten schools to get involved.

CB/S Tyler Rudolph: No. 203

• If he partakes in the camp scene this spring, he’ll continue to rise in the rankings. Penn State sitting well here.

CB Marquis Wilson: No. 220

• I’ll bet my first born (Iowa Koerbler) that Maquis Wilson will end up a Top 100 player. Elite ability at cornerback.

DL Hakeem Beamon: No. 237

• Still believe his future is inside. Reminds me of 2017 Clemson signee Jordan Williams — bigger defensive end that won’t have any problem adding weight.