THE SKINNY
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 178 pounds
Hometown/High School: Baltimore, MD (Mount Saint Joseph)
Ranking: N/A
Notable Offers: Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, Virginia
HIGHLIGHTS
THE TALE
Thornton has been a recruit that has been on “commitment watch” for a while now and on Saturday, the 2021 wide receiver decided it was time to end his recruitment. Thornton committed to the Nittany Lions while attending their annual junior day.
Among a slew of 2021 recruits, Penn State has made Thornton a priority over the last few months. According to his 247Sports timeline, the first notable contact between the two came last June when Thornton camped at Penn State. He was offered the same day that he camped and since then the Nittany Lions coaching staff has pushed hard for elite 2021 wideout. He made three visits to campus between July and the end of September before once again returning on Saturday.
Outside of Penn State, Thornton has gotten looks from across the region and especially the Big Ten with Ohio State and Michigan also notably offering the 2021 wide receiver.
Obviously, there’s a long way to go until Thornton is officially a Nittany Lion but right now it appears that he’s all Penn State and it will be tremendously hard for any program to flip him away from James Franklin and company.
OUTLOOK
Thornton is still a looooong way away from seeing the field from the Nittany Lions, but it’s always good to get a head start when you can. The 2021 class, like 2020, is extremely strong in the region and Thornton could lead a brigade that includes Kyle McCord, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. all from St. Joes Prep in Philadelphia.