Blessed & Honored: 2020 Recruiting Preview — Linebacker and Secondary

We did the defensive front last Wednesday. Now, it’s time to check out the back seven for the 2020 class.

LINEBACKER — 3

Penn State already has two linebackers committed in Derek Wingo (Florida) and Curtis Jacobs (Maryland), but there’s definitely a need for one more. At the top of that list is assuredly five-star Antoine Sampah (Virginia). Sampah, like almost half of these 2020 prospects, was in Happy Valley for the Whiteout game against Ohio State. He hasn’t been back since, but with Penn State also going after his teammate — offensive guard Ryan Adams — it wouldn’t be a surprise to get Sampah back on campus sometime this spring.

Penn State is in the picture for five-star Mekhail Sherman (Washington DC) and four-star Kalel Mullings (Massachusetts), but if the 247Sports Crystal Ball is to believed, Penn State has work to do for both. The same can be said of Cody Simon, who has a brother that goes to Notre Dame, and attends the same high school that Brandon Wimbush did.

New York has two intriguing players in Cullen Coleman and William Mohan. Coleman doesn’t have a Penn State offer yet, but Alabama, Ohio State, and Notre Dame have come offering in the last month or so. Good athlete, big kid too at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds. Wouldn’t be a surprised if he ends up as a tight end.

SAFETY — 3

We’ll see where true freshman Joey Porter Jr. and Tyler Rudolph end up, but like every other position in this class, would expect a relatively big haul at safety.

Jordan Morant (New Jersey) very well could be the top safety on the board. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Morant has visited Penn State a number of times already, and the Nittany Lions have firm control of his 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Michigan has two highly sought after safety products in Enzo Jennings and Makari Paige. Jennings visited Happy Valley for the February 2 Junior Day, while Paige was teammates with 2019 signee (and early enrollee) Lance Dixon. That doesn’t necessarily mean Paige will follow in Dixon’s path, but hey, it certainly shouldn’t hurt.

In the region, Nehki Meredith (Virginia) is a guy I like. He’s a little on the smaller side at just 5-foot-9, but the kid can play.

CORNERBACK — 3

Penn State already has a good one in Joshuah Moten. At just 165 pounds, he’ll need to add some weight, but the hips, athleticism, and length is there for Moten to eventually turn into a Big Ten quality starter.

Beyond Moten, there aren’t exactly a ton of options at cornerback in the region. Luke Hill (Washington DC) is a highly-touted prospect, but Penn State doesn’t seem to have much traction there. The same is the case of Keontae Jenkins (Virginia) — he holds a Penn State offer, but to this point, there doesn’t appear to be much interest.

Miami’s Henry Gray put Penn State in his top eight along with Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, and Auburn, so he might be a kid who makes his way to campus sometime in the spring. Goes without saying, but he’ll be a tough pull.

PUNTER — 1

With Blake Gillikin heading into his senior season, it’s about that time that Penn State brings in another scholarship punter. It’s still early right now, but Cameron Guess (Pennsylvania) is the No. 5 ranked punter in the 2020 class, according to Kohl’s Kicking.