In college football recruiting the month of June means official visits and camp SZN. This past weekend the Nittany Lion coaching staff kicked off what will be a whirlwind month of June is a busy weekend of official visitors and campers.

While these weekends do not always immediately result in commitments, that was indeed the case for Penn State. The Nittany Lions added offensive lineman Deryc Plazz, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, and safety Dejuan Lane following their official visits. Odds are, there will be other official visitors who were on campus this past weekend that will eventually end up in this class.

VISITORS TO CAMPUS

In addition to the three new commitments Penn State picked up over the weekend, linebacker commit Kari Jackson was also on campus. Often times the importance of official visits for committed players can be overlooked. However, they are vital in continuing forge that relationship between not just the player and staff, but family and staff. Having Jackson on campus to do some peer recruiting couldn’t have hurt, either.

One of the biggest un-committed prospects on campus was lineman Liam Andrews.

Coming into the weekend the Nittany Lions led for Andrews. This visit did nothing bur further strengthen that lead. He will officially visit Wisconsin and Florida later this month before deciding, but all signs point toward the Nittany Lions being the pick. Due to his ability to be an all-conference caliber player in the trenches on either side of the ball, Andrews is one of the most important remaining targets for Penn State.

Two other defensive tackle prospects who visited were Amaris Williams and Deyvid Palepale.

Entering the weekend Penn State had ground to make up in the recruitment of Williams. He flat out called Florida is leader prior to the start of official visits, with the Nittany Lions also involved among his top schools. Following a strong visit it appears the Nittany Lion coaching staff did a great job with Williams and did all they could to put themselves in a position to surge to the top in his recruitment.

Williams still has official visits scheduled for NC State, Florida, and Tennessee. These official visits will likely prove to be the deciding factor in his recruitment, but it looks like the Nittany Lions certainly made a move with Williams this weekend.

As for Palepale, his recruitment is another one where the Nittany Lions are playing from behind and looking to make up ground. Michigan is Palepale’s current leader and some of that comes from the Nittany Lion coaching staff slow playing Palepale at times in his recruitment. It would not be a surprise to see Palepale commit to the Wolverines following his official visit to Ann Arbor this weekend.

One of the fastest rising prospects not just in the region but the cycle as a whole is linebacker Chris Cole. Cole started his June official visits with a trip to Penn State.

The Nittany Lion coaching staff would love to add a third linebacker in this class and would love for it to be Cole. In addition to Penn State, Cole has received offers from programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Miami, and Notre Dame, among others, since the start of April. Due to this his recruitment is one that did not start to really take off until later in the spring.

Moving forward, Cole still has official visits planned for Georgia and Miami. So his recruitment is far from over. However, coming out of the weekend it looks like the Nittany Lions are the team who is currently surging for the Virginia linebacker.

Miami wide receiver commit Chance Robinson was also on campus.

When Robinson committed to the Hurricanes in April it was a blow to Penn State’s receiver board. The St. Thomas Aquinas product is high on their board and a player the coaching staff felt good about their chances with.

Well, getting Robinson back on campus for an official visit was the first step toward attempting to flip him. That said, getting Robinson to flip from his hometown Hurricanes will not be an easy task. He still has official visits to Florida and Miami lined up this month. Right now the money would appear to be on Robinson staying South.

EDGE TARGET CHANGES OV PLANS

Entering the weekend the Nittany Lions seemed to have a hug lead in EDGE rusher Jaylen Harvey’s recruitment. To be honest, it has always been a bit of surprise that Harvey is not yet committed to Penn State. Well, coming out of his official visit, it appears that will change.

Harvey originally planned to take five official visits before announcing his college decision. Coming out of his official visit to Penn State Harvey has cancelled his other official visits and will announce his college decision on June 23^rd. It looks like Harvey has likely given the Nittany Lion coaching staff some good news already.

SUNDAY CAMPERS

On Sunday, the Nittany Lion coaching staff hosted their first prospect camp of the summer. Notable prospects at the camp included commits Ethan Grunkemeyer, Caleb Brewer, and Anthony Speca. Two of the most notable un-committed prospects on campus were 2024 wide receiver Peter Gonzalez and 2025 tight end Brady O’Hara.

Gonzalez was one of the most intriguing campers of the day, and one of the more intriguing campers Penn State will have all summer. The Pittsburgh Central Catholic product has been steadily climbing Penn State’s wide receiver board but the staff wanted to work him out in person. After a strong camp showing on Sunday, it would not be a surprise at all to see Gonzalez end up in Penn State’s class. He is set to officially visit Penn State the weekend of June 16^th.

O’Hara is also a Pittsburgh area native. A product of North Catholic, O’Hara jut keeps popping up on campus for visits and camps. It would not be a surprise at all to see O’Hara end up in Penn State’s 2025 class, and potentially sooner rather than later.