The Nittany Lions have made several splashes this weekend. Not only did they secure a commitment from blue-chip player T.A. Cunningham on Saturday, but they also added top-100 recruit Liam Andrews on Friday.
It’s brought a lot of excitement to a class that may now be pretty complete; A 24-player class is a pretty big one and there are only so many scholarships to hand out.
The focus is largely going to be moved to the 2025 class for the Nittany Lions at this point.
There may still be a splash or two with 2024 recruits, however. While they may not be favorites, the Nittany Lions have been in on several more players.
Who are some of the recruits to watch for Penn State in this cycle?
Ernest Willor Jr. (DL)
Another top recruit that Penn State has been focusing on in this class is Ernest Willor Jr.
Willor Jr., another top-100 DL, is one of the top two prospects coming out of Maryland.
Penn State is considered a top school in his recruitment, along with Ohio State and Maryland. He has not set a commitment date yet.
Willor has had his recruitment flying under-the-radar, so there isn’t much public about it. Maryland is good recruiting grounds for Penn State though.
Jonathan Paylor (WR)
Paylor a four-star receiver from North Carolina, has Penn State in his finalists.
He has a commitment date set for August 5.
4-star WR Jonathan Paylor (@jonathan_paylor) is set to commit on August 5‼️
He is down to South Carolina, North Carolina, NC State, Penn State and Maryland👀
Read: https://t.co/BiRbJ86S6a pic.twitter.com/rDUPFzfDrm
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) July 18, 2023
NC State, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland are the other finalists for him.
A top-150 player in the class, he is considered a South Carolina lean.
Jaylen Harvey (DL)
Another four star recruit our of Maryland.
Harvey is also a player considered a Penn State lean (at least, he had been). Maryland, USC and Florida were all in the mix despite Penn State being the leader for a planned July 4 commitment.
Harvey pushed that date back to an unknown time, however.
There hasn’t been much recent news on his recruitment since then.
Nigel Smith II (DL)
A four-star DL from Texas, included the Nittany Lions in his top eight schools.
Forgot to add The Hidden Leaf Village but what y’all think? @Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/zLfKbqSH1F
— Nigel Smith 2 (@nigel2mith) May 8, 2023
Penn State finds themselves along with Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State, Rutgers, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Smith has a September 8th commitment date scheduled and is an Oklahoma lean.
Alex Taylor (WR)
Four-star North Carolina receiver Alex Taylor also included Penn State in his top schools.
They are joined by NC State, North Carolina, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
commitment day set‼️, location will be at Grimsley high school i will drop the time early in July!!! @RecruitGrimsley @e43fitness @ChadSimmons_ @RivalsFriedman #AGTG pic.twitter.com/sn6V4bbMVc
— Alex Taylor ✪ (@thealextaylor3) June 28, 2023
The top-300 recruit is considered a lean to stay home and sign with North Carolina. He plans to commit on Saturday, July 29.
