I was at Franklin High School in Somerset, N.J. Sunday for one of the final stops in this year's Rivals camp circuit. Unfortunately, as many of you that live in the area know, it rained hard the entire day. Not only did that limit the group of prospects that made the trip, but it also limited the amount of video and photos I could take.
However, the day wasn't a complete wash, as I got to meet Nick Dawkins for the first time, plus check up on a few of PSU's top 2020 targets
Below is a recap of Sunday's camp, as well as some feedback on RB Evan Pryor's visit this past weekend.
RB Evan Pryor
Before we get to camp, I did catch up with 2021 RB Evan Pryor regarding his trip to Penn State this past weekend. As I noted before, he was mainly on campus to help his sister move home for the summer, so this wasn't a true college visit. With that said, he did meet with grad assistant Mark Dupuis and Ja'Juan Seider Saturday.
"I was able to watch a lot of film with Coach Dupuis and talk with Coach Seider," Pryor said. "At this point, the whole recruiting aspect is kind of fading away. To me, it's about how I can be used in their system and how I can thrive there. Also, making sure that it's the right place for me. That's the main thing I'm looking at. I had a great time."
Pryor is now up to 30 scholarship offers. In addition to visiting PSU back in February, he saw Arizona State, Georgia, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The Oregon visit went well, but I still think PSU should feel good about where it stands here. Pryor has been to PSU six times now. There's a chance he'll get back this summer, but if not, he'll definitely be back on campus this season.
Rivals Camp Series - New Jersey
OL Nick Dawkins
Since Dawkins was the only committed player in attendance, I spent a good chunk of the day watching him. Off the field, he's everything you want. He cares about all the right things; great in the classroom and in the locker room. His personality is similar to Caedan Wallace. Also, just like Caedan, I really learned how competitive Nick is. If you get the chance to meet him, he's a really nice kid, so when you see him flip that switch during competition, it's fun to watch. At the same time, he's not someone that gets all upset when he makes mistakes or takes things personally if there's an extra push after the whistle, whatever it may be. He gets after it, but he understands that every play is a new chance, a new opportunity to improve. I like that. So many other prospects overthink these competitions and it hurts them in the end.
Fundamentally, you see the potential. He's pretty quick off the snap and has a good slide step. He mainly just needs to work on his punch and using leverage better, which will come. Nick even said that himself following camp. It should also be noted that Sunday was the first time he ever worked out at guard, so he's still getting used to squaring up against the bigger guys in the middle. But overall, he's a good prospect that will fit in well with this program.
RB Jalen Berger
I hit on Berger in last week's notebook recapping the Under Armour camp. I really don't have much to add aside from that. He had a few good reps, but nothing that changed my opinion on him. He's a great player, but I no longer believe that PSU is in a strong position with Berger. I think Ohio State and Michigan are clearly ahead of the Lions and likely every other school. One good thing, potentially, is that Berger announced Monday that he won't make his commitment until Jan. 4 at the All-American Bowl. A lot of things change in recruiting, so that could end up helping PSU down the road. But as of now, I don't like PSU's chances with Berger.
DT Isaiah Raikes
Just like last week's camp and the camps before that, Raikes was once again one of the best defensive linemen in the attendance. I thought he should've received the DL MVP award, but DE Fadil Diggs was also very good. But overall, Raikes was dominant on the day. Dawkins stopped him once and I saw OL MVP Ibrahim Traore get the best of him once. Aside from that, Raikes won basically every other rep. He's just very quick off the snap and is able to overpower when he doesn't beat his opposition within the first few steps. I said in last weekend's notebook that Raikes is still underrated, so I was happy to see that Friedman had him as a top performer. I'll be curious to see how far Isaiah moves up.
From a recruiting perspective, I feel better about Penn State's chances following this camp than I did leaving Baltimore. Yes, Raikes was wearing PSU gloves this weekend, but that's not really why. Following the Under Armour camp, I just felt like he kept coming back to A&M when we talked, but that wasn't the case at all this week. In fact, when I was asking him about other schools, Raikes flat out said that he's sick of talking about other schools and wanted to talk Penn State exclusively. He knows I'm the PSU reporter, but nonetheless, I thought that was interesting. Here are some of his quotes:
- On Sean Spencer:
"Coach Spencer's energy is just on a different level. He brings it in everything he does. He's fun and is a great coach. Everyone wants to play for a coach like that."
- On where he stands overall:
"I'm closing things down. I'm about to trim my top schools on my birthday [May 15]. It'll probably be a top six or seven. I haven't set any official visits yet, but I guarantee I'll take an official visit to Penn State. I'm probably going to get back to Texas A&M and probably Oregon, too."
- On when he's aiming to take that PSU official visit:
"I'm really not sure yet, but this summer would be good. Maybe in June? I'm trying to make moves with these visits by the end of the month."
There's plenty of work to do, but after meeting with Raikes the past two weekends, I think he's someone fans need to follow closely. Most of you knew that already.
LB Cody Simon
Simon was excellent in the early positional drills and he carried that over to the pass coverage drills at the end of camp. I knew Simon was a pretty good athlete, but he exceeded expectations covering backs out of the backfield. At the same time, I have to stress that the conditions certainly favored the defense over the random QB-RB tandems that we saw this weekend. But still, Simon broke up at least four passes on the day. That's more than some of the best DBs there.
Not much has changed on the recruiting trail for Simon. He's still planning official visits but nothing is set. He'll likely visit Penn State, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Virginia. Notre Dame is still the easy pick here because of his family ties to the program, but every time I speak with him I do genuinely get the feeling that PSU is a serious contender, so I'm not as quick to write him off as some others.
Said Simon, "[My brother] just wants me to take this process as if I've never been through it before and make sure I look at every school. It's not about following him. It's about finding the best place for me."
Simon is still on pace to make a commitment before the season. These upcoming visits will be very important.
TE/DE Cam Large
Large is an excellent looking prospect. He checked in at about 6-3 3/4 and a little over 230 pounds. He still has room to grow, too. Athletically, he's very impressive, but there's also some room for improvement at tight end. He just needs to work on route running and agility if he wants to reach his potential at the next level. That doesn't come naturally to him, at least, in my opinion. I understand why Notre Dame is primarily recruiting him at defensive end. Personally, that's the position that makes more sense to me, but James Franklin and his staff know way more than I do. He's clearly a power five level prospect though. Even if PSU does earn a commitment from Theo Johnson, I expect them to continue to pursuing Large, mainly due to his versatility.
"Coach Bowen is one of my favorites," said Large. "I went to camp last summer and I love the way he goes about everything. It was fun working with him. He's also an O-line guy, so he knows everything when it comes to tight end: blocking, passing, everything. That was a really good experience. But I also really like him as a person, too. I think we have a really good relationship. We're usually on the phone at least once a week."
Just like a bunch of other top 2020 prospects, Large is still trying to figure out is official visit schedule.
"I know I'm taking my five official visits this summer and then I'm choosing a school. I want to get this done before my season," Large said.
Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State, LSU and Georgia are also in the running. I'd be surprised if Penn State doesn't get one of those visits.
LB Tyler Martin
Martin is a 2022 prospect, so he's just now finishing up his freshman year. He's currently checking in at about 6-3, 240 pounds, so I wouldn't be surprised if he grows into a defensive end. Michigan has already offered Martin and Penn State may not be too far behind him, as he confirmed that they'll be attending the White Out Camp at the end of June.
One other tidbit: Martin's sister is one of the top high school soccer prospects in the entire country and she's already committed to play at Penn State, so the family has plenty of ties to the school.
However, the day wasn't a complete wash, as I got to meet Nick Dawkins for the first time, plus check up on a few of PSU's top 2020 targets
Below is a recap of Sunday's camp, as well as some feedback on RB Evan Pryor's visit this past weekend.
RB Evan Pryor
Before we get to camp, I did catch up with 2021 RB Evan Pryor regarding his trip to Penn State this past weekend. As I noted before, he was mainly on campus to help his sister move home for the summer, so this wasn't a true college visit. With that said, he did meet with grad assistant Mark Dupuis and Ja'Juan Seider Saturday.
"I was able to watch a lot of film with Coach Dupuis and talk with Coach Seider," Pryor said. "At this point, the whole recruiting aspect is kind of fading away. To me, it's about how I can be used in their system and how I can thrive there. Also, making sure that it's the right place for me. That's the main thing I'm looking at. I had a great time."
Pryor is now up to 30 scholarship offers. In addition to visiting PSU back in February, he saw Arizona State, Georgia, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia Tech. The Oregon visit went well, but I still think PSU should feel good about where it stands here. Pryor has been to PSU six times now. There's a chance he'll get back this summer, but if not, he'll definitely be back on campus this season.
Rivals Camp Series - New Jersey
OL Nick Dawkins
Since Dawkins was the only committed player in attendance, I spent a good chunk of the day watching him. Off the field, he's everything you want. He cares about all the right things; great in the classroom and in the locker room. His personality is similar to Caedan Wallace. Also, just like Caedan, I really learned how competitive Nick is. If you get the chance to meet him, he's a really nice kid, so when you see him flip that switch during competition, it's fun to watch. At the same time, he's not someone that gets all upset when he makes mistakes or takes things personally if there's an extra push after the whistle, whatever it may be. He gets after it, but he understands that every play is a new chance, a new opportunity to improve. I like that. So many other prospects overthink these competitions and it hurts them in the end.
Fundamentally, you see the potential. He's pretty quick off the snap and has a good slide step. He mainly just needs to work on his punch and using leverage better, which will come. Nick even said that himself following camp. It should also be noted that Sunday was the first time he ever worked out at guard, so he's still getting used to squaring up against the bigger guys in the middle. But overall, he's a good prospect that will fit in well with this program.
RB Jalen Berger
I hit on Berger in last week's notebook recapping the Under Armour camp. I really don't have much to add aside from that. He had a few good reps, but nothing that changed my opinion on him. He's a great player, but I no longer believe that PSU is in a strong position with Berger. I think Ohio State and Michigan are clearly ahead of the Lions and likely every other school. One good thing, potentially, is that Berger announced Monday that he won't make his commitment until Jan. 4 at the All-American Bowl. A lot of things change in recruiting, so that could end up helping PSU down the road. But as of now, I don't like PSU's chances with Berger.
DT Isaiah Raikes
Just like last week's camp and the camps before that, Raikes was once again one of the best defensive linemen in the attendance. I thought he should've received the DL MVP award, but DE Fadil Diggs was also very good. But overall, Raikes was dominant on the day. Dawkins stopped him once and I saw OL MVP Ibrahim Traore get the best of him once. Aside from that, Raikes won basically every other rep. He's just very quick off the snap and is able to overpower when he doesn't beat his opposition within the first few steps. I said in last weekend's notebook that Raikes is still underrated, so I was happy to see that Friedman had him as a top performer. I'll be curious to see how far Isaiah moves up.
From a recruiting perspective, I feel better about Penn State's chances following this camp than I did leaving Baltimore. Yes, Raikes was wearing PSU gloves this weekend, but that's not really why. Following the Under Armour camp, I just felt like he kept coming back to A&M when we talked, but that wasn't the case at all this week. In fact, when I was asking him about other schools, Raikes flat out said that he's sick of talking about other schools and wanted to talk Penn State exclusively. He knows I'm the PSU reporter, but nonetheless, I thought that was interesting. Here are some of his quotes:
- On Sean Spencer:
"Coach Spencer's energy is just on a different level. He brings it in everything he does. He's fun and is a great coach. Everyone wants to play for a coach like that."
- On where he stands overall:
"I'm closing things down. I'm about to trim my top schools on my birthday [May 15]. It'll probably be a top six or seven. I haven't set any official visits yet, but I guarantee I'll take an official visit to Penn State. I'm probably going to get back to Texas A&M and probably Oregon, too."
- On when he's aiming to take that PSU official visit:
"I'm really not sure yet, but this summer would be good. Maybe in June? I'm trying to make moves with these visits by the end of the month."
There's plenty of work to do, but after meeting with Raikes the past two weekends, I think he's someone fans need to follow closely. Most of you knew that already.
LB Cody Simon
Simon was excellent in the early positional drills and he carried that over to the pass coverage drills at the end of camp. I knew Simon was a pretty good athlete, but he exceeded expectations covering backs out of the backfield. At the same time, I have to stress that the conditions certainly favored the defense over the random QB-RB tandems that we saw this weekend. But still, Simon broke up at least four passes on the day. That's more than some of the best DBs there.
Not much has changed on the recruiting trail for Simon. He's still planning official visits but nothing is set. He'll likely visit Penn State, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Virginia. Notre Dame is still the easy pick here because of his family ties to the program, but every time I speak with him I do genuinely get the feeling that PSU is a serious contender, so I'm not as quick to write him off as some others.
Said Simon, "[My brother] just wants me to take this process as if I've never been through it before and make sure I look at every school. It's not about following him. It's about finding the best place for me."
Simon is still on pace to make a commitment before the season. These upcoming visits will be very important.
TE/DE Cam Large
Large is an excellent looking prospect. He checked in at about 6-3 3/4 and a little over 230 pounds. He still has room to grow, too. Athletically, he's very impressive, but there's also some room for improvement at tight end. He just needs to work on route running and agility if he wants to reach his potential at the next level. That doesn't come naturally to him, at least, in my opinion. I understand why Notre Dame is primarily recruiting him at defensive end. Personally, that's the position that makes more sense to me, but James Franklin and his staff know way more than I do. He's clearly a power five level prospect though. Even if PSU does earn a commitment from Theo Johnson, I expect them to continue to pursuing Large, mainly due to his versatility.
"Coach Bowen is one of my favorites," said Large. "I went to camp last summer and I love the way he goes about everything. It was fun working with him. He's also an O-line guy, so he knows everything when it comes to tight end: blocking, passing, everything. That was a really good experience. But I also really like him as a person, too. I think we have a really good relationship. We're usually on the phone at least once a week."
Just like a bunch of other top 2020 prospects, Large is still trying to figure out is official visit schedule.
"I know I'm taking my five official visits this summer and then I'm choosing a school. I want to get this done before my season," Large said.
Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State, LSU and Georgia are also in the running. I'd be surprised if Penn State doesn't get one of those visits.
LB Tyler Martin
Martin is a 2022 prospect, so he's just now finishing up his freshman year. He's currently checking in at about 6-3, 240 pounds, so I wouldn't be surprised if he grows into a defensive end. Michigan has already offered Martin and Penn State may not be too far behind him, as he confirmed that they'll be attending the White Out Camp at the end of June.
One other tidbit: Martin's sister is one of the top high school soccer prospects in the entire country and she's already committed to play at Penn State, so the family has plenty of ties to the school.
