- We've talked about this first subject a few times already, but to reiterate, I think the NCAA's dead period extension has essentially shutdown visits for the entire summer. I continue to hear that coaches aren't in favor of the NCAA changing the regularly scheduled July dead period to a quiet period. Schools are becoming more confident that players will return to campus in July. The coaches want to focus on the current players after 3.5 months at home. One thing that will be interesting to monitor is what the NCAA decides to do about the July 25-31 quiet period. The people I spoke with believe that the NCAA will change that quiet period to a dead period, but no one really knows.
When the NCAA announced the extension this week, it also announced that they'll look at the issue again on May 27. I think a lot of recruits are looking at that date to learn more. I know a few prospects have said over the past 24 hours that they're holding out hope for the NCAA to overturn the July dead period, but again, it sounds like the majority of coaches don't want to be torn between recruiting visits and their teams all at once in July. They know that visits and decommitments are already going to be plentiful come fall and into December, so it's best to focus on the team ahead of what will be an unusual season.
- I've mentioned the players that I'm focused on the most already. I still believe this decision will have a big impact on WR Kaden Prather and CB De'Jahn Warren. There's been some hints lately that Prather is getting closer to wrapping this all up. He wanted to have this finished by July, so I think that's good for Penn State. As for Warren, even if he continues to holdout, official visits don't really work with Lackawanna's current schedule for 2020. The Falcons are expected to have a bye week Sept. 26 and Oct. 17. Aside from Penn State, I think Oklahoma is the school he's most interested in, and the Sooners are away both of those weeks. There are other schools he'd like to visit, but he's hinted a few times that OU is the school that rivals Penn State the most.
- I previously mentioned Kelvin Gilliam Jr. as another player to watch. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Warren and Prather, but Penn State seems confident that he's leaning towards the Lions currently. Just like Warren, Oklahoma is likely PSU's top competitor with Gilliam. Is he really going to go to that far away for school? Those closer to Gilliam and Highland Springs think he'll ultimately stay within the region. Another thing to keep in mind is that Penn State has much more important positions than defensive tackle. Adding players at those positions first would certainly help the staff due to the limited numbers. There's also plenty of talent that's interested in PSU, so it's not a spot that they need to push for. But again, I think he's someone that's clearly leaning towards Penn State and I'm under the impression that they would accept his commitment if he decided to end it. The only reason I haven't put in a pick is because I think there are other options that the staff has ahead of him, notably Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. John Scott Jr. is high on the South Carolina prospect, and even if he does end up committing in the next few weeks, contacts feel confident that he'll be someone to watch for a visit this season. A few colleagues of mine think he may be rushing his commitment a bit.
- I put in a pick for tight end Moliki Matavao this afternoon. It's kind of similar to the Jamari Buddin situaton. I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent confident he's coming to Penn State, but I am confident that his relationship with Tyler Bowen is as strong as any other coach. That's one thing that's been stressed multiple times in recent weeks. On top of that, the success Penn State has had at the tight end position is another big reason why I think the Lions have a chance here. With that said, I don't think this is a lock. Some people say UCLA, others say Georgia. There's some talk that he wants to commit to UGA, but Georgia prefers Brock Bowers. Colleagues have said that his parents really like UCLA, but when I speak with contacts at Penn State, I hear that Oregon may be the main competitor. So clearly, it feels like no one is all that confident one way or the other. I don't think Matavao has actually decided, so I'll try to get a better feel for his situation early next week. For now, I'll lean towards the Nittany Lions, but I'm not completely sold on him going one place or the other.
A few other notes:
- I think Penn State will miss out on Tony Grimes' top three. I think the Lions are probably fourth or fifth. Contacts don't seem too confident.
- I tried to get a better feel this week for Penn State's offensive line board. Below is how I think it's ordered. The one interesting nugget that I learned is that Penn State has some interest in Rayshaun Benny playing inside. He's versatile, but I get the impression that the staff is leaning that direction at the moment. I thought he was primarily being looked at as a tackle.
Tackle
1) Rucci
2) Leigh
3) Pounds
4) Johnson
5) Wykoff
Guard
1) Spindler
2) Benny
3) Kendall
- I asked about RB Amari Daniels a bit this week, but the one point I was consistently told is that communication hasn't been great. I believe that's the case with a few schools, not just Penn State. It's a situation kind of similar to George Rooks. We know Donovan Edwards is Penn State's top target, but Daniels is certainly No. 2 on the board and he would be a take. I still think there's a real chance there won't be a running back in this class, but he's certainly someone to monitor.
When the NCAA announced the extension this week, it also announced that they'll look at the issue again on May 27. I think a lot of recruits are looking at that date to learn more. I know a few prospects have said over the past 24 hours that they're holding out hope for the NCAA to overturn the July dead period, but again, it sounds like the majority of coaches don't want to be torn between recruiting visits and their teams all at once in July. They know that visits and decommitments are already going to be plentiful come fall and into December, so it's best to focus on the team ahead of what will be an unusual season.
- I've mentioned the players that I'm focused on the most already. I still believe this decision will have a big impact on WR Kaden Prather and CB De'Jahn Warren. There's been some hints lately that Prather is getting closer to wrapping this all up. He wanted to have this finished by July, so I think that's good for Penn State. As for Warren, even if he continues to holdout, official visits don't really work with Lackawanna's current schedule for 2020. The Falcons are expected to have a bye week Sept. 26 and Oct. 17. Aside from Penn State, I think Oklahoma is the school he's most interested in, and the Sooners are away both of those weeks. There are other schools he'd like to visit, but he's hinted a few times that OU is the school that rivals Penn State the most.
- I previously mentioned Kelvin Gilliam Jr. as another player to watch. I wouldn't put him in the same category as Warren and Prather, but Penn State seems confident that he's leaning towards the Lions currently. Just like Warren, Oklahoma is likely PSU's top competitor with Gilliam. Is he really going to go to that far away for school? Those closer to Gilliam and Highland Springs think he'll ultimately stay within the region. Another thing to keep in mind is that Penn State has much more important positions than defensive tackle. Adding players at those positions first would certainly help the staff due to the limited numbers. There's also plenty of talent that's interested in PSU, so it's not a spot that they need to push for. But again, I think he's someone that's clearly leaning towards Penn State and I'm under the impression that they would accept his commitment if he decided to end it. The only reason I haven't put in a pick is because I think there are other options that the staff has ahead of him, notably Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. John Scott Jr. is high on the South Carolina prospect, and even if he does end up committing in the next few weeks, contacts feel confident that he'll be someone to watch for a visit this season. A few colleagues of mine think he may be rushing his commitment a bit.
- I put in a pick for tight end Moliki Matavao this afternoon. It's kind of similar to the Jamari Buddin situaton. I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent confident he's coming to Penn State, but I am confident that his relationship with Tyler Bowen is as strong as any other coach. That's one thing that's been stressed multiple times in recent weeks. On top of that, the success Penn State has had at the tight end position is another big reason why I think the Lions have a chance here. With that said, I don't think this is a lock. Some people say UCLA, others say Georgia. There's some talk that he wants to commit to UGA, but Georgia prefers Brock Bowers. Colleagues have said that his parents really like UCLA, but when I speak with contacts at Penn State, I hear that Oregon may be the main competitor. So clearly, it feels like no one is all that confident one way or the other. I don't think Matavao has actually decided, so I'll try to get a better feel for his situation early next week. For now, I'll lean towards the Nittany Lions, but I'm not completely sold on him going one place or the other.
A few other notes:
- I think Penn State will miss out on Tony Grimes' top three. I think the Lions are probably fourth or fifth. Contacts don't seem too confident.
- I tried to get a better feel this week for Penn State's offensive line board. Below is how I think it's ordered. The one interesting nugget that I learned is that Penn State has some interest in Rayshaun Benny playing inside. He's versatile, but I get the impression that the staff is leaning that direction at the moment. I thought he was primarily being looked at as a tackle.
Tackle
1) Rucci
2) Leigh
3) Pounds
4) Johnson
5) Wykoff
Guard
1) Spindler
2) Benny
3) Kendall
- I asked about RB Amari Daniels a bit this week, but the one point I was consistently told is that communication hasn't been great. I believe that's the case with a few schools, not just Penn State. It's a situation kind of similar to George Rooks. We know Donovan Edwards is Penn State's top target, but Daniels is certainly No. 2 on the board and he would be a take. I still think there's a real chance there won't be a running back in this class, but he's certainly someone to monitor.
