Rivals100
No. 9 DB Lamont Wade
No. 16 DE Josh Kaindoh
No. 26 LB Jordan Anthony
No. 38 RB D'Andre Swift
No. 51 LB Drew Singleton
No. 62 OL Calvin Ashley
No. 86 WR Danny Davis
No. 90 WR Mark Webb
Rivals250
No. 128 - DE Yetur Mators
No. 129 - DT Fred Hansard
No. 135 - RB Anthony McFarland
No. 138 - QB Sean Clifford
No. 173 - WR Henry Ruggs
No. 178 - Ath. Ambry Thomas
No. 192 - WR Jaylen Harris
No. 207 - CB Donovan Johnson
Notes from Rivals100 - Monday
- As you should know, Wade and Kaindoh are at the top of the staff's board. A commitment from Wade, Dec. 17, and from Kaindoh, Jan. 1, and the staff would be ecstatic. I think they sit well with Wade. PSU fans should feel good about that. I think the staff feels good about Kaindoh, but he's still more up in the air than Wade. We'll just have to see how he progresses throughout the month. I expect in-home/in-school visits from James Franklin for both of these guys this week.
- It feels as if Penn State is prioritizing Nathan Proctor down the stretch at linebacker, but official visits from Anthony or even Singleton wouldn't be a a total shock if scholarships open up after the bowl game. Singleton just visited Michigan State and will go to Michigan this weekend. Anthony just took an official to Oklahoma. He visited Michigan back in October.
- Official visits from Mark Webb and D'Andre Swift are possible down the stretch, but I still think it's going to take a lot to pluck them from Georgia.
- Danny Davis made the biggest move in the final rankings. Josh Helmholdt gave his opinion on Davis earlier in this thread. PSU is in the mix with quite a few solid receivers: Davis, Jaylen Harris, KJ Hamler. Even an official visit from Henry Ruggs wouldn't surprise me. I think that situation could go quite a few different ways. I did learn over the weekend that Josh Gattis and Sean Spencer went to IMG Academy last Thursday, mainly for Kaindoh and Hamler. With Oregon now changing staffs, plus what happened at Michigan State, Hamler may be the one to watch. I know PSU likes Hamler more than Davis, so that's why I say that. Davis is very much in play though. Multiple committed players have told me that they think there's a real chance Davis could be part of this staff. I don't take their thoughts too seriously - I learned that very early on haha - but I think it is something we need to keep in mind, especially considering that Davis rarely talks. Hamler has gone very quiet, too, ever since he got injured at IMG this season, so only time will tell.
Notes From Rivals250 - Tuesday
- He's not in the Rivals250, but LB Dylan Rivers received his fourth star from Rivals, giving PSU seven four-star commitments in the 2017 class. That move also moved PSU up one spot to No. 20 overall in the 2017 team rankings.
- Yetur Matos made a big jump. He was originally outside of the Rivals250, but he now moved all the way to No. 128. I think that's well deserved. Matos has always been very good on the camp scene. He then racked up 130 tackles, 21 TFL and 18.5 sacks this season.
- Penn State has made Detroit prospect Ambry Thomas a priority down the stretch. As I've mentioned, Kaindoh and Wade are the two players that PSU really wants to lock up this month, but if they accepted another commitment between now and Kaindoh's commitment on Jan. 1, Thomas or maybe KJ Hamler would likely be the guys to watch.
- Penn State assistant coach Terry Smith had an in-home visit with Jaylen Harris last night. He's already taken his official visit to PSU and will take his second official this weekend to Mich. State. He'll then visit Ohio State and Tennessee in January, so a commitment isn't expected any time soon. I still feel like PSU is behind Ohio State, but the staff and the success they've had this year has given PSU a much better chance with Harris.
- I'm noticed Kasim Hill is still ahead of Sean Clifford in the final rankings. Hill had a great season with St. John's College High this year. They were a great team, too, while Clifford had a down year because of injury. So, I understand all that, but in PSU's eyes, it's not really all that close, especially to Joe Moorhead. From what I've gathered, PSU's staff thinks much more highly of Clifford than Hill and that was always the case, even before Clifford committed and Hill was still seriously considering PSU.
