Blue White Illustrated

June-July 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 2 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M staff there," said Owens, the No. 52 offensive tackle nationally and No. 65 player in Georgia. "What really set them apart was that home feeling. I've said that about schools before, and I've been to a lot of places, but at the same time, it was rare to feel the type of way I felt about Penn State. Coming up North, my expectations weren't as high as what I ended up seeing. When I finally stepped on campus, I really felt it there." Owens added that he's planning to take an official visit to Penn State this summer, likely June 17-19. Clemson also is a serious contender, with an of- ficial visit set for June 3-5. The Nittany Lions and Tigers appear to be the clear favorites heading into June, although he has also visited Florida State, Miami and South Carolina this year. Owens is listed at 6-foot-5, 385 pounds, making him a tackle prospect. Thompson, who plays at Cass Tech, is an On3 four-star prospect, as well as the No. 25 defensive lineman nation- ally and No. 2 player in Michigan. The 6-3, 240-pound edge rusher has taken seven visits to Michigan State since last summer, which is why many consider the Spartans the team to beat. How- ever, his Blue-White visit has set Penn State up for an official visit in June. The date is still being worked out. "They're going to be one of my top schools, most definitely," Thompson said. "The program and the coach- ing staff, everything there is for real. I made a top 10 not too long ago, and they're definitely moving up in that list." Penn State's visitor list was also deep with underclassmen. Overall, 17 scholarship underclassmen (2024 and '25) were in attendance, the majority of whom were part of the 2024 class. That class is shaping up to be a good one in Pennsylvania, led by five-star athlete Quinton Martin of Belle Ver- non, Pa. Martin, rated as the No. 16 overall prospect nationally and No. 1 player in the Keystone State, was re- turning to State College for his fifth visit since July 2021. At just over 6-1, 185 pounds, he is being recruited as a running back. He may be Penn State's most important in-state recruit since five-star defensive end Micah Parsons in 2018. A few other notable prospects who were in attendance included four- star offensive lineman Peter Jones of Malvern, Pa., four-star linebacker Kris Jones of Stafford, Va., and two prospects from Central Catholic High in Pittsburgh: three-star linebacker Anthony Speca and wide receiver Peter Gonzalez, who does not yet have a rat- ing. Both Speca and Kris Jones are ex- pected to be among Penn State's top linebacker prospects in the 2024 class. Speca spoke highly of his experience, which included a 30-minute conversa- C L A S S O F 2 0 2 3 C O M M I T M E N T S NAME POS HT WT RATING* HOME SCHOOL Mathias Barnwell Ath. 6-5 255 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fredericksburg, Va. Riverbend Alex Birchmeier OL 6-5 275 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ashburn, Va. Broad Run Anthony Donkoh OL 6-5 315 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Aldie, Va. Lightridge Conrad Hussey S 6-0 190 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Fort Lauderdale, Fla. St. Thomas Aquinas Jameial Lyons Edge 6-4 255 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Philadelphia Roman Catholic Joshua Miller OL 6-4 320 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Colonial Heights, Va. Life Christian Academy Lamont Payne CB 6-0 180 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Bridgeville, Pa. Chartiers Valley Andrew Rappleyea TE 6-4 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Millbrook, N.Y. Milton Academy Joey Schlaffer TE 6-5 215 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Reading, Pa. Exeter Township Marcus Stokes QB 6-1 185 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Nease Jven Williams OL 6-4 290 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Reading, Pa. Wyomissing C L A S S O F 2 0 2 4 C O M M I T M E N T NAME POS HT WT RATING* HOME SCHOOL Cooper Cousins OL 6-5 300 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Erie, Pa. McDowell * On3 player ratings as of May 5 Rk. School Commits 1. Notre Dame 11 2. USC 6 3. Georgia 9 4. Tennessee 9 5. Alabama 3 6. Ohio State 10 7. Texas A&M 6 8. Penn State 11 9. Texas 5 10. LSU 4 Rk. School Commits 11. Arkansas 11 12. Clemson 4 13. Texas Tech 20 14. Louisville 9 15. Oregon 3 16. Florida State 6 17. Michigan 6 18. Oklahoma 4 19. Michigan State 6 20. Stanford 4 ON3 CONSENSUS 2023 TEAM RANKINGS As of May 5

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