Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
M A R C H 2 0 2 3 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State is off to a big start in its 2025 recruiting class. On Jan. 30, the Nittany Lions se- cured a commitment from Toms River (N.J.) North offensive lineman Jaelyne Matthews. The 6-foot-5, 273-pound prospect announced his decision fol- lowing a trip to Penn State the previous weekend. Matthews chose from a final five that consisted of Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Rutgers and the Nittany Lions. The home-state Scarlet Knights were the first to offer him a scholarship, doing so in Oc- tober 2021. Penn State extended its offer in April 2022. In addition to his top five, Matthews has scholarship offers from Boston Col- lege, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nebraska, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, West Virginia and others. He's already been offered and has accepted a spot in the 2025 Under Armour All-American Game. In the On3 Consensus, Matthews is listed as the No. 42 overall player and No. 3 offensive tackle nationally, and he's the top 2025 recruit in New Jersey. On3 has not yet done a full evaluation but lists the lineman as a four-star prospect. Although he's still nearly two years away from being able to sign a letter of intent, Matthews said the time was right for him to make his choice. "I had this gut feeling and a peaceful- ness about my decision," he said. "This was the right timing for me. I'm not the type to follow people's trends." He's the Nittany Lions' first commit- ment in the class of 2025, and his an- nouncement came just one year and a day after four-star offensive lineman Cooper Cousins of Erie, Pa., got the class of 2024 started with a commitment. Matthews was at Penn State on Jan. 28 for the Nittany Lions' final junior day of the month. It was his second trip to Happy Valley, having spent a weekend in town the previous July. While in State College that first time, he worked out at camp and attended the Lasch Bash re- cruiting barbecue. This time, he got to see more, and the staff took note of his progress. "It was awesome," Matthews said of the trip. "Me and the coaches created a very good bond in the past few years with recruiting. They liked how I've matured as a young man and how I've trimmed my body up and turned my weight into more muscle." Penn State has been uncharacteristi- cally quiet in New Jersey in recent cy- cles. The Nittany Lions haven't signed a Garden State prospect since the class of 2020, when defensive lineman Amin Vanover joined the program. Recently, however, the Lions have taken steps that may help improve their profile in a state that has provided PSU with many noteworthy players over the years. In late January, Penn State hired Khalil Ahmad as its new recruiting coordinator for personnel and recruitment. Ahmad is a native of Montclair, N.J., and spent a year at Rutgers as a player development coach before moving on to Syracuse and now to Penn State. His New Jersey ties will likely prove helpful with the Lions looking to reestablish themselves in their neighboring state. ■ Charles Power, On3 national scouting director: "What jumps out first about Jaelyne Matthews is the combination of ready-made size and pro- jectable length, along with the athleticism he's shown early in his high school career. This is a guy who probably won't have much more physi- cal development compared to some other top offensive linemen in the 2025 cycle because he's already 6-foot-5, close to 300 pounds. "His arms are already over 34 inches, so there's not much to project from a size perspective. He could add a little more weight, but I don't see him having to add 50 pounds to be ready to play. He's ahead of the curve physically as a rising junior." BWI analyst Thomas Frank Carr: "He's a very interesting prospect with tackle size, tackle length and tackle power. I think he's going to have to work hard to keep the foot speed neces- sary to be a high-end player at that position. His footwork and run blocking are a little bit raw, as you would expect at his age, but he's good in pass protection. He's a right tackle in my long- term projection and can be a premier guy with his size." P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N Elite 2025 Lineman Sees No Reason To Wait S E A N F I T Z | S E A N. F I T Z @ O N 3 COMMITMENT PROFILE JAELYNE MATTHEWS Matthews, a four-star prospect from Toms River, N.J., committed to the Nittany Lions after attending one of the team's junior days in January. PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR