It could be a busy day for Penn State on the recruiting trail, as three Nittany Lions targets are set to make announcements on July 4th. Penn State has picked up commitments on back-to-back days in offensive lineman JB Nelson and linebacker Keon Wylie and are forecasted to add to that total on Sunday.
Penn State has surged ahead of Miami on the 247Sports Crystal Ball for Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona defensive tackle Zane Durant. A four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Durant has the Nittany Lions in his final three along with the Hurricanes and Indiana. Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCF and USC were among his other offers.
The 6-foot-1, 260-pound prospect took official visits to all three of his finalists in June with his trip to Happy Valley coming on the weekend of June 18. Ja’Juan Seider, Joe Lorig and John Scott Jr. have been on the case for the Nittany Lions, who hold all six predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball as of Sunday morning.
“Coach [John Scott Jr.] has a track record of putting d-linemen in the league year in and year out, so you got to respect that and the atmosphere up there,” Durant told 247Sports.
Durant plans to announce at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
It’s an in-state battle for Pittsburgh (Pa.) Perry Traditional Academy defensive end Tyreese Fearbry, who will announce his decision at 3:30 on Sunday afternoon. Penn State and Pittsburgh are looked at as the main contenders for the four-star prospect, who also took official visits to Auburn and Kentucky. Longtime perceived favorite Pittsburgh holds a pair of predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball, but the Nittany Lions hold the most recent, which comes from 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong.
The 6-foot-5, 219-pound Fearbry took an official visit to Penn State two weeks ago and named the Nittany Lions his leader coming out of the trip. He backed off those comments later in the month, but Penn State did have the momentum heading into July.
“Penn State is a great school,” Fearbry said. “A lot of great people support that school, and that team. I just like the distance. It’s not too far. It’s not too close to home. It’s also where my family can still come see me play. That’s that I really like about Penn State.
“From the academics, everything is not spaced out. It is only 15 minutes. That is a big thing. Also, the campus, living on campus and living off campus, it is nice. It is beautiful. That is what I love about Penn State.”
Assistant coaches Terry Smith, John Scott Jr., and Graduate Assistant Deion Barnes have been recruiting Fearby for the Nittany Lions. Fearbry is the No. 253 prospect nationally according to the 247Sports Composite rankings and the No. 12 EDGE prospect nationally. He’s the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2022.
A third big 2022 defensive line target for the Nittany Lions will announce on Sunday evening. Fresh Meadows (N.Y.) St. Francis Prep defensive tackle Kaleb Artis has been high on the board for Penn State and the Nittany Lions own all four predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball as of Sunday morning.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound prospect also took official visits to Auburn and Virginia and also had Florida State, Indiana and Rutgers on his short list. Boston College, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, West Virginia and Wisconsin also offered during the process.
Artis was on campus for an official visit a few weeks ago. He’s been recruited by John Scott Jr. and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator Alan Zeimaitis have been on the job for the Nittany Lions.
“We actually met, coach (James) Franklin and I, and also coach Scott, and it was nice,” Artis said. “It was a good feeling and I told them how I felt. My parents, they said their peace and told them how they felt and how they enjoyed themselves. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves there. It was amazing.”
Penn State entered the day with the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class and the No. 2 group in the Big Ten. Fourteen players have pledged to the Nittany Lions so far in the cycle, half of which hold four-star ratings on the 247Sports Composite rankings.
