Below is Penn State’s final 2019 recruiting map, which can be expanded by clicking on the full-screen icon in the upper right corner of the frame.
All recruit rankings and offers represent the 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of prospects from 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.
| HAKEEM BEAMON★★★★ DL |
| Position: Defensive tackleHt./Wt.: 6-foot-3, 259 pounds Hometown: Midlothian, Va.High school: Manchester National rank: #18 SDE | #308 overallVa. rank: #1 DL | #10 overall Chose PSU over: UNC, Alabama, Ohio StateCommitted: June 1, 2018 Signed in December. Originally a Tar Heels recruit, Beamon’s profile rose after his junior season, becoming the top-rated defensive lineman in Virginia. He decommitted in March, took a visit to Penn State in May and pledged to the Nittany Lions in June. He found another gear after that as a senior, leading a dominant Manchester squad to a 15-0 season and the Virginia Class 6 championship. For his efforts, Beamon was named the state’s Class 6 Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to play in the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame World Bowl. Has the potential to play end or tackle in college, with the Lions slotting him to play inside for the time being. |
| JAQUAN BRISKER★★★★ DB |
| Position: SafetyHt./Wt.: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.High school: Gateway JuCo: Lackawanna National JuCo rank: #1 S | #12 overallPa. JuCo rank: #1 DB | #2 overall Chose PSU over: Alabama, Maryland, PittCommitted: May 17, 2018 Signed in December. Will have junior eligibility in 2019 with three years to play two seasons. Though the 247Sports Composite has him as one the Lions’ lowest-rated signees, he got a boost at the end of the cycle, elevating him to a four-star prospect as the top-rated junior college safety in the country. Regardless, he could make the quickest impact out of anyone in the class. Brisker comes off two excellent seasons at Lackawanna and figures to challenge for Nick Scott’s old safety spot when he arrives after the spring semester. Led the undefeated Falcons in tackles (64), TFL (17) and sacks (nine) as a sophomore. And the Lions are looking plenty thin at safety, projecting to have just three scholarship players at the position on campus for spring ball. |
| NOAH CAIN★★★★ RB |
| Position: Running backHt./Wt.: 5-foot-10, 209 pounds Hometown: Flower Mound, TexasHigh school: IMG Academy (Fla.) National rank: #6 RB | #98 overallFla. rank: #2 RB | #13 overall Chose PSU over: Texas, Auburn, GeorgiaCommitted: Dec. 19, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Give Saquon Barkley an assist for the final pledge of the early signing window, who picked the Lions on Wednesday over several southern schools. Barkley’s prestige helped win him over despite Cain growing up in Louisiana and playing in Texas and Florida. Still, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and James Franklin had to do some last-minute recruiting when Texas nearly landed him on the December signing day. Cain himself admitted he wasn’t sure if he would pick the Lions or Longhorns when he sat down for his live TV announcement on ESPN. Split time at IMG with the nation’s No. 1 RB recruit, Trey Sanders, and showed he can be effective as a strong complement if not an outright starter himself at Penn State. |
| JOSEPH APPIAH DARKWA★★★ DL |
| Position: Defensive tackleHt./Wt.: 6-foot-5, 272 pounds Hometown: Essen, GermanyClub: Düsseldorf Panther U-19 2019 rank: #71 DT | #982 overallGermany rank: #1 DL | #1 overall Chose PSU over: UCLA, Rutgers, VirginiaCommitted: Feb. 1, 2019 Signed in February. Who would have guessed that Oregon quarterback Michael Johnson Jr. wouldn’t end up as the longest-distance recruit in the class (2,290 miles)? That honor instead will go to Darkwa, who hails from western Germany (3,900 miles) and is originally from the African nation of Ghana. The Lions have had European-born players before, but they typically had already moved to the U.S. for a year or two of high school. But the landscape is changing thanks to groups like Premier Players International, which represents European prospects like Darkwa. And the Lions were plugged in with PPI founder Brandon Collier, who was coached by Penn State’s Sean Spencer at UMass. Like most recruits playing abroad, Darkwa will be a project, as he must adjust to a new country on top of everything else. But major programs are becoming more willing to invest in players like Darkwa — last year’s top-rated recruit from Germany signed with Michigan and the next year’s No. 1 prospect from the country has already committed to Notre Dame. |
| LANCE DIXON★★★★ LB |
| Position: LinebackerHt./Wt.: 6-foot-1, 205 pounds Hometown: West Bloomfield, Mich.High school: West Bloomfield National rank: #9 OLB | #181 overallMich. rank: #1 LB | #5 overall Chose PSU over: Wisconsin, Michigan State, MichiganCommitted: July 1, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. All-American Bowl selection who saw his profile rise dramatically even since his senior season ended. One service, 247Sports, recently elevated him to a five-star as the country’s best outside linebacker and the No. 13 prospect overall. That gives him the widest disparity of rankings in Penn State’s class, as ESPN lists him as a three-star outside of the top 300. Known best for his speed, Dixon brings skills from playing safety early in his career to become one of the country’s most versatile prospects as a junior and senior. Dixon looks to be an ideal fit for the Lions’ Sam position, able to cover backs and tight ends. And with Jarvis Miller transferring, Dixon could find himself as the top backup to Cam Brown in 2019. |
| JOHN DUNMORE★★★★ WR |
| Position: Wide receiverHt./Wt.: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.High school: Chaminade-Madonna National rank: #20 WR | #120 overallFla. rank: #3 WR | #17 overall Chose PSU over: Miami, Auburn, FloridaCommitted: July 4, 2018 Signed in December. Penn State’s hiring of Ja’Juan Seider to the staff proved to come just in time as his deep roots in the Florida recruiting scene helped the Lions make some impressive inroads into the state during a recruiting cycle where Pennsylvania was down. Seider had previously landed a verbal commitment from Dunmore when the coach was on staff at Florida, and that relationship helped him reel the talented wideout in a second time. That includes a late charge from Miami, as Dunmore took a late visit to Coral Gables but signed with the Lions. Helped Chaminade Madonna win its first Florida Class 3A state title in 13 years and suddenly looking at a depth chart at Penn State that lacks a single upperclassman on scholarship. |
| D’VON ELLIES★★★★ DL |
| Position: Defensive tackleHt./Wt.: 6-foot-1, 288 pounds Hometown: Burtonsville, Md.High school: McDonogh National rank: #21 DT | #285 overallMd. rank: #1 DL | #7 overall Chose PSU over: USC, Ohio State, MichiganCommitted: Jan. 20, 2019 Signed in December. Maryland’s top-ranked defensive lineman didn’t announce his commitment until he was playing in the Polynesian Bowl all-star game in Hawaii in January. But he had actually signed with Penn State during the early window and both Ellies and the Nittany Lions kept it under wraps to give him his moment on live TV in his birth state. Penn State coaches were thrilled to add him on any timeline given the need for true defensive tackles. Injuries to the position in 2018 forced the Lions to move promising guard C.J. Thorpe from offense to defense to help provide depth. Was high school teammates with current Lions tackle PJ Mustipher at McDonogh. Mustipher may end up starting in 2019 and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ellies lining up next to him once again — down the road. |
| KEATON ELLIS★★★★ DB |
| Position: CornerbackHt./Wt.: 5-foot-11, 177 pounds Hometown: State College, Pa.High school: State College National rank: #31 CB | #311 overallPa. rank: #1 DB | #2 overall Chose PSU over: Syracuse, BuffaloCommitted: Sept 9, 2017 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Penn State coaches seem confident that they have one of the better kept secrets in the 2019 cycle in Ellis. The Lions’ first commit in the class, Ellis pledged in September 2017 to his hometown school. Other teams didn’t bother to try and sway him because of that, explaining his lack of reported scholarship offers. Despite that, he turned in an impressive senior season at State High that helped him close out as the top-rated defensive back in the state. Was a scoring threat on offense, defense and special teams. Penn State has him pegged as a cornerback, with position coach Terry Smith remarking that Ellis’ senior film was as good as any corner he evaluated in the class. |
| DEVYN FORD★★★★ RB |
| Position: Running backHt./Wt.: 5-foot-11, 188 pounds Hometown: Stafford, Va.High school: North Stafford National rank: #5 RB | #79 overallVa. rank: #1 RB | #2 overall Chose PSU over: Virginia Tech, Georgia, Notre DameCommitted: May 18, 2018 Signed in December. Under Armour All-American who played in that all-star game, as well as in the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii. For the second straight year, the Lions landed Virginia’s top rusher with the record-smashing Ford following Ricky Slade. And, with Miles Sanders off to the NFL, Ford will challenge Slade for carries after he arrives in June. Owner of 40 scholarship offers from most every major program in the country, Ford racked up 7,042 yards from scrimmage and 110 total touchdowns in his high school career, a threat as a rusher and a receiver. His high school coach, Joe Mangano, said that James Franklin told him that “Ford is a type of player you build your program around” because of his attitude and work ethic on top of his talent. He will, however, have to pick a new jersey — that No. 22 he’s sporting is the only number Penn State has retired. |
| DAEQUAN HARDY★★★ ATH |
| Position: CornerbackHt./Wt.: 5-foot-9, 160 pounds Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.High school: Penn Hills National rank: #136 CB | #1,389 overallPa. rank: #4 CB | #26 overall Chose PSU over: Buffalo, ToledoCommitted: Feb. 5, 2019 Signed in February. There’s little doubt that Hardy benefited from Penn State having more scholarships to give than expected because of early entries to the NFL draft and a slew of transfers. As it was, the PIAA Class 5A Player of the Year didn’t get his offer from the Lions until less than 24 hours before he signed. His low rankings and lack of major offers have to do mostly with a slight frame that could prevent from carrying enough weight to contribute at a top program. But he was undoubtedly a star on the field in high school, leading Penn Hills to a 16-0 season and a state championship by recording four touchdowns and three interceptions in a narrow title game victory, scoring on two receptions, a kickoff return and a 100-yard interception return. Penn State listed him as an athlete when he signed — James Franklin said he recruited him as a cornerback but is open to trying him in other spots. |
| ADISA ISAAC★★★★ DL |
| Position: Defensive endHt./Wt.: 6-foot-4, 220 pounds Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.High school: Canarsie National rank: #4 WDE | #92 overallN.Y. rank: #1 DL | #1 overall Chose PSU over: Miami, Texas A&M, AlabamaCommitted: Dec. 17, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. New York’s top overall prospect saw his profile grow and grow as it typically takes prospects from the five boroughs more time to hit the national radar. Fortunately for the Lions, they were in early on Isaac and were there at the end when he made his decision just before the early signing window opened as a top-100 recruit. His size and speed are exactly what colleges are looking for in pass-rushers and, if he can pack on another 25 pounds without losing a step, what pro scouts are looking for, too. |
| MICHAEL JOHNSON JR.★★★★ QB |
| Position: QuarterbackHt./Wt.: 6-foot-2, 197 pounds Hometown: Eugene, Ore.High school: Sheldon National rank: #14 Dual QB | #378 overallOre. rank: #1 QB | #2 overall Chose PSU over: Florida State, Miami, N.C. StateCommitted: Aug. 1, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Under Armour All-American. Penn State had a hole to fill in the quarterback room after the medical retirement of Jake Zembiec, so the Lions elected to take two this cycle with Johnson coming aboard after Ta’Quan Roberson. Elite 11 finalist who has moved around with his father, Michael Johnson Sr., now the receivers coach at Oregon, who crossed paths with James Franklin in the coaching ranks. Johnson threw for 1,800 yards and ran for 1,300 as a senior, leading Sheldon to the Class 6A state title game. He ran for two scores and had Sheldon in the lead in the final minutes before falling. The Lions had to hold off a late charge from Florida State and coach, Willie Taggart, who used to be Johnson Sr.’s boss at Oregon and had a strong relationship with the family. |
| TJ JONES★★★ WR |
| Position: Wide receiverHt./Wt.: 6-foot, 191 pounds Hometown: Lake City, Fla.High school: Columbia National rank: #74 WR | #588 overallFla. rank: #10 WR | #72 overall Chose PSU over: Texas A&M, Indiana, Georgia TechCommitted: Feb. 6, 2019 Signed in February. Penn State was hunting for a second wide receiver in this class even before veterans Juwan Johnson and Brandon Polk publicly announced their intentions to transfer. After missing out on blue-chipper Cornelius Johnson to Michigan on December’s signing day, the Lions added Jones on the February date after hosting him on a late official visit. As a senior at Columbia, Jones hauled in 42 passes for 833 yards and eight touchdowns against Class 7A competition in Florida. His addition means both wideouts in Penn State’s 2019 class hail from Florida, joining four-star prospect John Dunmore, who signed in the early window. It represents another recruiting win for Ja’Juan Seider, who has helped the Lions make more inroads in the Sunshine State, with an assist to new receivers coach Gerad Parker. |
| JOEY PORTER JR.★★★★ DB |
| Position: CornerbackHt./Wt.: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.High school: North Allegheny (Pa.) National rank: #33 CB | #325 overallPa. rank: #2 DB | #4 overall Chose PSU over: LSU, Miami, NebraskaCommitted: Sept. 11, 2018 Signed in December. The son of former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker and coach Joey Porter could display similar versatility in college. The elder Porter was a tight end and defensive end who became a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Porter Jr. grow into his frame as a safety or even a linebacker himself. For starters, Penn State lists him as a corner, where he bears some similarities in skillset to the departed Amani Oruwariye because of his size. Had the benefit of playing at one of the state’s biggest schools in North Allegheny, helping the Tigers to an undefeated regular season while picking off three passes. Thanks to his dad, he also got to spend plenty of time at the Steelers practice facility, getting to test himself against the likes of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. |
| TA’QUAN ROBERSON★★★★ QB |
| Position: QuarterbackHt./Wt.: 5-foot-11, 193 pounds Hometown: Orange, N.J.High school: DePaul Catholic National rank: #8 Dual QB | #276 overallN.J. rank: #1 QB | #5 overall Chose PSU over: Ohio State, Virginia Tech, B.C.Committed: Oct. 26, 2017 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Committed more than a year ago to the Lions and turned in a strong senior season afterward, throwing for nearly 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns while adding 300 yards on the ground. In two seasons as DePaul’s starter, he racked up 5,000 yards through the air and 900 as a rusher with 66 total touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Ranked just ahead of fellow QB recruit Michael Johnson Jr., Roberson has already joined him on campus early to begin the battle. Speaking very broadly, recruiting services consider Roberson to be the more polished passer of the two with Johnson the more dynamic athlete. Of course, both will have plenty of time to develop their games before battling for a starting job with three scholarship quarterbacks ahead of them in 2019. |
| TYLER RUDOLPH★★★★ DB |
| Position: CornerbackHt./Wt.: 5-foot-11, 200 pounds Hometown: Oakdale, Conn.High school: St. Thomas More National rank: #22 S | #269 overallConn. rank: #1 DB | #3 overall Chose PSU over: Clemson, Florida, Ohio StateCommitted: May 21, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Rated as a safety by recruiting services but listed as a corner by Penn State when he signed. Has the ability to play both positions and has already excelled in coverage in high school. Only allowed five catches against him the last two years. Drew interest from the top programs in the country but a visit to Happy Valley in April led to a commitment in May. |
| BRANDON SMITH★★★★★ LB |
| Position: LinebackerHt./Wt.: 6-foot-3, 225 pounds Hometown: Louisa, Va.High school: Louisa County National rank: #1 ILB | #18 overallVa. rank: #1 LB | #1 overall Chose PSU over: Ohio State, Alabama, ClemsonCommitted: May 21, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Under Armour All-American. For the second straight year, Penn State’s top recruit is a highlight-reel athlete who will play linebacker, joining Micah Parsons. It will be interesting to see if both prep stars end up on the field at the same time this fall as the coaches will have to decide which box linebacker spot, the Mike or the Will, to have Smith learn first. Both have similar responsibilities in Penn State’s defense with Parsons projected to start at the Will and Jan Johnson returning along with Ellis Brooks at the Mike. The Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia, Smith has sideline-to-sideline speed — timed at 4.59 in the 40 last spring — with the height and wingspan to be effective against the run and in coverage. |
| BRENTON STRANGE★★★★ TE |
| Position: Tight endHt./Wt.: 6-foot-4, 214 pounds Hometown: Parkersburg, W.Va.High school: Parkersburg National rank: #14 TE | #355 overallW.Va. rank: #1 TE | #3 overall Chose PSU over: Ohio State, Notre Dame, PurdueCommitted: Oct. 1, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Penn State may not have been looking for a tight end for this class at first after signing two blue-chippers last cycle in Pat Freiermuth and Zack Kuntz. But Strange’s emergence drew the attention of some huge programs. Had an excellent senior season, catching 65 passes for more than 1,000 yards and caught 20 touchdowns over the last two years. Getting early reps will be tough with Freiermuth seemingly entrenched as the starter for 2019 and 2020, but the Lions did use more two-tight-end formations this past season with Ricky Rahne in charge of the offense. Like most high school tight ends, Strange will have to bulk up and work on his blocking. Talents like his made him too valuable as a receiver to leave him back in pass protection on most plays. |
| SMITH VILBERT★★★ DL |
| Position: Defensive endHt./Wt.: 6-foot-5, 243 pounds Hometown: Monsey, N.Y.High school: St. Joseph Regional (N.J.) National rank: #39 SDE | #626 overallN.J. rank: #5 DL | #14 overall Chose PSU over: Florida, Oregon, MiamiCommitted: Jan. 18, 2019 Verbal commitment set to sign in February. Penn State’s first pledge after the early signing window, Vilbert caught the attention of major programs during his senior season after shifting his focus from basketball to football. His wingspan and athleticism give him a high ceiling, but his lack of experience means it could take him awhile to approach it. A 247Sports scout’s evaluation compared him to former Penn State pass rusher Jack Crawford, another tall but raw New Jersey private school standout who ended up developing into a starting defensive end and NFL draft pick. Coaches had to like that he turned in his best performance in a championship game at MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and Jets, coming up with two sacks in a shutout win. |
| CAEDAN WALLACE★★★★ OL |
| Position: Offensive linemanHt./Wt.: 6-foot-5, 291 pounds Hometown: Robbinsville, N.J.High school: The Hun School National rank: #3 G | #81 overallN.J. rank: #1 OL | #2 overall Chose PSU over: Oklahoma, Clemson, MichiganCommitted: April 21, 2018 Signed in December. All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl selection. New Jersey’s top offensive lineman brings size, talent and an aggressive demeanor that the Lions could use more of up front. Wallace jump-started what was a relatively slow start to Lions’ 2019 class with his commitment at the Blue-White Game. Projects as a long-term starter on the interior but does have the frame to play tackle. And there’s a chance that where he could end up with the Lions looking a bit on the thin side at tackle at the moment. Former high school teammate of current Lions defensive tackle Fred Hansard. |
| ANTHONY WHIGAN★★★★ OL |
| Position: Offensive linemanHt./Wt.: 6-foot-4, 292 pounds Hometown: Lexington Park, Md.High school: Great Mills JuCo: Lackawanna National JuCo rank: #2 OT | #7 overallPa. JuCo rank: #1 OL | #1 overall Chose PSU over: South Carolina, Louisville, OklahomaCommitted: Aug. 7, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Just like Lackawanna teammate Jaquan Brisker, Whigan enters as a junior with three years to play two seasons of eligibility and a chance to make an immediate impact in 2019. Unlike Brisker, Whigan is already on campus for winter workouts to give him a leg up. That’s important, as James Franklin described him as a “skinny 300” pounds back in December. At 6-foot-4, he’d be more likely to end up at guard, but the Lions have some decisions to make after guard Connor McGovern and tackle Ryan Bates both left early for the NFL, and he could end up being more valuable at tackle in 2019 depending on where Des Holmes (tackle or guard) and C.J. Thorpe (offense or defense) end up. Regardless, Whigan has talent as the highest-rated out of six Division I recruits from a Falcons roster that went 11-0 last fall. |
| MARQUIS WILSON★★★ DB |
| Position: CornerbackHt./Wt.: 5-foot-11, 167 pounds Hometown: Windsor, Conn.High school: Windsor National rank: #42 CB | #402 overallConn. rank: #2 DB | #4 overall Chose PSU over: Alabama, Michigan, Ohio StateCommitted: May 20, 2018 Signed in December. Enrolled in January. Played his junior season at Avon Old Farms High School where he won his league’s defensive player of the year honors. Wilson was not eligible to play in 2018 at Windsor, a fact that likely dropped him in the final Composite rankings. He was originally rated as a four-star athlete who could play either side of the ball by some recruiting services before dropping to a three-star corner, the position he is expected to play for the Lions. Still, the talent is clearly there, as some of the top programs in the country were chasing him after that impressive junior campaign. |
| SALEEM WORMLEY★★★★ OL |
| Position: Offensive linemanHt./Wt.: 6-foot-3, 311 pounds Hometown: Newark, N.J.High school: Smyrna (Del.) National rank: #18 G | #289 overallDel. rank: #1 OL | #1 overall Chose PSU over: Notre Dame, Rutgers, Florida StateCommitted: July 23, 2018 Signed in December. The top-rated player in Delaware was named the state’s top lineman following his senior season. With a strong close to his career, Wormley earned an invitation to the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame World Bowl. Though he was a tackle at Smyrna, the New Jersey transplant projects as a guard at the next level, continuing a strong recruiting run at the position for the Lions. |