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For another three weeks, it’s still an NCAA “dead period” for recruiting. Coaches can’t host recruits or initiate contact with them directly.
But while Penn State coach James Franklin and his assistants are in the middle of their only extended vacations of the year, recruits have done plenty of reaching out to them.
A run of verbal commitments that began in June has carried over into July with three-star Virginia athlete Tyler Warren becoming already the third Nittany Lions pledge of the month.
RVASportsNetwork first reported that Warren, a 6-foot-5, 223-pounder from Atlee High School near Richmond, had picked the Lions.
From June 3-July 3, Penn State has added 13 members to its upcoming 2020 recruiting class with Warren coming aboard just one day after the additions of another Virginia prospect in Joseph Johnson and Texas wide receiver Parker Washington.
Warren’s path to Penn State hasn’t been a typical one.
A quarterback in high school, Warren initially committed to home-state school Virginia Tech back in August of last year.
But according to reports from 247Sports, things changed for Warren when he considered playing a different position, as many more schools — like Penn State — were interested in him as a tight end at the next level.
Warren ultimately decommitted from the Hokies in May and chose the Lions over an expanded list of offers that included Michigan, Louisville and South Carolina.
He checks in as the No. 646 overall recruit nationally and the No. 16 prospect in Virginia, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Those numbers could rise during his senior season, as some recruiting services are grading him as a quarterback.
Warren becomes the 19th member of Penn State’s class, enough to push the Lions back into the top 10 nationally in the Composite rankings.
It’s been a hectic few months for the Lions on the recruiting trail, as they have also had four other prospects decommit from the class.
In June, Penn State added D.C. OL Olu Fashanu, two Lackawanna College players in DB Ji’Ayir Brown and WR Norval Black, New England WR Jaden Dottin, Harrisburg DL Fatorma Mulbah, Maryland DL Coziah Izzard, Schuylkill County LB Tyler Elsdon, Michigan DB Enzo Jennings, New Jersey DL Amin Vanover and Ohio DL Brandon Taylor.
Since the end of spring practice, the Lions have lost Michigan OL Grant Toutant (Ohio State), Florida LB Derek Wingo (Florida), Maryland DB Joshuah Moten (Texas A&M) and Maryland OL Aaryn Parks (undecided). They also missed out on the two highest rated targets on their board in Maryland DL Bryan Bresee (Clemson) and Southern Columbia WR Julian Fleming (Ohio State).