ALTOONA, Pa. -- National signing day is Wednesday, and Penn State has a highly rated class that is diverse and impressive in a lot of ways.
Most, if not all, of the commits will submit their letters of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
Here's an overview of the class, followed by a breakdown of all the commits.
Total commits: 23
National rankings: 247Sports has the Lions 12th, while On3 and Rivals have them 13th. For the individual rankings below, we'll use the 247Sports Composite figure.
Highest-rated commit: Offensive tackle J'ven Williams is 30th overall in the nation, the No. 5 tackle overall and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania. He's the only 5-star commit in this class.
Other top 100 recruits: Offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier is 44th overall, the No. 1 tackle overall and No. 1 player in Virginia. Linebacker Tony Rojas is No. 92 overall, the No. 6 linebacker overall and No. 2 in Virginia.
Star breakdown: One 5-star, 15 4-stars and seven 3-stars.
We're No. 1: The Lions have three players ranked No. 1 in their state. Along with Williams and Birchmeier, there's also defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding, the No. 1 prospect in New York and No. 81 D-lineman overall.
We're No. 2: There also are three players ranked No. 2 in their state: Along with Rojas, there's also edge rusher Jameial Lyons, who's No. 2 in Pennsylvania behind fellow commit Williams and the No. 25 edge rusher overall; and cornerback Zion Tracy, who's No. 2 in New York behind fellow commit Blanding and the No. 40 cornerback overall.
Dominate the state: Penn State landed the top three recruits in Pennsylvania and six of the top 10.
First one in: Birchemeier was the first player signed in this class, committing on July 15, 2021.
Last one in: The latest player to commit came Monday night, when 3-star athlete Cameron Wallace announced his pledge. He's the lowest-rated recruit in this class, the only one of 23 outside the top 1,000 nationally in the 247Sports list. He's rated No. 105 in Georgia and the No. 89 athlete in the nation.
The quarterback: There's only one in this class -- 3-star Jaxon Smolik, the No. 33 QB prospect overall and No. 7 player from Iowa. What's important is that, when he signs, Penn State will have only three scholarship QBs on the roster, the other two being Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. Three is not a desirable number, so we'll see if the Lions add another somewhere along the way, either a high school prospect or somebody from the transfer portal.
5 STARS
OT J'VEN WILLIAMS
Size: 6-4, 285
From: Wyomissing High School in Reading, Pa.
Rankings: No. 1 in Pennsylvania, No. 30 nationally, No. 5 offensive tackle nationally
Other offers: Pitt, USC, Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Virginia Tech
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4 STARS
ATH MEGA BARNWELL
Size: 6-6, 250
From: Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, Va.
Rankings: No. 8 in Virginia, No. 397 nationally, No. 23 athlete nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Ohio State, USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Oregon
OL ALEX BIRCHMEIER
Size: 6-5, 285
From: Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Va.
Rankings: No. 1 in Virginia, No. 44 nationally, No. 1 interior offensive lineman nationally. He had been a 5-star throughout much of this process but goes into signing day as a 4-star.
Other offers: Pitt, Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oklahoma
S CONRAD HUSSEY
Size: 6-0, 190
From: St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rankings: No. 47 in Florida, No. 238 nationally, No. 19 safety nationally
Other offers: Utah, Auburn, Miami, Florida State, Oklahoma, Florida
LB KAVEION KEYS
Size: 6-3, 205
From: Varina High School in Richmond, Va.
Rankings: No. 4 in Virginia, No. 279 nationally, No. 21 linebacker nationally
Other offers: Pitt, North Carolina, Florida, Auburn, Texas A&M, Virginia
DE JAMEIAL LYONS
Size: 6-4, 255
From: Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia
Rankings: No. 2 in Pennsylvania, No. 237 nationally, No. 25 defensive end nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Nebraska, Maryland, Illinois
S KING MACK
Size: 5-11, 180
From: St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rankings: No. 27 in Florida, No. 110 nationally, No. 6 safety nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Florida, Miami
RB LONDON MONTGOMERY
Size: 5-10, 180
From: Scranton Prep High School in Scranton
Rankings: No. 8 in Pennsylvania, No. 371 nationally, No. 25 running back nationally
Other offers: Syracuse, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Arizona State
S DAKAARI NELSON
Size: 6-3, 203
From: Selma High School in Selma, Ala.
Rankings: No. 18 in Alabama, No. 240 nationally, No. 20 safety nationally
Other offers: Georgia, Clemson, Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, Florida State
TE ANDREW RAPPLEYEA
Size: 6-5, 225
From: Milton Academy in Milton, Mass.
Rankings: No. 3 in Massachusetts, No. 143 nationally, No. 7 tight end nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Ohio State, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, North Carolina
DE TA'MERE ROBINSON
Size: 6-4, 225
From: Brashear High School in Pittsburgh
Rankings: No. 3 in Pennsylvania, No. 253 nationally, No. 29 defensive end nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Miami, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Texas A&M
LB TONY ROJAS
Size: 6-2, 200
From: Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Va.
Rankings: No. 2 in Virginia, No. 92 nationally, No. 6 linebacker nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Clemson, Miami, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, South Carolina
TE JOEY SCHLAFFER
Size: 6-6, 215
From: Exeter Township High School in Reading
Rankings: No. 7 in Pennsylvania, No. 321 nationally, No. 17 tight end nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Nebraska, Michigan State, Maryland, Tennessee, West Virginia
WR CARMELO TAYLOR
Size: 5-11, 160
From: Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Va.
Rankings: No. 7 in Virginia, No. 350 nationally, No. 40 wide receiver nationally
Other offers: Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Old Dominion, Liberty
CB ZION TRACY
Size: 5-11, 180
From: Long Island Lutheran High School in Glen Head, N.Y.
Rankings: No. 2 in New York, No. 425 nationally, No. 40 cornerback nationally
Other offers: Syracuse, Rutgers, Temple, Marshall, UConn, Buffalo
S ELLIOT WASHINGTON
Size: 6-0, 195
From: Venice High School in Venice, Fla.
Rankings: No. 34 in Florida, No. 138 nationally, No. 9 safety nationally
Other offers: Alabama, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
3 STARS
DL TYRIQ BLANDING
Size: 6-3, 275
From: Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y.
Rankings: No. 1 in New York, No. 725 nationally, No. 81 defensive lineman nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Oregon, Washington, Syracuse, Miami, Michigan
OT ANTHONY DONKOH
Size: 6-5, 310
From: Lightridge High School in Aldie, Va.
Rankings: No. 10 in Virginia, No. 466 nationally, No. 32 offensive line nationally
Other offers: West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke
DE JOSEPH MUPOYI
Size: 6-5, 230
From: St. Thomas More High School in Oakdale, Conn.
Rankings: No. 3 in Connecticut, No. 438 nationally, No. 46 edge rusher nationally
Other offers: Utah, Miami, Auburn, Michigan, Maryland, Ole Miss
CB LAMONT PAYNE
Size: 6-1, 170
From: Chartiers Valley High School in Bridgeville
Rankings: No. 10 in Pennsylvania, No. 595 nationally, No. 59 cornerback nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, West Virginia, Kent State
DL MASON ROBINSON
Size: 6-4, 230
From: McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md.
Rankings: No. 11 in Maryland, No. 677 nationally, No. 75 defensive lineman nationally
Other offers: Pitt, Georgia, Northwestern, Tennessee, West Virginia, Stanford
QB JAXON SMOLIK
Size: 6-2, 200
From: Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa
Rankings: No. 7 in Iowa, No. 705 nationally, No. 33 quarterback nationally
Other offers: Tulane, Cal, Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Indiana State
ATH CAMERON WALLACE
Size: 6-0, 180
From: Montgomery County High School in Mount Vernon, Ga.
Rankings: No. 105 in Georgia, No. 1049 nationally, No. 90 athlete nationally
Other offers: Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Indiana
