Where Penn State football stands in recruiting for the week of Aug. 6-Aug. 12

Kyle J. Andrews
·3 min read

Penn State took a blow to its 2023 recruiting class this week with a decommitment, but recovered with a commitment a day later and another on Friday.

The Nittany Lions are ranked tenth in the nation and second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, per On3.com. They added 5-foot-11, 150-pound four-star wide receiver Carmelo Taylor on Wednesday. Taylor is ranked as the No. 45 wide receiver and the sixth-best player in Virginia for the 2023 recruiting class, per On3.com’s Consensus. He doubles as a track star, jumping 18-5 feet in the long jump, 10.56 in the 100-meter dash, 21.34 in the 200-meter and 50.86 in the 400-meter.

Jaxon Smolik, a three-star quarterback from Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, Iowa, made his commitment on Friday. The 2023 recruit is ranked as the No. 39 quarterback in the country and the No. 9 recruit in Iowa, per On3.com’s Consensus.

COMMITMENTS

  • 4-star interior offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier (6-5, 275), Committed on July 15, 2021

  • 4-star interior offensive lineman Jven Williams (6-4, 290), Committed on Feb. 5, 2022

  • 4-star cornerback Elliot Washington (5-11, 187), Committed on July 8, 2022

  • 4-star linebacker Tony Rojas (6-2.5, 195), Committed on July 14, 2022

  • 4-star linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson (6-3, 225), Committed on July 15, 2022

  • 4-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea (6-4, 215), Committed on April 3, 2022

  • 4-star safety King Mack (5-10, 175), Committed on June 30, 2022

  • 4-star safety DaKaari Nelson (6-3, 194), Committed on June 25, 2022

  • 4-star edge rusher Jameial Lyons (6-5, 245), Committed on April 22, 2022

  • 4-star wide receiver Ejani Shakir (6-0, 175), Committed on May 11, 2022

  • 4-star safety Conrad Hussey (6-0, 185), Committed on April 25, 2022

  • 4-star athlete Matthias Barnwell (6-5.5, 250), Committed on Sept. 25, 2021

  • 4-star running back London Montgomery (5-10, 180), Committed on July 11, 2022

  • 4-star wide receiver Carmelo Taylor (5-11, 150), Committed on Aug. 10, 2022

  • 3-star tight end Joey Schlaffer (6-5, 215), Committed on Oct. 23, 2021

  • 3-star cornerback Lamont Payne (6-0.5, 190), Committed on Sept. 18, 2021

  • 3-star offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh (6-5, 315), Committed on Jan. 28, 2022

  • 3-star defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding (6-2, 265), Committed on June 17, 2022

  • 3-star quarterback Jaxon Smolik (6-1, 205), Committed on Aug. 12, 2022

DECOMMITS

Penn State has had a number of decommitments over the past few weeks. Four-star defensive lineman Tomarrion Parker decommitted from Penn State on Tuesday, becoming the third player since the beginning of July to decommit. He joins three-star wide receiver Yazeed Haynes, who flipped his commitment to Georgia on July 27 and three-star Class of 2023 quarterback Marcus Stokes flipped to Florida on July 7.

Class of 2023 offensive lineman Joshua Miller flipped to Georgia in June and 4-star athlete Neeo Avery decommitted in March.

  • 4-star athlete Neeo Avery

  • 4-star edge rusher Tomarrion Parker

  • 3-star wide receiver Yazeed Haynes

  • 3-star quarterback Marcus Stokes

  • 3-star offensive lineman Joshua Miller