Former Michigan State commit schedules Penn State official visit
There aren’t many players left on Penn State’s recruiting board in the Class of 2024, but the Nittany Lions will host one of the few this weekend. Mount Pleasant (Mich.) offensive lineman Andrew Dennis will take an official visit to Happy Valley this weekend for the Michigan game. BWI’s Ryan Snyder has previously reported on the expected nature of the trip.
Dennis is a former Michigan State commitment. He backed away from his pledge to the Spartans last month and the Nittany Lions are one of a few schools to show renewed interest in the On3 Industry four-star prospect. Clemson, Illinois, Kentucky, Purdue and Utah are among the programs involved at this point, in addition to the Spartans.
Penn State assistant coach Phil Trautwein has been the main point of contact for the Nittany Lions.
“What they told me was that they try to stray away from guys who already committed to be respectful,” Dennis told BWI. “We didn’t get into the Michigan State situation at all, but they made it clear that they’ve wanted to offer me for a while. Coach Slim [Chris Mahon] and Coach Khalil [Ahmad] were also on the phone, so we had a great conversation.
“But Coach Traut told me that he’s really liked me for a while. He came and saw me work out in the spring and loved everything he saw. So, he just said he’s excited about me and wanted to take the next step forward.”
Dennis visited Penn State back in March
Dennis was on campus for an unofficial visit back in the spring but only recently picked up an offer.
“I got to spend a lot of time at their facility,” Dennis said. “We spent a lot of time with their coaches. I really liked watching Coach Traut coach his guys in person. Their facilities are second to none, although for me, it’s not so much about the facilities. It’s a D-1 program. They all have great facilities.
“For me, it more so comes down to the people and the people at Penn State are great. But with it being a two-day visit, they tailored a lot of it to me. I got to see a lot of what I wanted to see.”
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Dennis is the No. 24 interior offensive lineman in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Industry rankings. He’s the No. 7 prospect in Michigan in the current cycle.
