Jven Williams joins group of top Penn State OL commits | Here's how some of the others fared
On3 analysts elevated Penn State offensive line commit Jven Williams to five-star status on Thursday afternoon.
Williams, who weighs in at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, and plays his high school football for Wyomissing, is now the top-rated interior offensive lineman in the 2023 cycle.
He gave the Nittany Lions his verbal commitment on February 5, becoming the fourth offensive line commit in the class.
Together with his future teammate Alex Birchmeier, Williams is one of the most promising offensive line prospects to commit to Penn State since the turn of the century. Let’s take a look at some of the others and how they panned out.
Former Penn State OL Michal Menet (2016)
Former Nittany Lion OL Michal Menet was the No. 55 overall prospect according to the On3 Consensus in the 2016 cycle.
247Sports gave him a five-star rating, and tabbed him as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the country.
Menet started every game for the Nittany Lions from 2018-2020, playing exclusively at center.
Pro Football Focus gave him overall offensive grades of 73.4, 78.3 and 69.4 in those three seasons. Notably, in 2019, he received an excellent 81.5 run block grade from PFF.
Menet was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round last year before he was released. The Green Bay Packers picked him up shortly before the end of the season, and he’s still on their active roster.
Eric Shrive (2009)
West Scranton High School product Eric Shrive was the No. 53 overall prospect in the 2009 cycle, and the No. 2 interior offensive lineman according to the On3 Consensus.
Scout tabbed Shrive as a five-star prospect.
Shrive found it difficult to earn playing time, starting one game in his final season in 2013.
He did, however, make a considerable impact on Penn State from an off-the-field perspective as the president of Penn State’s Uplifting Athletes chapter.
“I came here as a five-star recruit and it’s been a challenge and struggle,” Shrive told The Daily Collegian in 2013. “This is something I’ve always made an impact with.”
RELATED: Penn State commit Jven Williams earns fifth star from On3
J.B. Walton (2006)
J.B. Walton, out of Henry E Lackey High School in Maryland, was ranked as the No. 41 player in the 2006 cycle according to the 247Sports Composite.
Walton struggled academically due to a learning disability and left Penn State after his second year to play at West Virginia Wesleyan.
“They were saying the help he needed, they couldn’t give him,” his father, Jason Walton, told the Washington Post. “It was devastating because J.B. struggled, but J.B. always struggled and always got through it. This time, he didn’t.”
Chris McKelvy (2000)
Chris McKelvy was ranked as the No. 45 overall player in the Class of 2000, according to the 247Sports Composite. He was also the No. 4 ranked offensive tackle.
McKelvy was a three-year starter for the Nittany Lions, playing at both tackle and guard during his time in blue and white. He also handled some long-snapping duties.
McKelvy went undrafted and spent a few months with the New Orleans Saints after signing a free agent contract.
