Penn State commit Elliot Washington set for national spotlight Thursday evening
Penn State fans are counting down the days until this weekend’s matchup against Auburn. Following last year’s 28-20 showdown in Beaver Stadium, Saturday’s game has been circled on the calendars for both teams. It’s not often that a top Big Ten program travels into the heart of SEC country for a regular season showdown.
But before we get to Saturday, Penn State fans should have another game set on their DVR. On Thursday evening, ESPN2 is set to air another nationally televised high school game between St. Frances and Venice. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. eastern time. PSU fans who follow recruiting should be familiar with St. Frances by now, as the Baltimore-based program has become a powerhouse in recent years. However, it’s actually Venice, which is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, that features the future Penn State player in cornerback Elliot Washington.
A four-star prospect, Washington is the fourth-ranked player in Penn State’s 2023 class currently, ranking only behind offensive linemen Alex Birchmeier and Jven Williams, as well as linebacker Tony Rojas. Nationally, Washington sits at No. 119 overall and is the 13th-ranked cornerback. Our staff at On3 ranks him a bit higher than the industry average at No. 93 overall and No. 12 at the cornerback position.
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So far this season, Venice is 1-1. They lost to Miami powerhouse Northwestern in week one, 32-26. Washington had an interception in that game. The Indians then defeated Naples 12-11 the following week, Sept. 2. They had a bye week leading into tonight’s game.
Penn State is also heavily involved with many players at St. Frances. In all, nine Class of 2024 prospects have already claimed verbal offers from the Nittany Lions. There are also four 2025 prospects who have claimed an offer, and that doesn’t include the 2023 players who have since committed elsewhere. We will note that one of those 2023 players, defensive lineman Sam Greene, has Penn State among his top three. However, he’s expected to commit to USC later this evening.
The main players for Penn State fans to follow on St. Frances are all in the Class of 2024. Quarterback Michael Van Buren is the name most will likely recognize. A top-100 prospect in the On3 Consensus, Van Buren has visited Penn State twice already. Running back Dejuan Williams and safety Edrees Farooq have also each traveled to State College. Farroq’s visits came back in January and March. Williams has been on campus twice more recently, attending the Lasch Bash in July, as well as the win over Ohio last weekend. Cornerback Ify Obidegwu also has interest in Penn State. He last visited in March.
St. Frances is 2-0 to start the season. They defeated East St. Louis 20-13 in a neutral site game in Canton, Ohio to start the season. The Panthers then travelled to DeSoto, Texas, Sept. 2 for a 47-7 win over DeSoto High. Like Venice, they’re coming off a bye week.
