Penn State linebacker target Josiah Trotter ready to decide
Penn State is off to a great start with its Class of 2023.
Heading into April, the Nittany Lions rank fifth in the nation according to the On3 Consensus Team Rankings with seven commitments total. However, the staff’s momentum has cooled a bit, as five-star offensive lineman Jven Williams was the last to commit back on Feb. 5.
History suggests that’ll change in April, and one potential candidate has now emerged.
On Friday night, linebacker Josiah Trotter confirmed on his Twitter feed that he’ll end his recruitment in two weeks, April 15. This announcement comes just about a month after he confirmed his top five schools. In addition to Penn State, that list includes Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
He discussed all five of his top schools with Blue White Illustrated in the beginning of March.
Related: Penn State Visitor Preview for April 2
Clemson: “It’s a good relationship with them and I’ve been down there a good amount of times now. Of course, with my brother being down there, I’m familiar with it. But it’s really about having a good relationship with the coaches.”
Penn State: “They’ve been really consistent when it comes to staying in contact and our relationship with them. I’ve been getting to know the new defensive coordinator, Coach [Manny] Diaz, who’s there now. He’s been telling me that he thinks I’d be a MIKE linebacker for them. He sees me as the guy in the middle, running the defense. I love talking to him. He has a great personality. I need to just keep learning more about his scheme, how I fit in, and if it would be the right spot for me.”
South Carolina: “They’ve been staying in contact with me regularly and I love what they do on the defensive side of the ball. I’ve been talking to Coach [Clayton] White down there. I’ve been talking about what they’ve been doing with their program, how they’re changing things off the field as well. When I went down there, I loved the campus, I loved what they’re doing and the environment they’re building.”
Related: Rodney Gallagher discusses upcoming visit plans
Virginia Tech: “I’ve been talking to Coach [Chris] Marve, the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach there and we’ve built a pretty good relationship already. Their whole coaching staff has been hitting me up and staying in contact with me. I have a great relationship with Coach Marve and Coach [Brent] Pry. I went down there and visited in January and I really like the whole environment they’ve been building down there, especially around their defense.”
West Virginia: “I love the facilities there. I thought they were really great, especially with their strength and conditioning. Their strength and conditioning coaches have been good, as well as just their defense and what they do on that side of the ball. They do a great job staying in contact, letting me know that I’m a high priority for them and their number one guy.”
Trotter’s most recent visit was to West Virginia on March 3. He also has an official visit set to Morgantown for June 3, so that could be a good sign for the Mountaineers.
However, Penn State has stepped up its pursuit of Trotter, too, in recent months. New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz likes what he sees from the son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter.
It should also be noted that Trotter’s brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., currently plays for Clemson, so he has a connection to Dabo Swinney’s program.
Trotter also confirmed with BWI Friday night that he currently has no additional visits set between now and April 15.
According to the On3 Consensus, Trotter is ranked No. 388 nationally. He’s the 40th-ranked linebacker and No. 8 in Pennsylvania for the Class of 2023.
