Class Breakdown: Penn State's Class of 2023 adds blue-chip WR
Penn State Nittany Lions football now has a dozen prospects in the fold in its 2023 recruiting class. Wideout Ejani Shakir became PSU’s latest verbal commitment, announcing his choice on Wednesday night.
Let’s get to know Shakir, and the rest of Penn State football’s Class of 2023, below:
Giving Penn State his verbal pledge on May 11, Ejani Shakir is a four-star prospect according to both On3 analysts and the On3 Consensus.
Listed at 6-foot, 175 pounds, Shakir plays his high school football for Winslow Township in Atco, New Jersey. He’s the No. 42 wideout in his cycle according to the Consensus and the No. 4 prospect in the Garden State.
Shakir’s commitment comes three weeks after a visit to Happy Valley — his fifth trip to campus.
He explained that no other campus ever really felt the same to him, despite additional unofficial visits to Rutgers and West Virginia. The Mountaineers and Boston College were the other two serious contenders to earn his commitment, he said.
“When you have the coaches showing as much love as they did, it feels great. They were one of my early offers too, so they’ve been consistent,” Shakir said. “They’ve really seen me evolve and have stuck with me. Plus, I just think they’re the staff that’ll make me the best player I can be. I can be great there. They can take me to the league, but if it’s not about that, they’ll help me get a great job because of the education there. Everything is great around them.”
Hussey became the 11th member of Penn State’s recruiting class when he announced his commitment on April 25.
A three-star prospect according to On3 analysts and the On3 Consensus, Hussey is rated as the No. 447 overall recruit in the nation and the No. 44 safety.
At 6-foot, 190 pounds, he’s the first safety for the Nittany Lions in this class — perhaps not a surprise after they took three in last year’s class.
Hussey plays his high school football for St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Notably, he’s the second commit from the Sunshine State in this year’s class, joining Marcus Stokes.
The Nittany Lions took three Florida players in the 2022 class after they didn’t take sign any in 2021.
Hussey also held offers from the likes of Florida, Florida State, Ole Miss and Maryland.
A four-star prospect according to On3 evaluators, Lyons joined PSU’s Class of 2023 on April 22.
On3 ranks Lyons as the No. 244 overall prospect in the class. He’s also listed as the No. 31 defensive lineman and the No. 4 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Lyons plays for Roman Catholic High School in Philly. He took six unofficial visits to Penn State before making his commitment. He also took the trip to Rutgers and West Virginia.
“When I dropped my top five, I really had two schools in mind with West Virginia and Penn State,” Lyons said. “At one point, I’m not going to lie, I had West Virginia as my top pick, but then I started comparing things. Who had the best academics? Who produces guys for the NFL? Stuff like that.
“I also had a talk with Coach [James] Franklin one day and he was really telling me why the best in PA need to stay in PA. I promise you, when he said that, it really clicked with me. That’s when I knew I was supposed to stay here.”
Three-star prospect Marcus Stokes joined Penn State’s Class of 2023 on April 8.
Stokes is the No. 463 overall prospect in the cycle according to the On3 Consensus, and the No. 24 quarterback.
The Nittany Lions were the first power-five program to offer Stokes, and a handful of others followed, including Indiana, Pitt, Utah and Virginia Tech.
“I looked over then at my dad and he had tears in his eyes,” Stokes said after he got his offer. “Honestly, I started tearing up, too. I knew that was just a massive moment in my recruitment and really my entire life. It was one of those experiences that you’ll never forget. Getting an offer from a school like Penn State is just an incredible feeling.”
Stokes stands at 6-foot-1.5 and 180 pounds. Out of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, he plays his high school football for Nease.
The Nittany Lions landed a big-time tight end prospect on April 3 when they received a verbal commitment from Andrew Rappleyea.
Rappleyea flipped his commitment from Michigan, having given the Wolverines’ staff his verbal pledge on January 16.
This time, he says his commitment will stick.
“I am completely and fully committed to Penn State,” he wrote on Twitter. “My recruitment is closed.”
Rappleyea is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and is a four-star prospect according to both On3 and the On3 Consensus. He is the No. 16 tight end in the class per the Consensus, and the No. 4 prospect in the state of Massachusetts.
A native of Millbrook, New York, Rappleyea plays his high school football at Milton Academy in New England.
Already the top talent in Pennsylvania at the time of his verbal commitment on February 5, Jven Williams’ stock has only risen since.
Williams earned his fifth star from On3 shortly thereafter, becoming the top overall interior offensive lineman in this cycle and the No. 11 overall prospect according to On3 experts.
Williams chose Penn State over the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma and USC.
The Wyomissing product and Reading native became the fourth commit listed by On3 as an offensive lineman in Penn State’s eight-man class.
According to On3’s Consensus tool, Williams is the No. 64 overall prospect in the class, and the No. 4 interior offensive lineman. On3 lists him at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds.
Alex Birchmeier became Penn State’s first commit in the Class of 2023 when he gave the Nittany Lions his pledge back in July. He told BWI at the time that he committed so early because he wanted to help Penn State put together its class.
“I want to take on that role and I think I can help make this class even better than their 2022 class now,” he said then.
Listed by On3 as an interior offensive lineman, Birchmeier stands at 6-foot-5.5, 275 pounds, and plays his high school football at Broad Run in Ashburn, Virginia.
He is ranked 31st overall according to the On3 Consensus. He chose the Nittany Lions over the likes over Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State.
Penn State stayed inside the Keystone State for its second commit of the 2023 cycle, landing cornerback Lamont Payne.
Payne gave James Franklin his verbal commitment on the field before Penn State’s White Out game against Auburn.
Payne touted a very strong relationship with Nittany Lion cornerbacks coach Terry Smith in making his choice.
“That’s my guy,” Payne said. “He’s just shown from the beginning that he really cares. He’s calling me every week to build that bond and check up with me. We talk about football, but we also talk about sports, family, and just life. I remember talking to him about history and things like that. He’s just really cool.”
Payne, rated as the No. 468 overall prospect by the On3 Consensus, plays his high school football at Chartiers Valley and chose the Nittany Lions over the likes of Pitt, West Virginia and others.
Mathias Barnwell was originally Penn State’s first commit in the 2023 cycle, before deciding to open things up again.
He rejoined the fold in late August, giving the Nittany Lions a standout athlete to work with. Barnwell stands at 6-foot-5.5, 255 pounds, and plays for Riverbend in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
“Opening up my recruitment really did help me,” Barnwell told BWI. “I committed at a young age. I’ve got to see way different coaching styles.”
Barnwell, a four-star prospect, is the No. 318 overall recruit in the cycle, and the No. 12 athlete according to the Consensus.
He chose Penn State from an offers list that also included Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC and Ole Miss.
Joey Schlaffer gives the Nittany Lions an exciting tight end prospect in this class.
The four-star recruit per On3 out of Reading, Pennsylvania, stands at 6-foot-5.5, 205 pounds, and plays for Exeter Township. He is the younger brother of former Nittany Lion offensive lineman Michal Menet.
Schlaffer picked up a Penn State offer in early September, and gave the Nittany Lions a verbal commitment in October.
“As soon as they offered me, I felt like there was no other choice,” he said. “I kind of felt that my path was set before it even started, if that makes sense. Between my brother’s history there and how much I’ve followed them over the years, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Schlaffer is the No. 446 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus and the No. 10 player in the state.
He chose the Nittany Lions over Tennessee, Maryland, Nebraska and others.
Joshua Miller was Penn State’s fifth addition to the class, giving the Nittany Lions his verbal pledge in December.
Miller is the third member of the class from the state of Virginia. The On3 Consensus rates him as the No. 11 player in the state, and the No. 513 overall prospect in the nation.
Listed as an interior lineman, Miller is 6-foot-4, 320 pounds.
“When I really looked at Penn State and compared them to my top schools, I just realized that Penn State had everything I needed,” he said. “There was no more time to waste. It was the right time.”
He chose Penn State over Clemson, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
Anthony Donkoh gave the Nittany Lions his verbal commitment on January 28.
Yet another Virginia prospect — Penn State’s fourth this cycle — Donkoh plays his high school football at Lightridge.
He is rated as a three-star prospect by the On3 Consensus, the No. 42 offensive tackle, and the no. 620 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle.
“The campus is beautiful. I’ve never seen a big campus like that before. That really blew me away,” Donkoh said. “Also, seeing the stadium up close, that blew me away, too. I never expected to be standing inside one of the biggest stadiums in the United States and really the entire world. That’s just crazy. But the visit overall was a really good time. I learned a lot about the school and felt comfortable with everyone at Penn State.”
Donkoh chose the Nittany Lions over Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Duke and Liberty.
