Recruit Rewind: Detailing CB Kenny Woseley's path to Penn State

Penn State will kick off spring practice in just over three weeks from now. With two weeks to go in the February dead period, plus spring break from March 3-9, head coach James Franklin and his staff have just a few more weeks to focus on their current roster before on-campus recruiting starts up again.

With that in mind, we’re looking back on Penn State’s Class of 2024 these next few weeks, profiling all 25 players. Today, we shift our focus to one of Penn State’s first commits in the class.

Kenny Woseley Jr.
Cornerback
5-10, 165
Imhotep Charter
Philadelphia, Pa. 

Rankings	Stars	National	Position	State
On3 Industry	***	624	63	15
On3	***	N/R	84	23
ESPN	***	N/R	53	17
Rivals	***	N/R	N/R	10
247Sports	***	N/R	53	15

Statistics

• Totaled 29 tackles and six interceptions as a senior
• Totaled 20 tackles and 10 pass breakups as a junior
• Helped lead Imhotep to a 36-5 record over three seasons

Notables

• Two-year team captain
• Led Imhotep to a PIAA 5A state championship in 2023
• Plans to play in 2024 Big 33 Game

Recruitment

• Committed to Penn State on March 3, 2023
• Recruited by Terry Smith and Deion Barnes
• Picked Penn State over Michigan, Nebraska and Rutgers
• Officially visited on June 9, 2023

Projection: Woseley won’t be enrolling until the summer and will need time to add weight. Penn State also has five cornerbacks on its roster with experience for 2024, so we’d expect him to redshirt this fall. With that said, Woseley’s traits make him an ideal nickel back at the college level, and that’s not a position everyone can play. As we saw with Daequan Hardy, if he can adjust to the overall speed of the game and learn that nickel role during his first year on campus, the roster sets up well for Woseley to play more snaps than most might initially think his first few years on campus.

Recruiting assistant Alan Zemaitis on Woseley: “He gives you that position [flexibility], where you can put him in the slot and feel comfortable. He’s got the mental capacity part of it that’s probably a little bit more than the average player, so he can handle more of the playbook.”

Get to know Penn State CB Kenny Woseley

Penn State cornerback Kenny Woseley Jr. couldn’t have scripted a better way to finish his senior season at Imhotep Charter. After three straight runner-up finishes in the PIAA state championships, two of which he started, Woseley and the Panthers were able to finally get that elusive state championship back in December, defeating Peters Township in the 5A state title game.

“We’ve been there the last three years, so to finally get it done, especially in my senior year, it just felt amazing,” Woseley said. “It’s something we’ve worked for since February with the team, but really all my entire life. Everyone knew the goal. It feels great that we accomplished it.”

Woseley was one of the first players to commit to the Nittany Lions in the 2024 class, announcing his decision last March. He earned an offer from the Nittany Lions well before that, as position coach Terry Smith saw his potential in June 2021 after a strong performance at Penn State’s annual Lion Strong 7-on-7 tournament. 

By the following summer, the Lions had emerged as the early favorite with the Philadelphia native, as he would return to campus four more times before his junior season. Cincinnati, Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia also earned visits during that stretch.

Offers from Georgia and Michigan also piqued his interest, but the relationship he had formed with Smith was too strong for any school to overcome. After visiting again for a junior day in Jan. 2023, Woseley took a few weeks to think it over, knowing that his heart was set on Penn State.

“He cares about his players, on and off the field,” Woseley said, referring to Smith. “I can say that about the whole coaching staff, to be fair. They’re always making sure you’re good. But with Coach Terry, he was real consistent with me. He offered me before most schools. Coach came to both of our state championship games. He came to the school numerous times to see me. He just showed how much he cares.”

Woseley had his best season in 2023, totaling six interceptions. That included a game-winning interception in the end zone against Maryland powerhouse Archbishop Spalding back in September. 

Ask anyone about Woseley’s strengths and his work ethic is oftentimes one of the first things they’ll mention. That’s a major reason why Penn State’s staff believes he has a high ceiling with plenty of untapped potential.

“There were numerous areas,” Wosley said when asked where he improved the most this past season. “You always have to keep improving on your technique, and then definitely in that leadership role, too, with me now being a senior. Last year was my first time in a leadership role during my junior year.

“So, just sharpening up on that. I also worked hard at getting stronger and faster to get ready for the next level. I took that seriously my whole high school career, but I really tried to improve on that even more this year knowing that I’m playing in the Big Ten next year.” 

With both AJ Harris and Jalen Kimber transferring into the program last month, Penn State’s cornerback room has much more experience now than it appeared back in December. That’ll give Woseley time to adjust when he enrolls this summer. He knows he has to add size and adapting to the speed of the game is always an adjustment for defensive backs.

However, as recruiting assistant and former NFL cornerback Alan Zemaitis stressed back in December, Woseley’s ability to play the catch technique in man coverage is special for a player his age. Having a strong base in one of the game’s hardest techniques bodes well for his future.

“His ability to play catch-man is really, really good,” Zemaitis said. “That is probably one of the hardest techniques to play as a cornerback, and he plays it very well at the high school level, which is very rare.”