Video Recap: Penn State adds versatile defender in Dayshaun Burnett
On Wednesday afternoon, the Penn State Nittany Lions got a commitment from four-star defensive athlete Dayshaun Burnett. Recruiting insider Ryan Snyder sits down to talk about Burnett and what he brings to the Penn State recruiting Class of 2025. Check out the video embedded in the article or the Blue White Illustrated YouTube Channel.
Penn State lands another versatile player for the Class of 2025.
In today’s video, we discuss Burnett’s path to Penn State and how he has a curious recruitment timeline, according to Snyder. The Pittsburgh area prospect out of Imani Christian Academy didn’t visit Penn State for junior day, and hasn’t returned to campus since early in the 2023 football season. So, how does all of that read for Snyder? We discuss how things flipped for Burnett and which schools he saw that could have possibly been a fit.
However, the most interesting aspect of Burnett’s profile is his positional fit. He’s big, at 6-3, 215 pounds, and rushes the passer semi-regularly for Imani Christian. Is he a defenisve end or a linebacker for Penn State? Snyder explains how his positional fit will determine much of his time at Penn State. We also discuss the traits he needs for both positions.
Burnett wants to play Big Ten Football
Snyder also detailed why Burnett chose the Nittany Lions in his article about the recent commitment.
“Big Ten football is a different kind of football. With Penn State being the kind of program they are, they can develop me not only as a player but also as a young man,” Burnett said when asked why the Nittany Lions were the choice.
You can check out the full thing here. Snyder spoke with both Burnett’s trainer, and his high school caoch, who you can hear from in his article. he also expands on those conversations in today’s video.
The 2025 Penn State class has strong Western PA ties
It’s not uncommon for Penn State to have several players from the Western part of Pennsylvania in any given class. They’ve done incredibly well in the region in recent years, but so far, this recruiting cycle has a strong influence from that part of the state.
Burnett is the fourth player from that region in this class, joining fellow defender Alex Tatsch, who committed earlier this month. North Catholic athlete Brady O’Hara who plays tight end but will likely play offensive line for Penn State, was an early add for the program, and shortly after, Aliquiappa’s Tikey Hayes joined too.
Unranked but talented cornerback Xxavier Thomas committed the day after national signing day when two fellow Central Catholic teammates joined the day prior.
