I hit on some of this last night in the personnel thread, but I also gathered some additional info throughout today. Here's where I stand:
- Former Duke DT Derrick Tangelo remains the key player to focus on. I don't have a timeline for an announcement, but everything else here seems to point to Penn State. We first started hearing yesterday morning that he was a serious option, then we were told in the late afternoon this may be close to getting over the line. I asked again this morning and was told the same. I don't want to speculate on when it'll be official, because that's the one thing that no one has even hinted at, but I do feel like he's the key guy to follow right now.
UPDATED: 3:30 p.m. - Tangelo has announced his commitment to Penn State
- This shouldn't be a total surprise, but I was told this morning that adding Tangelo would have no impact on 2021 DT George Rooks. Tangelo only has one year of eligibility remaining, so that makes sense. Just clarifying before someone asks. With that said, adding additional transfers at other positions could still potentially impact Rooks and all the 2021 recruits, but adding Tangelo specifically doesn't impact Rooks in the immediate future. They'll still be recruiting him in the coming weeks and that won't change unless scholarships get tight. I've also been given the impression that PSU may use one of the scholarships vacated by Antonio Shelton and Judge Culpepper elsewhere, so I don't get the impression they're currently planning to add two defensive tackles in the portal. If the right player fell to them, you can never rule it out, but after Tangelo, the focus shifts primarily to defensive end. I do believe that two defensive ends in the portal is possible, but we’ll see. Not adding two defensive tackles shouldn't be a surprise if you're familiar with the scholarship chart.
- Speaking of defensive end, Arnold Ebiketie remains the player to focus on. One school colleagues mentioned yesterday was Florida State, but after speaking with Penn State contacts last night, I believe that Boston College is the school to watch. Our Texas writer reached out to him today and he mentioned Penn State, Texas and Boston College. I think he's interested in Texas, but I don't think he'll go that far from home. Of course, BC is also pushing hard for Rooks. From what I was told, Jeff Hafley and his staff would prefer Ebiketie over Rooks if they had to pick between the two, although I'm not entirely sure if they impact each other or not.
- One defensive back that has come on the radar over the past week is Nick Roberts, a former safety from South Florida. I was told this afternoon that PSU is still evaluating him, however, so it's still too early to get a feel for where he fits in with all of this. He started the past three seasons for USF before deciding in October to enter the portal. He had a pretty good season in 2019, and I believe that's where the interest stems from. His 2020 was so/so, but you can say the same about John Lovett. His 2019 PFF grades rate him third overall in the AAC in coverage (85.4) and fifth overall when you look at his total defensive grade of 76.4. He totaled 52 solo tackles and 20 assisted last season. He has five career interceptions.
- Along the offensive line, I don't get the impression that there's much to follow at the moment. Phil Trautwein did show interest in former Harvard player Eric Wilson, but he's expected to end up at LSU soon. You'll notice that Trautwein followed former Cornhusker Boe Wilson on Twitter, but I don't believe much has come out of those conversations. He is still looking to add a 2021 high school prospect, with Austin Uke and Rayshaun Benny being the top two targets. I don't believe that California prospect Josh Simmons is someone we need to focus on right now. There hasn't been much contact between the two parties.
- Former Duke DT Derrick Tangelo remains the key player to focus on. I don't have a timeline for an announcement, but everything else here seems to point to Penn State. We first started hearing yesterday morning that he was a serious option, then we were told in the late afternoon this may be close to getting over the line. I asked again this morning and was told the same. I don't want to speculate on when it'll be official, because that's the one thing that no one has even hinted at, but I do feel like he's the key guy to follow right now.
UPDATED: 3:30 p.m. - Tangelo has announced his commitment to Penn State
- This shouldn't be a total surprise, but I was told this morning that adding Tangelo would have no impact on 2021 DT George Rooks. Tangelo only has one year of eligibility remaining, so that makes sense. Just clarifying before someone asks. With that said, adding additional transfers at other positions could still potentially impact Rooks and all the 2021 recruits, but adding Tangelo specifically doesn't impact Rooks in the immediate future. They'll still be recruiting him in the coming weeks and that won't change unless scholarships get tight. I've also been given the impression that PSU may use one of the scholarships vacated by Antonio Shelton and Judge Culpepper elsewhere, so I don't get the impression they're currently planning to add two defensive tackles in the portal. If the right player fell to them, you can never rule it out, but after Tangelo, the focus shifts primarily to defensive end. I do believe that two defensive ends in the portal is possible, but we’ll see. Not adding two defensive tackles shouldn't be a surprise if you're familiar with the scholarship chart.
- Speaking of defensive end, Arnold Ebiketie remains the player to focus on. One school colleagues mentioned yesterday was Florida State, but after speaking with Penn State contacts last night, I believe that Boston College is the school to watch. Our Texas writer reached out to him today and he mentioned Penn State, Texas and Boston College. I think he's interested in Texas, but I don't think he'll go that far from home. Of course, BC is also pushing hard for Rooks. From what I was told, Jeff Hafley and his staff would prefer Ebiketie over Rooks if they had to pick between the two, although I'm not entirely sure if they impact each other or not.
- One defensive back that has come on the radar over the past week is Nick Roberts, a former safety from South Florida. I was told this afternoon that PSU is still evaluating him, however, so it's still too early to get a feel for where he fits in with all of this. He started the past three seasons for USF before deciding in October to enter the portal. He had a pretty good season in 2019, and I believe that's where the interest stems from. His 2020 was so/so, but you can say the same about John Lovett. His 2019 PFF grades rate him third overall in the AAC in coverage (85.4) and fifth overall when you look at his total defensive grade of 76.4. He totaled 52 solo tackles and 20 assisted last season. He has five career interceptions.
- Along the offensive line, I don't get the impression that there's much to follow at the moment. Phil Trautwein did show interest in former Harvard player Eric Wilson, but he's expected to end up at LSU soon. You'll notice that Trautwein followed former Cornhusker Boe Wilson on Twitter, but I don't believe much has come out of those conversations. He is still looking to add a 2021 high school prospect, with Austin Uke and Rayshaun Benny being the top two targets. I don't believe that California prospect Josh Simmons is someone we need to focus on right now. There hasn't been much contact between the two parties.
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