The Penn State football program has added standout prep student-athlete Tommy Stevens (Indianapolis), who plans to enroll at the University in January 2015 and will be eligible to participate in all team activities during the spring semester.
A multi-talented quarterback and defensive back at Decatur Central High School, Stevens signed and submitted his Grant In Aid agreement today. He joins Lackawanna College offensive tackle Paris Palmer and freshman offensive tackle Sterling Jenkins (Pittsburgh/Baldwin HS) as January enrollees for Coach James Franklin's program.
Stevens will be able to participate in off-season conditioning, spring practice and the 2015 season.
The 6-4, 200-pound quarterback earned a three-star rating from the four major recruiting services. He averaged 172 yards passing and completed 60 percent of his attempts, with 16 touchdown passes. Stevens also gained 842 yards on 172 carries (4.9), scoring 10 rushing touchdowns.
He is rated as the No. 17-ranked dual-threat quarterback nationally and the No. 7 overall recruit in Indiana by 247sports.com. Rivals.com tabbed Stevens as the No. 18 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 5 player in Indiana. He was a finalist for the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year and was a two-time all-conference, all-area and all-county selection.
Stevens was a 2014 All-State 5A selection as a defensive back for head coach Justin Dixson at DCHS. He made 25 tackles and grabbed two interceptions during his senior season. He also was selected an Indiana Prime Time 22 player.
Stevens chose the Nittany Lions over programs that included: Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State, Nebraska and Purdue.
The Nittany Lions capped the 2014 campaign with a thrilling 31-30 overtime victory over Boston College Dec. 27 in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Penn State has earned 10 consecutive on-field winning seasons, a mark matched by only Wisconsin among Big Ten Conference teams. The Nittany Lions' 28 bowl wins are tied with Oklahoma for No. 3 in the nation.
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. The Penn State football program has added standout prep student-athlete Sterling Jenkins (Pittsburgh), who plans to enroll at the University in January 2015 and will be eligible to participate in all team activities during the spring semester. A prep All-America offensive tackle, Jenkins signed and submitted his Grant in Aid agreement today. He joins Lackawanna College offensive tackle Paris Palmer as January enrollees for Coach James Franklin's program. Jenkins will be able to participate in off-season conditioning, spring practice and the 2015 season.
Jenkins is a 6-foot-8, 305-pound offensive tackle and is rated as a four star prospect by all four of the major recruiting services; 247sports.com, ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com. He has accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-American Game, which will be contested at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Jan. 2, 2015.
Playing for head coach Pete Wagner at Baldwin High School, Jenkins is one of the top-ranked players in the nation. He is rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania, according to Scout.com and ESPN.com, and is ranked No. 4 and No. 9, respectively, among offensive line recruits nationally.Jenkins also is rated as the 57th overall player nationally by Scout.com and the 105th overall player nationally by ESPN.com.
Jenkins chose the Nittany Lions over programs that included: Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Virginia Tech.
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Offensive tackle Paris Palmer, the nation's top-ranked junior college offensive tackle, has signed a national letter of intent to continue his academic and athletic career as a member of the Penn State football program.
Palmer played the last two seasons at Lackawanna College and is ranked as the nation's No. 9 overall JUCO prospect by Rivals.com and 247sports.com.
The 6-foot-8, 305-pound Palmer is ranked a four-star recruit by all four major recruiting services; 247sports.com, ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com. He has been tabbed the top junior college offensive tackle recruit in the nation by 247sports.com and Rivals.com ranks Palmer the No. 1 offensive lineman in the JUCO ranks. Scout.com rated Palmer the nation's No. 3 JUCO offensive lineman and ESPN.com ranks him as the 25th overall recruit in their Junior College Top 50.
Palmer plans to enroll at Penn State in January, which will allow him to participate in winter conditioning and spring practice. He will be eligible for play during the 2015 season for Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions.
The No. 1 ranked junior college player in Pennsylvania, Palmer was the starting left tackle for head coach Mark Duda and was tutored by run game coordinator/offensive line coach Josh Pardini during his time on the Scranton, Pa. campus.
The Plymouth, N.C., native was instrumental in helping Lackawanna College average 374.9 yards of total offense per game, including 189.9 yards rushing per contest. The Eagles averaged nearly 26 points per game, with 44 of their 71 touchdowns coming on the ground.
"He is big, he is tall and he is athletic," said Lackawanna College head coach Mark Duda. "He has a tremendous amount of potential. You don't run into a lot of guys that are six foot-eight and a half or six foot-nine that are as mobile as he is. From a student standpoint, this last semester is a great indicator how effective he is in the classroom. This last semester he basically had an A average and finished strong in his final semester at Junior College. He will really add a lot to Coach Franklin's group."
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