UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's soccer head coach Jeff Cook announced the signing of seven student-athletes in the early signing period.
The incoming class includes Liam Butts (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Michael Gaines (Oxon Hill, Md.), Kyle May (Lebanon, Pa.), Andrew Privett (Fallston, Md.), Ben Ofeimu (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Kris Shakes (Sunrise, Fla.) and Alex Stevenson (Bel Air, Md.).
Cook's 2019 signing class is ranked as the 10th-best recruiting class by TopDrawerSoccer. Additionally, three recruits are ranked in the top 100.
"We are delighted to welcome these seven outstanding student-athletes to the Penn State men's soccer family," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Our staff has worked tirelessly to identify and recruit players that we felt could make a significant contribution to our program. We feel confident that these efforts have resulted in a class that will have a lasting impact on our success both on and off the field."
Butts, a forward from Georgia, spent the last three seasons with Atlanta United FC in the USSDA league, helping them to a national title in his first year (2016-17). Prior to that, Butts spent five seasons with GSA 01 Phoenix in the Regional Premiere League where he won two state championships (2013 and 2014), a regional title in 2013, and was named to the Best XI team at the 2015 U.S. Youth Soccer Championship. In 2016 Butts played with Grayson High School and scored 12 goals that season, earning First Team All-Region honors.
Gaines, a right back from Maryland, spent the last six seasons with DC United in the USSDA league.
May, the only in-state recruit, comes west to Happy Valley from Lebanon, Pa. The midfielder has spent the last seven seasons with PA Classics in the USSDA league.
Privett, a midfielder from Maryland, spent the last six seasons with Baltimore Celtic 2000s in the U.S. Youth Soccer National League. He helped his team win back-to-back national championships in 2017 and 2018. Privett also spent all four years playing varsity soccer for McDonogh School. There he contributed to two conference titles (2015 and 2017) while garnering multiple awards including All-Metro and All-Conference first team honors in 2017. In the 2018 season Privett scored 15 goals and recorded 12 assists, earning himself a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Fall High School All-American Watch List.
Ofeimu is a center back from West Bloomfield, Mich. He's spent the last three seasons in Pennsylvania playing with the Philadelphia Union and Bethlehem Steel. Ofeimu helped his team to the USSDA quarterfinals in the 2017-18 season and scored his first professional goal in June 2018. He also attended the U.S. Youth National Team camp in 2015. TopDrawerSoccer has Ofeimu ranked No. 65 on their top 150 players list.
Shakes joins Ofeimu from the Philadelphia Union Academy. The goalkeeper and Florida native spent the last four seasons in the USSDA league. He also spent two years with the U.S. Youth National Team. TopDrawerSoccer has Shakes ranked No. 59 on their top 150 players list.
Stevenson, a defender from Bel Air, Md., joins the Nittany Lions after spending five seasons with the Baltimore Armour in the academy league. He helped his team qualify for Academy playoffs in back-to-back seasons (2016-17, 2017-18). Stevenson scored 15 goals in his first four seasons in USSDA play. TopDrawerSoccer has him ranked No. 98 on their top 150 players list.
