Lamont Payne becomes Penn State's second 2023 commit

Score another one for the White Out weekend. In years past, Penn State has received big recruiting boosts from the electric atmosphere inside of Beaver Stadium. The environment paid off again on Saturday night with a commitment from Bridgeville (Pa.) Chartiers Valley cornerback Lamont Payne.

Payne, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound consensus three-star prospect, didn’t even need to wait for the end of the game to let Penn State know he was committing. Payne informed the Nittany Lion coaches of his decision before kickoff against Auburn.

“It’s the best decision I could make,” Lamont Payne said. “This is where I want to be.”

The moment when you tell @coachjfranklin that you are committing to play for Penn State at midfield before the #WhiteOut game against Auburn. 4-star corner Lamont Pane Jr. to play for the Lions. @psufootball pic.twitter.com/eYAMYQHexw

— Joe Hermitt (@JoeHermitt) September 19, 2021

Early offer won Lamont Payne over

Lamont Payne had early scholarship offers from Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. However, he said he built a strong relationship with Nittany Lion cornerbacks coach Terry Smith and that helped him feel comfortable making an early decision.

Payne got his Penn State offer in early April, and since then, the Nittany Lions were high on his list. That early attention, along with the ability to stay close to home for a top program that is doing a good job of developing defensive backs, were other factors that won him over.

Good start for 2023 class

Lamont Payne is the second commitment in the 2023 class for the Nittany Lions. Penn State’s first commit was from four-star Alex Birchmeier of Ashburn (Va.) Broad Run. Birchmeier ranks as the No. 39 player in the On3 Top 100 for the 2023 class.

So @Alex_Birchmeier @Lamontpayne18 who’s next to jump on board? 😎🔵⚪️#WeAre

— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) September 19, 2021

The Nittany Lions have the nation’s No. 1 class 2022 class. That’s ahead of Midwest recruiting rival Notre Dame, but ahead of other national powers like Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon.

Penn State might have to add a few more pieces to remain as the No. 1 class, especially with Texas, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and Oregon all expected to have strong finishes. But that should still not take away the job Franklin has done. It’s a special class full of elite talent and it looks like the 2023 class is off to a great start, too.