Penn State adds key cog to Class of 2023 in Tony Rojas: Class Breakdown
Penn State filled a huge hole in the center of its defensive roster for the Class of 2023 on Thursday. Four-star linebacker from Fairfax, Tony Rojas, committed to the program over the likes of Clemson, Miami, and Georgia. Rojas is one of Penn State’s longest-held recruiting relationships in the class and was a pivotal player that the Nittany Lions held out for at the position.
The 6-2, 200-pound defender played defensive end for Fairfax high school last season but will play off-ball linebacker at the next level. He’s the latest in a growing line of athletic high school defensive ends that the Nittany Lions have converted to the Will position in its 4-2 defense. With Rojas in the fold, Penn State has 13 four-star prospects in this cycle. Rojas is the sixth four-star player in a row to commit to Penn State.
Class Statistics
| National Rank | Big Ten Rank | Class Score |
| 9 | 2 | 91.319 |
Class by On3 consensus star ranking
- Five-star: 0
- Four-star: 13
- Three-star: 5
Latest Penn State Commitment
LB Tony Rojas
Commit Date: July 14th 2022
Rojas spoke with Blue White Illustrated about his top schools at the start of March and admitted to recruiting insider Ryan Snyder that Penn State was the lead school then.
“Penn State is still [at] the top for me. They text my parents and my family the most. They check in to see how they are and are family-oriented,” he told BWI.
Despite a barrage of interest from national powerhouses like Clemson and Georgia and up-and-comer Miami, Penn State remained at the top of Rojas’ list. However, gaining Rojas’ commitment took a twist after defensive coordinator Brent Pry left for Virginia Tech as the new head coach. He took the time to get to know new DC Manny Diaz during his numerous visits to Penn State this spring and summer, including his official visit on June 17th.
Rojas plays running back, and defensive end but shows the burst and open-field speed necessary to play linebacker in college. In addition, he has a good frame, can add muscle mass, and plays with elusiveness as a pass rusher. That profile fits Penn State linebacker selections from the last several cycles and sets him apart nationally. He’s the 6th-ranked player at linebacker and the fifth-ranked player in Penn State’s Class of 2023.
Previous Penn State Commits
Commit Date: July 11th, 2022
While Montgomery always felt destined to land at Penn State, it wasn’t an easy decision for the Scranton Prep star. Despite taking his official visit to Penn State on the 17th of June, Montgomery was clear about taking all of his scheduled visits, which included a trip to Boston College on the 24th.
“I’m really cool with Savon Huggins. I feel like I can tell him anything. He’s been like a mentor to me. He’s young and he went through this process before. We had a great bond. It’s more than football, so that was tough, but I just felt Penn State was best for me,” he told BWI.
Yet, the PA native decided to stay home because the allure of playing for his favorite team and following in the foosteps of his favorite player was too much to pass up.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Montgomery said. “Watching TV, watching Saquon [Barkley] and all that. I always wanted to play in front of 107,000 fans at Penn State. It’s definitely a dream come true.”
Penn State commit London Montgomery: T-Frank’s Film Room
While few players have Barkley’s skills, Montgomery takes after the former Penn State tailback in specific ways. The 5-10, 180-pound running back is hard to tackle and plays with great speed and explosiveness. His contact balance and movement through traffic are also reminiscent of the former 2nd-overall pick. Those skills, plus an impressive offensive line, led to his nearly 2,400 yards and 36 touchdowns last season at Scranton Prep.
Washington flips from Alabama
Commit Date: July 8th, 2022
Penn State’s platoon approach to recruiting and their family-oriented message once again resonated with a prospect. Those were two major driving forces behind Washington’s commitment.
“I was able to evaluate and compare during my time with college coaches. I felt most comfortable with the Penn State coaches. Their entire staff recruited me, not just a position coach. They’re just real genuine people, and my family felt the same as well. Me and my family are on the same page, so the time is now. That’s why we decided to be a part of the Penn State family,” he told BWI.
The Venice, FL, native visited Penn State on June 10th and shortly afterwards took a trip to East Lansing to check out Michigan State.
While Washington’s commitment story is his own, his commitment came one day after a surprise de-commitment from the Class of 2023, when quarterback Marcus Stokes flipped to the Florida Gators. That happened in concert with four-star Florida running back choosing the Gators over Penn State and four-star athlete Cameron Seldon picking Tennessee. So not only is Washington a high-quality prospect, his news came as a counter to a bad day on the recruiting trail.
At 5-11, 187 pounds, Washington is a stout cornerback with excellent tackling skills and above-average coverage technique. While he may lack elite length at the position, he makes up for it with great athleticism and speed. Earlier this year, he posted a 10.7 100-meter dash, which is a quality time. He joins Penn State’s second commit in the Class of 2023, Lamont Payne, as the two true cornerbacks in the class.
Mack picks Penn State over Michigan State
Saf. King Mack
Commitment Date: June 30th, 2022
Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter gets two commits in a row for 2023 after fellow safety Dakaari Nelson committed five days ago. Mack only took four total visits during his recruiting process, the last being Penn State on June 17th. While’s only met the Penn State staff on campus once, the bonding process with the coaches was clear.
“Coach Franklin, he tells everyone coaching is his job, but he loves it so much that he’d do it for free. [You don’t hear that] from a coach. You know, when you hear about a head coach, you think money, being the boss of everything, but him saying that he’ll do it for free, that just shows the love he has for not just the sport, but the kids. So you know, it was great. I loved that. The coaches, Coach [Anthony Poindexter], he’s a character. He’s one of a kind. It’s hard to find a coach who you bond with like that,” he told BWI after his visit.
Mack may be smaller than the other safeties in the Class of 2023, but he packs a punch. He’s a sound tackler and a hard hitter, willing to throw his body in a pile or launch himself at runners to get tackles for loss and stops in the flat. His legitimate 10.64 100-meter dash speed shows up on tape as well. Not only can he close in on running plays, but he has the skills to break up passes and get interceptions from a deep free safety position. Penn State now has 16 total commits in the Class of 2023.
Nelson moves up commitment date, locks in spot with Lions
Saf. Dakaari Nelson
Commitment Date: June 25th, 2022
Nelson’s interest in Penn State was clear the minute he took an unofficial visit to Penn State in November. He and his family drove up from Selma to see Penn State take on Rutgers on November 20th in a 14-hour marathon drive. Despite the distance, Nelson has been a strong Penn State lean the entire time.
“They treated me like I was one of theirs when I was there, as well as my family,” he told BWI.
The 6-3 safety has a good physical skill set that can potentially fit into several places in defensive Manny Diaz’s scheme. He’s a candidate to play boundary (strong) safety but could possibly play the striker position for the Nittany Lions. His versatility joins an already flexible and deep secondary class for Penn State.
Lions add top-ranked edge rusher
Commitment Date: June 21st, 2022
The buzz around Parker and Penn State was always positive, but it seemed like a long shot that he would commit to the Nittany Lions. As fellow Blue White Illustrated reporter Ryan Snyder always says, “follow the visits.”
In that light, Parker is an extreme outlier because he visited Florida, Georgia, Auburn, and Tennessee four times each. But, Parker made it clear that Penn State was the place shortly after his official visit.
“The coaching staff in general was just perfect for me and my family,” Parker said. “They stayed around all the time, they talked, they laughed. They kept it real with me on how things are gonna go, how they gonna use and things like that, which I loved,” he told On3.
The Phenix City native is the perfect player to add to Penn State’s Class of 2023 defensive line. He’s a high-floor player with college-ready size and advanced positional skills. Additionally, Parker is a good compliment to the high-upside players that Penn State has on the defensive line in fellow edge defender Jameial Lyons and tackle Mega Barnwell. Now that Maryland transfer Demeioun Robinson is in the fold, Penn State has secured a top-100 edge rusher in the last three classes.
Blanding passes on Michigan visit, commits to Nittany Lions
Commitment Date: June 17, 2022
Blanding drew the interest of several top schools including Big Ten East foe Michigan, as well as Oregon and Washington of the Pac 12. Blanding had planned on taking an official visit to Michigan but canceled that after his weekend at Penn State.
While New York City is very different than State College, it still felt right according to Blanding,
“I got a really good vibe,” he told BWI. “It really felt like home. Coach Franklin, he does a really good job. He was always there. He was there and with me all the time. It was important to get my family there. Obviously, I’ve been there before, but it’s always good to get my mom’s opinion on it. She knows what’s best for me. And, she really liked it too.”
Blanding is another example of a high-upside three-star that Penn State has added in recent months. He’s not ranked in the On300, but is the third-ranked player in the state of New York and sits at 48th overall at his position.
Haynes earns offer at Penn State Whiteout Camp, commits a week later
Commitment Date: June 12, 2022
Penn State didn’t flip the three-star receiver directly from Rutgers, but the 6-1 burner chose the Nittany Lions shortly after de-committing from the program.
Haynes is not highly-rated in either the On3 rankings or the On3 Consensus, partially due to a lack of testing information and film from his previous season. After running a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Penn State Whiteout Camp, that’s likely to change. For now, he’s the 173rd-ranked player at his position and the 26th-ranked player in Pennsylvania.
Like Shakir, Penn State secured the services of Haynes over West Virginia and Rutgers but they did so before Big Ten West rival Minnesota could get into the mix. Haynes also canceled camps to Tennessee and Georgia after committing to Penn State, so the Nittany Lions scooped up the rising star before he could gain more attention. According to Haynes, there wasn’t much to think about after he got the offer.
“I came back for my visit, of course, and it just felt like home there,” Haynes told Blue White Illustrated. “Everyone was just so family-oriented. I loved the coaches, the players and everything about the school. Even when I was younger, Penn State was always a school I wanted to go to. So, coming up here was just the icing on the cake. I liked everything about it.”
Shakir finds home at Penn State
Commitment Date: May 11, 2022
Penn State’s first receiver in the Class of 2023, Ejani Shakir is a four-star prospect. He’s the 46th-ranked player at his position according to On3 and the fourth-ranked player in New Jersey.
Shakir does crack the top 300 players in the nation according to the On3 Consensus rankings, which equally weighs the four major recruiting service rankings.
Penn State was the runaway favorite in Shakir’s recruitment. The 6-foot, 175-pound athlete took five unofficial visits to Happy Valley. Rutgers and West Virginia also hosted him once each.
“The first time I ever stepped on campus there, it was great,” Shakir said. “I’ve been to a few campuses and none of them really felt like that. It just felt like a great fit for me,” Shakir told Blue White Illustrated.
The trust that Penn State developed with the tough-minded receiver was a major determining factor in his decision.
“They’ve really seen me evolve and have stuck with me. Plus, I just think they’re the staff that’ll make me the best player I can be. I can be great there. They can take me to the league, but if it’s not about that, they’ll help me get a great job because of the education there. Everything is great around them.”
Conrad Hussey surprises with April commitment
Commitment Date: April 25, 2022
Hussey was a surprise commitment to the Nittany Lions with a very short recruiting story. He took his first visit to Penn State on April 8 and then committed 17 days later. Despite the quick commitment and the distance from home – he lives outside Miami, Fla. – Hussey knew what he was getting into.
Conrad Hussey details his commitment to Penn State football
“I know it’s going to be where I [could] get homesick. But, I’m going to have to adjust eventually, because when I make it to the NFL, I’m going to have to get used to the cold weather and all different types of weather. So, it’s best to start now,” he told BWI.https://www.youtube.com/embed/WhuVNDCmPNI?feature=oembed
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The confidence from Hussey isn’t just apparent in his comments, but also on the field. The rangy safety trusts his instincts and drives on the ball in coverage to get turnovers and make plays. He told BWI that Penn State sees him as a safety but potentially has the flexibility to play corner or in the slot.
Defensive line gets on the board with Jameial Lyons
Commitment Date: April 22, 2022
A four-star prospect according to On3’s evaluators, Lyons joined PSU’s Class of 2023 in the spring.
He’s ranked No. 244 overall prospect in the 2023 class. Lyons is also listed as the 31st-ranked defensive lineman and No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania.
Listed at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Lyons plays for Roman Catholic High School in Philly. He took six unofficial visits to Penn State before making his commitment. Rutgers and West Virginia also hosted him previously.
“When I dropped my top five, I really had two schools in mind with West Virginia and Penn State,” Lyons said. “At one point, I’m not going to lie, I had West Virginia as my top pick, but then I started comparing things. Who had the best academics? Who produces guys for the NFL? Stuff like that.
“I also had a talk with Coach [James] Franklin one day and he was really telling me why the best in PA need to stay in PA. I promise you, when he said that, it really clicked with me. That’s when I knew I was supposed to stay here.”
Lions flip Rappleyea in recruiting saga with Michigan
Commitment Date: April 3, 2022
The Nittany Lions landed a big-time tight end prospect on April 3 when they received a verbal commitment from Andrew Rappleyea.
Rappleyea flipped his commitment from Michigan, having given the Wolverines’ staff his verbal pledge on January 16.
This time, he says his commitment will stick.
“I am completely and fully committed to Penn State,” he wrote on Twitter. “My recruitment is closed.”
Rappleyea stands at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and is a four-star prospect according to both On3 and the On3 Consensus. He is the No. 16 tight end in the class per the On3 Consensus and the four-ranked prospect in the state of Massachusetts.
A native of Millbrook, New York, Rappleyea plays his high school football at Milton Academy in New England.
Penn State goes on O-line run, adds five-star Jven Williams
Commitment Date: Feb 5. 2022
Already the top talent in Pennsylvania at the time of his verbal commitment in February, Jven Williams’ stock has only risen since, earning a fifth star by On3 shortly thereafter.
Because of that, he’s the top overall interior offensive lineman in this cycle and the No. 11 overall prospect according to On3 experts.
Williams chose Penn State over the likes of Michigan, Oklahoma and USC.
A native of Wyomissing, Pa., Williams stands at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds.
Donkoh commits quickly after visiting
Commitment Date: Jan. 28, 2022
Anthony Donkoh was the first prospect to join the class since the start of 2022.
Yet another Virginia prospect, Donkoh plays his high school football at Lightridge. He’s a three-star prospect by the On3 Consensus, No. 42 at offensive tackle, and No. 620 nationally in the 2023 cycle.
“The campus is beautiful. I’ve never seen a big campus like that before. That really blew me away,” Donkoh said. “Also, seeing the stadium up close, that blew me away, too. I never expected to be standing inside one of the biggest stadiums in the United States and really the entire world. That’s just crazy. But the visit overall was a really good time. I learned a lot about the school and felt comfortable with everyone at Penn State.”
Donkoh chose the Nittany Lions over Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Duke and Liberty.
Family ties bond Schlaffer with Penn State
Commitment Date: Oct. 23, 2021
Joey Schlaffer gives the Nittany Lions an exciting tight end prospect in this class.
A four-star prospect from Reading, Pa., Schlaffer stands at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds. He plays for Exeter Township, who won the PIAA District III 6A championship this past season. Schlaffer is the younger brother of former Nittany Lion offensive lineman Michal Menet.
Schlaffer picked up a Penn State offer in early September. He gave the Nittany Lions a verbal commitment in October.
“As soon as they offered me, I felt like there was no other choice,” he said. “I kind of felt that my path was set before it even started, if that makes sense. Between my brother’s history there and how much I’ve followed them over the years, this is where I’m supposed to be.”
Schlaffer is ranked No. 446 overall in the On3 Consensus and No. 10 overall in the state.
He chose the Nittany Lions over Tennessee, Maryland, Nebraska and others.
Barnwell keeps the momentum going
Commitment Date: Sept. 25, 2021
Mathias Barnwell was originally Penn State’s first commit in the 2023 cycle, before deciding to open things up again.
He rejoined the fold in September, giving the Nittany Lions a standout athlete to work with. Barnwell stands at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. He plays for Riverbend in Fredericksburg, Va. His size gives him flexibility to play a few positions, but we expect him to start out as a defensive tackle.
“Opening up my recruitment really did help me,” Barnwell told BWI. “I committed at a young age. I’ve got to see way different coaching styles.”
A four-star prospect, Barnwell is the 318th-ranked overall recruit in the cycle, and the No. 12 athlete according to the On3 Consensus.
He chose Penn State from an offers list that also included Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC and Ole Miss.
Payne commits ahead of White Out win over Auburn
Commitment Date: Sept. 18, 2021
Penn State stayed inside the Keystone State for its second commit of the 2023 cycle in cornerback Lamont Payne.
Payne gave James Franklin his verbal commitment on the field before Penn State’s White Out game against Auburn. He touted a very strong relationship with cornerbacks coach Terry Smith in making his choice.
“That’s my guy,” Payne said. “He’s just shown from the beginning that he really cares. He’s calling me every week to build that bond and check up with me. We talk about football, but we also talk about sports, family, and just life. I remember talking to him about history and things like that. He’s just really cool.”
Payne, rated as the No. 468 overall prospect by the On3 Consensus, plays his high school football at Chartiers Valley. He chose the Nittany Lions over the likes of Pitt, West Virginia and others.
Alex Birchmeier gets the class started early
Commitment Date: July 15, 2021
Alex Birchmeier became Penn State’s first commit in the Class of 2023 when he gave the Nittany Lions his pledge back in July. He told BWI at the time that he committed so early because he wanted to help Penn State put together its class.
“I want to take on that role and I think I can help make this class even better than their 2022 class now,” he said then.
Listed by On3 as an interior offensive lineman, Birchmeier stands at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds. He plays his high school football at Broad Run in Ashburn, Va.
Birchmeier sits just outside of a five-star ranking as 31st-ranked overall prospect according to the On3 Consensus. He chose the Nittany Lions over Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State.
