Penn State extends new 2025 scholarship offer to defensive lineman Benny Patterson
Penn State is five weeks out from the start of the early signing period, and if one thing has become clear in recent weeks it’s the fact that James Franklin and his staff plan to leave no stone unturned. In addition to long-time targets like Brandon Finney, Lex Cyrus and Andrew Olesh, the Nittany Lions have also extended a few new scholarship offers since September. On Wednesday, the latest of those offers went out to Newburgh, Ind., native Benny Patterson.
Listed at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Patterson committed to Cincinnati back in April but has seen his stock soar in recent weeks. After On3 made him a four-star prospect in mid-September, Patterson earned an offer from USC just a few days later. Since then, Florida State, LSU and Michigan have also offered, bringing his total to 14 schools and counting.
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“Benny Patterson is a twitched up defensive lineman who rose into the On300 making a big jump in our September update due to a really impressive start to his senior year,” said On3 Scouting Director Charles Power. “Since then, he’s gotten a bunch of quality offers and is probably one of the hotter defensive line prospects in the country. Not only is he twitchy, but he can run really well. He makes a lot of really impressive plays in pursuit and has great play strength as well. He’s a violent player.
“I think the biggest thing with him is figuring out where he ends up. I do think he could play edge and be a powerful defensive end. But depending on where he ends up, he can certainly add mass to his frame and play inside as well. But he’s certainly one of the hottest defensive line prospects in the country and has gained a lot of attention this fall based on his play.”
As a junior, Patterson put up some excellent stats, racking up 70 tackles in 10 games. He also had 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. Through nine games this season, his play hasn’t dropped off at all, totaling 57 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks.
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Just yesterday, BWI’s Sean Fitz mentioned Patterson as a player Nittany Lion fans should be keeping an eye on.
“Penn State could be in line to get Cincinnati defensive line commit Benny Patterson on campus in the next few weeks,” Fitz wrote in his Trimmings notebook breaking down PSU’s top 2025 targets. “He went to USC a few weeks ago and was at Michigan over the weekend. NC State is scheduled to have him in this weekend, then a trip to USC and finally a visit to Florida State at the end of November. While those visits are scheduled, Penn State could wedge its way in there as well.”
As of now, Patterson appears to be Deion Barnes’ top defensive tackle target for the 2025 class. Penn State currently holds commitments from two interior defensive linemen: Maryland native Yvan Kemajou and Florida prospect Randy Adirika. The Nittany Lions already hold commitments from 25 total players for the 2025 class, but it’s believed that they could still add a handful of prospects down the stretch.
