Recapping wide receiver Anthony Ivey's path to Penn State
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Anthony Ivey had his fair share of offers coming out of Manheim Township, but from the very beginning, it always felt like he was destined to be a Nittany Lion.
A four-star prospect from Lancaster, Pa., it was clear back in the summer of 2019 that Ivey had serious interest in Penn State. It began with an excellent showing at the staff’s Elite Prospect Camp that June. A soon-to-be sophomore, Ivey ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash and a 4.5-second shuttle. That’s pretty good for a 15-year-old.
The Nittany Lion coaching staff knew then that they needed to monitor him closely at the start of his sophomore season. It took Ivey just a handful of games to convince Franklin and his staff that they had to offer.
Then came the visits, as Ivey attended three games at Beaver Stadium during the 2019 season. By the start of 2020, all that was really standing between him and a commitment were a few visits elsewhere. By then, he knew Penn State was probably going to be his choice, but you can’t make such an important decision without checking out some other quality schools.
West Virginia and Virginia Tech would ultimately get him on campus, but then the normally scheduled February dead period arrived. What he and no one knew at the time was that the COVID-19 pandemic would change everything we know about the recruiting process.
Like so many other recruits at the time, Ivey hoped that visits would eventually be allowed in the summer. As we all learned, that never happened.
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“I came close to having everything figured out,” Ivey said. “We had a couple visits done, and really I just wanted to see a couple more and I probably would’ve ended up committing sooner. I didn’t want to commit, then something would change and I’d want to take visits. I never wanted to be one of those guys who decommits.”
Ivey held out the entire summer, but by the time his junior season rolled around, it was clear things weren’t going to be changing any time soon in college football. He would go on to commit to Penn State on Oct. 29, 2020.
“Penn State was so consistent throughout the process. It started with Coach [Brent] Pry, and then once I got to know Coach [Taylor] Stubblefield, I felt great. I loved that they always told me what I needed to hear. They were open with me and my mom the entire time, always answering our questions. I really appreciated that.”
A four-year letterman at Manheim Twp., Ivey totaled 2,043 yards receiving on 112 receptions, scoring 21 touchdowns. That’s an average of 18.2 yards per catch. He was a force on special teams, too, scoring on three kick returns. Those stats, along with other awards, earned him an invitation to the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii this past January.
“Anthony has all the talent in the world,” said Manheim Township head coach Mark Evans. “I felt from the very beginning, even before he played for our varsity squad, that he had the potential to play at the highest level. He has some of those things that you just can’t coach. You either have the size and the speed to make things happen or you don’t. I would also say that, at his position, you have to have those ball awareness skills, that depth perception, that no one can really coach. He’s got all of that.”
