Ta'Mere Robinson Decision Preview: Will the four-star linebacker pick Penn State today?

After picking up a commitment from Fairfax, Va., linebacker Tony Rojas on Thursday, Penn State won’t have to wait long to learn where its next top prospect is headed in linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson.

The Pittsburgh native confirmed this past Monday that he’s set to announce at roughly 6:15 p.m. eastern time Friday evening. He’ll be doing it at Homewood Field, which is where Robinson first began playing football at a young age.

Fans can learn more about the rising senior’s upcoming decision in our commitment preview.

Where does the Penn State Class of 2023 stand entering the day?

With 18 verbal commitments, Penn State finds itself in a very strong position currently. As mentioned, Rojas officially announced his decision Thursday evening, giving the staff now one linebacker in the class. Robinson would make it two, which could potentially end up being the final number.

With that said, Richmond, Va., native Kaveion Keys remains a potential wild card. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound linebacker was believed to be down to Penn State and North Carolina, but now he’s planning to visit Florida at the end of the month. Penn State will take Keys to give them three linebackers in the class if he does decide to be a Nittany Lion.

But either way, the class sits in a very strong position, ranking No. 9 nationally as of Friday morning.

Who are the contenders for Robinson?

Robinson totaled 30 scholarship offers over the course of his recruitment. Some of the most notable programs included Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.

In addition to Penn State, he visited seven schools dating back to last summer. Notre Dame and Ohio State were two of them, along with Miami, Michigan, Pitt, West Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Throughout the spring, it looked as if Miami and West Virginia were the Nittany Lions’ top competitors. He even had an official visit set to West Virginia but ended up canceling it in May. Robinson then took an unofficial visit to Virginia Tech May 17, and that’s how he landed on a final three of Penn State, Miami and Virginia Tech.

Miami hosted him for his first official visit June 2-4. He then went to Virginia Tech June 10-12, followed by Penn State, June 17-19. Miami is believed to be the main competitor here.

What he has said about Penn State

Robinson following his visit for the Blue-White Game in April.

“I had a good talk with Coach [James] Franklin and Coach [Terry] Smith. They were kind of upset that I hadn’t been up there for a while. They were talking about how I was ready to commit to them at one point and then I hadn’t come up there much lately.

“For me, that was mainly because Coach [Brent] Pry was there and I had a lot of trust with Coach Pry. I would’ve liked to play for him, so I just told them that it was nothing personal, but I had to just open up my recruitment a little bit more with new coaches being at other schools and stuff like that. They completely understood, so it was good.”

Who is favored in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine?

As of Friday morning, Penn State currently sits at a 94.5 percent chance of landing Robinson in On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine. The only pick currently for Penn State is my own. I logged a pick for the Lions in February with a 70 percent confidence score.

The amount of visits he’s taken to Penn State is another major reason why the Nittany Lions are a runaway favorite here. Going back to his freshman year, Robinson has taken eight total visits to Happy Valley. That’s twice as many as any other school.

Final Word

Anything other than Penn State here would be the shock of the summer. At one point in late May to early June, Miami had seriously given Penn State a run for its money. I would even say that there was a point in this recruitment where Robinson was genuinely leaning towards the Hurricanes.

Robinson had to connect more with new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and fortunately for Penn State, they were able to do that during his official visit. It also helped that he was on campus the same weekend as not only Rojas, but all of the committed players. Ever since then, we’ve considered him a Penn State lean.