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Which Penn State Class of 2024 signee was announced first on National Signing Day?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•12/20/23•

GregPickel

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Penn State defensive line commit Xavier Gilliam. (Credit: Greg Pickel | Blue White Illustrated)

Penn State is officially welcoming its latest group of high school freshmen to the program today. The early National Signing Day started at 7 a.m. ET. By the time it ends, the Lions are set to welcome 25 new recruits and should sign a top-15 Class of 2024.

Head coach James Franklin annually leads a signing day show in State College. Each new Nittany Lion is introduced during the program’s ‘signing day draft’ and is announced by someone related to the program. Current and former NFL players, alums, staff members, radio voice Steve Jones, and more have historically been involved. This year’s event started early this morning. And, the first official signee is now on the board.

Penn State Football National Signing Day

It’s Xavier Gilliam. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound prospect hails from Montgomery Village, Md.

“This is a big day for you.,” defensive line coach Deion Barnes said on the program’s National Signing Day livestream. “When you get in here, let’s get to work. You know what time it is. We got some work to do. And I appreciate you trusting in me. Let’s make these next four to five years the best years of your life.

Added area recruiter and Lions tight ends coach Ty Howle:

“We’re so excited for your future here. As a letterman, it’s awesome to see you joining our family and your family being a part of this process. I’m excited to watch you.”

Said head coach James Franklin:

“You’ve been phenomenal, really the entire process. We are going to take care of you. There’s going to be ups and downs, and adversity. But, we’ll be with you every step of the way. You’re going to be here very soon.”

Get to know Xavier Gilliam, the first Penn State signee in the Class of 2024

Penn State landed Gilliam back on June 4 of this year. N.C. State, Duke and Virginia Tech were some other schools involved.

“Penn State is definitely an amazing university and I really got to experience that over the weekend,” Gilliam told BWI this summer. “They’ve always been very consistent and showing interest in me ever since they offered. They’ve shown me a bunch of love. When I got on campus for my official then, it was crazy. Everyone knew my name, even people I never met before. Stuff like that always makes you feel good.”

Gilliam totaled 42 tackles during the regular season. He also led a stacked Quince Orchard defense with 15 tackles for loss and six sacks. Gilliam is set to enroll at Penn State in January.

National Signing Day updates

– Watch Penn State’s National Signing Day Show
– On3’s National Signing Day Central: Live updates on 2024 recruits commitment decisions
– National Signing Day Intel: Latest news and notes on top recruits as of Tuesday night
– On3’s Recruiting News feed
– On3’s Class of 2024 Team Rankings
– Penn State’s Class of 2024 Commitment list
– On3’s Class of 2024 Player Rankings

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