Another Recruiting Sting for Penn State

Where does Penn State's 2021 recruiting class go now after Gateway High star Derrick Davis Jr. chose LSU?

Penn State's star-crossed 2021 recruiting season continued Saturday, as Gateway High safety Derrick Davis Jr. committed to LSU.

Davis announced his decision via Rivals.com.

Davis, a 6-1 senior safety who long has been a Penn State recruiting priority, is the latest in-state player to head elsewhere and an exclamation point to some of the opportunities Penn State missed this cycle, particularly in Pennsylvania.

Davis is among six Pennsylvania players named to SI All-American's SI99 list of the nation's top 2021 prospects. Though Penn State did not recruit all of them, none chose to become a Nittany Lion.

Davis was the highest-ranked uncommitted player in Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports. None of Pennsylvania's top-10 players committed to Penn State.

Coach James Franklin referenced that concern this summer, noting that Penn State hasn't "gotten it done" regarding the 2021 recruiting class. 

Davis' choice stings for Penn State, since he is a potential early contributor, according to SI analyst Edwin Weathersby II. The Lions' two starting safeties are seniors, meaning an opportunity to play could have been available.

"As he continues developing his man coverage skills and consistent tackling technique, Davis has a chance to become a core contributor to a collegiate defense," according to his evaluation.

Though coaches can't discuss unsigned recruits, Penn State's staff clearly placed a big emphasis on Davis. Tyler Bowen, Penn State's offensive recruiting coordinator, recently said that the team still has "a lot of our top targets on our board" and plans a strong finish to the recruiting cycle.

So what now? Penn State might seek to flip some players committed elsewhere, but the primary focus will be on 2022. Penn State has opened the 2022 recruiting cycle in proper form, with a class that has earned an early No. 2 national ranking from 247Sports. Among the seven players committed, four are from Pennsylvania, giving Penn State a significant reboot with in-state recruiting.

Want to know more about Davis? Check out his film above and read on from his SI All-American breakdown.

Projected Position: Safety, and potentially as a linebacker on certain big nickel and dime packages.

Frame: Athletic frame with excellent body definition and composition. Big shoulders and good-looking calves, with a fair amount of room to add even more mass.

Athleticism: Smooth movement skills and athletic ability when on the move. Very good quickness to close and finish when driving on underneath routes, validated by 4.14 shuttle time at The Opening Regionals 2019. Displays a subtle burst that allows him to climb to top speed naturally with good open field stride. Speed and closing quickness compensate for adequate transition footwork at this point. Solid leap timing (35-inch vertical jump) and ball skills.

Instincts: Displays alertness and awareness for crossers and drags underneath from safety position. Good peripheral vision of receivers when working as single-high defender and speed allows him to play with range to reach outside of numbers. Tough when asked to play on edges of box and stack tight ends to set the edge and maintain outside leverage. Doesn’t allow himself to get lost in traffic/trash and chases ball-carriers well in pursuit; will strike with good force as a tackler.

Polish: Has the size, speed and play strength to contribute fairly early in his college career. Will need to improve transition quickness and footwork out of his break/pedal, which will allow him to get off hashes with more urgency. Not asked to perform much man coverage.

Bottom Line: Davis has the traits to develop into a very good starting college back-end defender. He has enough instincts and ball skills to go along with play speed, range and toughness in the box to play both free safety and strong safety, while also having the size to potentially even contribute as a linebacker on sub-packages. As he continues developing his man coverage skills and consistent tackling technique, Davis has a chance to become a core contributor to a collegiate defense.

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