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Penn State Lands Another 2023 Commitment From Virginia

Lineman Anthony Donkoh is the fourth Virginia player to join the 2023 recruiting class.

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State coach James Franklin on Friday waved the recruiting flag for the first time in a while, welcoming the seventh player to the 2023 recruiting class.

Anthony Donkoh, a three-star offensive lineman from Virginia, announced his commitment Friday on social media. Of course, Franklin preceded Donkoh with his usual confirmation tweet.

Donkoh, a two-way player at Lightridge High, earned all-region honors as an offensive and defensive lineman and received the offer from Penn State in December. He also received offers from West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Duke. According to On3, Donkoh is a three-star player who ranks as the No. 9 prospect in Virginia. Penn State's 2023 class already has strong Virginia representation.

Penn State has received commitments from four of the state's top nine players, including two of the top three. Offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier is No. 1, and tight end Mathias Barnwell is No. 3.

Penn State is in contention for several other top Virginia players, notably offensive tackle Nolan McConnell, who also is considering Virginia Tech. That represents an interesting recruiting duel, since new Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry has promised to be competitive against the Lions.

"We're going to recruit our footprint," Pry said at his introductory press conference last year. "We're going to dive in with particular emphasis in the state of Virginia. Obviously, I know how good this state has been to Virginia Tech. I've had a ton of former players reach out to me in regards to that, and we're going to work our tails off to bring those Virginia kids to Blacksburg.

"We've had a little success doing that up in Happy Valley, so I think it ought to be easier to do that here."

Penn State's 2023 class ranks fourth nationally, according to 247Sports, and 10th per On3.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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