All Penn State

Penn State recruiting update: Who's next for the Nittany Lions?

Penn State has 13 players committed to the 2021 recruiting class. Who could join them soon?

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State recruiting update: Who's next for the Nittany Lions?
Penn State recruiting update: Who's next for the Nittany Lions? /

Penn State's 2021 recruiting class welcomed its 13th player last week, when linebacker Jamari Buddin announced his commitment. Who might be next? Here are some contenders.

Elliot Donald

The defensive tackle from Pittsburgh (Pa.) Central Catholic will announce his college decision July 24 and would be an important to a class without a defensive tackle. Donald is among the nation's top-ranked tackles in his own right, his lineage notwithstanding.

Elliot Donald is a nephew of Aaron Donald, the two-time NFL defensive player of the year for the Los Angeles Rams. Elliot Donald could follow his uncle to play for Pitt, though Penn State is a contender.

Elliot Donald is an SI All-American candidate and projects as a prominent player in college. Here's what SI's evaluators have to say about him.

Donald’s uncle is Los Angeles Rams superstar defensive tackle Aaron Donald, and they indeed share some similarities. Elliot is an attacking defensive lineman who wreaks havoc in the B-gap. With his excellent snap quickness, he projects best to be developed as a 3-technique defensive tackle in a defensive structure with a 4-man front and single gap responsibilities.

Watch for Donald's announcement Friday.

Rocco Spindler

A 4-star offensive lineman from Michigan, Spindler has scheduled his announcement for Aug. 8 at Clarkston High.

Penn State has recruited Michigan well this cycle, welcoming four players including Buddin. Spindler's high school teammate Garrett Dellinger recently committed to LSU.

Spindler's top-five schools are Penn State, LSU, Notre, Dame, Michigan and Ohio State.

The scouting report on Spindler, an SI All-American candidate, is intriguing.

Spindler looks like he could play Power-5 football right now. He’ll have to watch how additional weight affects his mobility, but should eventually prove a high-level starter for a program with national title aspirations – especially should he stay inside at guard.

Kelvin Gilliam

A defensive end from Highland Springs, Va., Gilliam is a 4-star prospect who has Penn State among his finalists along with Oklahoma, LSU, Florida and Virginia Tech. He has scheduled his announcement for Aug. 22.

Gilliam, an SI All-American candidate, is one of the top-ranked players in Virginia. And Penn State has had success developing defensive ends of late.

Here's a glimpse of what Gilliam brings to a defense, from SI's evaluation.

Gilliam currently plays many snaps on the edges, yet he has the movement skills of a defensive tackle. He possesses strong mitts, point-of-attack power and hunts hard in the chase phase. He’s capable of 2-gapping, but also has enough interior quickness to work in single gaps. As he continues to naturally add more mass, Gilliam will find himself playing either a 3-technique role in a 4-man defensive front or as a 5-technique in a 3-man front.

For more recruiting evaluations, visit SI All-American.

Get the latest Penn State news by joining the community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our AllPennState page. Mobile users click the notification bell. And please follow AllPennState on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.

Published
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.

Home/Football