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Penn State football locks in Class of 2023

Kevin McGuire
·5 min read

Penn State’s start to the early signing period on Wednesday ended with the official signing of 22 members of its Class of 2023. The recruiting class is one balanced with offense and defense and will add some terrific quality and depth on the line of scrimmage a year after addressing some skill positions in the Class of 2022. And while the latest recruiting class didn’t necessarily go off without a mild bump in the road on the first day of the early signing period, it is getting head coach James Franklin excited about the program’s future.

Penn State made sure to sign some of the top players from in the state but also did some solid work beyond the state’s borders. This was especially true in Virginia as the Nittany Lions kicked the class off with the first commitment on the board from Virginia offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier and continued to add help from the state right up until the final days of the recruiting efforts before the early signing period opened. In all, Penn State added players from nine different states ranging from Alabama to New York.

Here is the full rundown of the confirmed additions to the Penn State program in the Class of 2023.

Mega Barnwell

Position: TE

Ht.: 6-6

Wt.: 250

Hometown/High School: Fredericksburg, VA / Riverbend

Alex Birchmeier

Position: OL

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 285

Hometown/High School: Ashburn, VA / Broad Run

Ty Blanding

Position: DT

Ht.: 6-1

Wt.: 265

Hometown/High School: Bronx, NY / Christ The King

Anthony Donkoh

Position: OL

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 320

Hometown/High School: Aldie, VA / Lightbridge

Kaveion Keys

Position: LB

Ht.: 6-2

Wt.: 250

Hometown/High School: Richmond, VA / Varina

Jameial Lyons

Position: DE

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 250

Hometown/High School: Philadelphia, PA  / Roman Catholic

King Mack

Position: DB

Ht.: 5-10

Wt.: 175

Hometown/High School: Miami, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas

London Montgomery

Position: RB

Ht.: 5-10

Wt.: 180

Hometown/High School: Scranton, PA / Scranton Prep

Joseph Mupoyi

Position: DE

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 240

Hometown/High School: Upper Marlboro, MD / St. Thomas More (Conn.)

DaKaari Nelson

Position: DE

Ht.: 6-3

Wt.: 225

Hometown/High School: Livingston, AL / Selma

Lamont Payne Jr.

Position: DB

Ht.: 6-0

Wt.: 185

Hometown/High School: Carnegie, PA / Chartiers Valley

Andrew Rappleyea

Position: TE

Ht.: 6-4

Wt.: 235

Hometown/High School: Millbrook, NY / Milton Academy (Mass.)

Mason Robinson

Position: DE

Ht.: 6-3

Wt.: 225

Hometown/High School: Randallstown, MD / McDonogh School

Ta'Mere Robinson

Position: LB

Ht.: 6-3

Wt.: 230

Hometown/High School: Pittsburgh, PA / Brashear

Tony Rojas

Position: LB

Ht.: 6-2

Wt.: 195

Hometown/High School: Fairfax, VA / Fairfax

Joey Schlaffer

Position: TE

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 220

Hometown/High School: Reading, PA / Exeter Township

Jaxon Smolik

Position: QB

Ht.: 6-1

Wt.: 205

Hometown/High School: Van Meter, IA / Dowling Catholic

Carmelo Taylor

Position: WR

Ht.: 5-11

Wt.: 160

Hometown/High School: Roanoke, VA / Patrick Henry

Zion Tracy

Position: DB

Ht.: 5-11

Wt.: 175

Hometown/High School: Hempstead, NY / St. Thomas More (Conn.)

Cam Wallace

Position: RB

Ht.: 5-9

Wt.: 175

Hometown/High School: Mount Vernon, GA / Montgomery County

Elliot Washington II

Position: DB

Ht.: 5-11

Wt.: 190

Hometown/High School: Venice, FL / Venice

J'ven Williams

Position: OL

Ht.: 6-5

Wt.: 290

Hometown/High School: Reading, PA / Wyomissing

Story originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire