Where does Penn State go for QB in Class of 2023 after latest flip?
Penn State was dealt a bit of a punch to the gut on Thursday with unfortunate recruiting headlines. Among them was news that quarterback Marcus Stokes, who had just confirmed his commitment to the Nittany Lions a little more than a week prior, flipped his commitment to the Florida Gators following a solid showing at the Elite 11 Finals. Ordinarily, losing a four-star quarterback at this stage in the recruiting cycle would be a severe blow to a program, but Penn State should be in OK shape knowing that Drew Allar, a prize from a stellar Class of 2022, is on deck to replace Sean Clifford.
But what if Penn State still desires a quarterback in 2023 too? The good news is there are still quarterbacks out there to be claimed. The bad news is most of the ones with a Penn State offer are already committed elsewhere.
There are two quarterbacks with a Penn State offer on the table, but neither is expected to end up in Happy Valley. Dante Moore, a five-star option from Michigan, is set to announce his college decision on Friday. Moore is expected to choose from the final candidates of Orgeon, Texas A&M, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Don’t count on any last-second surprises here.
The other offer belongs to Dylan Lonergan, a four-star quarterback from Georgia who is set to announce his decision next week. Alabama is the expected favorite to secure Lonergan’s commitment. Despite Lonergan being a Penn State legacy (his father was Dan Lonergan, a backup to Todd Blackledge in the Class of 1982), it is not expected the Nittany Lions will be able to make a late surge at the final hour. South Carolina and Stanford are also reportedly in the mix, and the Buckeyes are floating out there as well.
So what about any other potential targets?
Among the other quarterbacks that have supposedly been on the radar is Parker Leise, a three-star recruit from IMG Academy. Leise has been flying under the radar during this recruiting cycle, so he could be a player that could quickly latch on to Penn State if the Nittany Lions go all-in on pursuing his commitment.
Leise has received scholarship offers from Kansas, Miami OH, Toledo, and Butler. This may not be the kind of offer list that suggests Penn State is going to make a run, but a player from IMG Academy is always going to be worth keeping an eye on.
But given the current landscape of quarterbacks in the Class of 2023, it may be a bit late to make any serious noise at the posiiton now for the Class of 2023. Instead, Penn State may focus its energy in the Class of 2024 for a top-rated quarterback to join the program. That would appear to make the most sense at this point as Allar is viewed as the next starting quarterback for the program and could be in that role for a couple of seasons.
But if Penn State loses another quarterback to the transfer portal, such as Christian Veileux, the urgency to signa quarterback in the Class of 2024 will be rising. OF course, Penn State could always look back into the transfer portal to try filling the depth chart a bit if needed. Penn State attempted to do that in 2021 but cam eup empty, and they may have paid the price for it.
For now, it may be most likely Penn State skips on a big name quarterback in the Class of 2023 and hoeps to land a big prize in the Class of 2024.
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Penn State's 2023 football commitment tracker
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