ALTOONA, Pa. -- June is always a very busy time in the Penn State recruiting world, and things turned wacky once again over the past week with a floury of activity.
Before we get into all the comings and goings, it's interesting to note up front that, from a ranking standpoint, Penn State is still in exactly the same spot it was a week ago. The Lions are 11th in the 247Sports recruiting rankings for the class of 2025.
How they got there -- or wound up back there, more precisely after jumping up to No. 9 for a couple of days -- is the far more interesting aspect.
If you just want the CliffsNotes version, here ya go:
Penn State's week:
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) June 23, 2024
Monday: CB Jahmir Joseph commits
Wednesday: S Antonio Branch Jr. commits
Friday: RB Alvin Henderson flips to Auburn
Saturday: RB Jabree Wallace-Coleman commits
Sunday: S Braswell Thomas commits, LB DJ McClary flips to Rutgers, EDGE Cortez Harris commits
Keeping score, that's: Commitments 5, Flips 2
Here's a breakdown
FLIPS
Alvin Henderson: A 4-star running back from Elba, Ala., decided to stay in state and flipped to Auburn. The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder is a big loss, as he's the No. 8 running back and No. 113 prospect in the country.
Henderson had committed to Penn State on April 11, and had just taken an official visit 10 days ago on June 14. But things move quickly in college football recruiting, and he decommitted just one week after visiting Penn State.
DJ McClary: The 4-star linebacker from Jersey City, N.J., also decided to flip to an in-state school as he is heading to Rutgers. The 6-1, 211-pound McClary is the No. 4 prospect in New Jersey and No. 201 nationally.
COMMITS
The Lions received two commits Sunday, with the second one being the biggest.
Cortez Harris: A 4-star edge rusher from Upper Marlboro, Md., he commited to Penn State on Sunday night. Harris (6-2, 200) is the No. 5 prospect in Maryland, the No. 20 edge rusher nationally and No. 248 prospect overall nationally.
Harris chose Penn State over Pitt, Alabama, Michigan, Rutgers, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Braswell Thomas: The 3-star safety from Cape May, N.J., committed to the Lions earlier Sunday. A 6-2, 185-pounder, he's the No. 36 prospect in New Jersey. He chose Penn State over Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, Georgia and West Virginia.
Jabree Wallace-Coleman: After losing Henderson to Auburn, this running back was a big pickup Saturday. The 4-star from imhotep Institute in Philly is the No. 4 prospect in Pennsylvania, No. 12 running back in the nation and No. 185 overall prospect. You have to figure that his decision was made easier by knowing that Henderson was out of the picture.
Wallace-Coleman also had offers from Pitt, Georgia, Oregon, Michigan, Texas A&M and Wisconsin.
Antonio Branch Jr.: A three-star safety from Miami, he committed to the Lions on Wednesday. Branch is the No. 59 prospect in Florida and No. 439 prospect in the nation. He chose Penn State over Florida, Florida Atlantic, Auburn, Miami, Florida State and Michigan.
Jahmir Joseph: The 4-star cornerback from Montvale, N.J., committed on Monday. He's the No. 5 recruit in New Jersey and No. 209 in the country. He chose Penn State over Pitt, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame.
