“Dominate the region” was one of James Franklin‘s biggest goals when he first stepped on campus back in January. Well, since James Franklin has done just that and it may just get a lot better for Franklin and the Penn State coaching staff as five-star defensive end Shane Simmons is set to make his decision on Wednesday afternoon.
Simmons, who announced his top five earlier this month, will be making his decision at 2 p.m. on ESPN.com. Simmons, of DeMatha Catholic in Maryland announced his top five of Alabama, Florida State, Maryland, Ohio State, and Penn State. Penn State was also in the top five for five-star defensive Jashon Cornell (2015 class) who also announced his decision on ESPN.com, he would go onto commit to Ohio State.
Penn State’s 2016 class already features a commitment from four-star Miles Sanders a running back from Woodland Hills in Pittsburgh, PA. A commitment from Simmons would be setting up the Nittany Lions for another strong recruiting class as their 2015 class is currently a consensus top five class by the major recruiting services.
Simmons excels at pass rushing but also could defend the run at a decent rate. His biggest asset is potentially his speed that allows his 6-foot-4, 221 pound frame to explode off the line and chase down any quarterback or ball carrier that he has his sights on.
A commitment from Simmons would only propel Penn State’s recruiting to new heights, it would also be a key commitment as Penn State will be lacking depth on the defensive line which could cause freshman to see early playing time which may be a deciding factor in Simmons commitment.
Around the world of recruiting experts, Florida State is the current leader for Simmons however Penn State has been getting a few predictions lately including from 247Sports.com’s director of recruiting Steve Wilfong.
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