On the eve of National Signing Day, Penn State had some good news roll in. Penn State secured a commitment of defensive end and linebacker Shake Toney from Philadelphia. Toney announced his reaffirmed commitment to the program on his Twitter account after spending more time recently being recruited by Pittsburgh. His photo choice offered a nice glimpse of the future he hopes to be a part of in Happy Valley…
https://twitter.com/toney_7/status/694714745455316992
Toney is likely to be molded as a linebacker at Penn State, as it is a position that will be in need of some depth sooner than the defensive end position. He joins Cameron Brown as incoming recruits in the Class of 2016 on scholarship.
Penn State also added one of the top JUCO transfers to the program on Tuesday. Tyrell Chavis, who will join the program from Nassau Community College, committed to Penn State and could work his way into the defensive line mix immediately. Defensive tackle is in need of a little help this fall with three returning players on scholarship. Chavis will have two years of eligibility remaining. Chavis redshirted at Virginia in 2013 and played the past two seasons with the junior college program. Chavis was the third-ranked defensive tackle in the JUCO ranks, according to 247 Sports. Auburn was also thought to be in the running, although Penn State emerged as a favorite once he took an official visit.
Penn State also added to the walk-on collection for this recruiting class with the addition of Camp Hill quarterback Michael Shuster. Per Lions 247, Shuster originally accepted a preferred walk-on offer from Michigan but flipped his decision to Penn State following a visit this past weekend. Shuster is no dummy either, as Georgetown and Yale were also looking to add him to their programs.
#WeAre pic.twitter.com/mcM8IsV5HK
— Michael Shuster (@M_ShusterAKRON) February 2, 2016
Shuster will be the second pro-style quarterback added to Penn State’s Class of 2016, joining early enrollee Jake Zembiec. Given what was witnessed with Christian Hackenberg, there may be some slight concerns about the outlook for Zembiec and/or Shuster in Penn State’s offense, although the addition of new offensive coordinator Joe Moorehead should correct some of the issues seen on the field with a quarterback’s style that seemed out of place in the system James Franklin tends to utilize (see: Trace McSorely, TaxSlayer Bowl). Of course, the offensive line will eventually get better (it HAS to, right), and that plays a huge role in the effectiveness of any quarterback, regardless of pro-style or dual-threat style.
As for signing day, there may be no real surprises to be seen. Penn State started the morning by missing on West Virginia-bound linebacker Brendan Ferns. The Mountaineers were assumed to be the clear favorite for the Ohio recruit, but adding a four-star linebacker from the Buckeye state would have been a nice get for Penn State. New Jersey product Rashan Gary would be a huge surprise, but I would guess he is heading to Michigan. Michigan State is also expected to be in the running, although I think Harbaugh wins that one.
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