Penn State Nittany Lions football picks up commitment from 4-star linebacker Jamari Buddin
Penn State football picked up a commitment in the 2021 class from the state of Michigan Friday afternoon when linebacker Jamari Buddin announced he was choosing the Nittany Lions.
Buddin is a four-star linebacker, according to the 247Sports Composite player rankings, and is the No. 20 outside linebacker in the country. He’s Penn State’s second linebacker commit, joining three-star linebacker Kobe King who committed to the Nittany Lions with his twin brother, Kalen, in April.
The newest commit had 17 scholarship offers according to his 247Sports profile page and chose Penn State over Michigan State, Minnesota and Purdue.
Buddin plays his high school football for Belleville High School, which he helped lead to a 12-1 record and the state semifinals in football as a junior.
Penn State co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Tim Banks is listed as Buddin’s primary recruiter and has found plenty of success in Michigan. Banks is from Detroit and has already helped land several commitments from the area surrounding his home city.
Banks previously said he leans on his relationships in the area to help him recruit.
“I’ve been recruiting for a long time and I’ve made a lot of great relationships,” Banks said in a teleconference with the media in April. “Relationships are everything. I’ve had a chance to develop a lot of great ones and ones that bode well for me and the university.”
While those relationships help connect Banks with players like Buddin, he still puts in plenty of effort to seal the deal and land commitments from the area.
“(I’m) just not taking it for granted,” Banks said. “(I’m) continuing to go in and act like the area is new to me, if you will. Turning over every stone and making sure I’m evaluating every guy, whether he has no offers or many offers. Just continuing to recruit it as hard as I possibly can has given us an opportunity to be successful.”
Buddin is listed at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds and projects as a starter in the Big Ten according to 247Sports national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu’s scouting report on Buddin’s profile page.
“Plays bigger than listed weight,” the report reads. “Hard hitter who takes on blocks with good leverage and physicality. Good lateral quickness and that allows him to be effective in coverage. Good blitzer who accelerates and runs hard as a close. Has to fill in and get stronger. Playmaker who can play inside or outside in college depending on how his body continues to develop. Aggressiveness and agility are at a high level and should allow him to be an effective Power 5 linebacker and have a shot to play beyond college.”
The four-star linebacker brings Penn State’s 2021 class to 13 total players. It’s ranked No. 25 in the country and No. 7 in the Big Ten according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings — up two spots and one spot, respectively.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 12:19 PM.
