Penn State football adds commitment from 4-star pass rusher
Penn State football has added a pass rusher to its 2023 recruiting class. Four-star Jameial Lyons announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions and head coach James Franklin Friday afternoon via his Twitter account.
Lyons is an in-state recruit, playing for Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He’s the No. 27 Edge in the country and No. 7 player in Pennsylvania, according to the 247Sports player rankings.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound pass rusher chose the Nittany Lions over 10 other scholarship offers, including those from Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Brian Dohn, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, projects Lyons as a Power-5 starter at the next level.
“Offers position versatility at college level as edge or defensive lineman,” Dohn’s scouting report on Lyons’ profile reads. “Displays raw athleticism as a two-way player in high school. High ceiling prospect based on physical traits, which includes 40 time in the 4.8s. Possesses strength throughout frame. Plays standing up and comes off edge and with hand on ground for Roman Catholic. Shows burst and some quick twitch at snap. Has body control and demonstrates change of direction in space. Gets into backfield and uses length to corral ball carrier. Is physical at point of attack and works hard to disengage.”
“Can stack-and-shed but has to be more consistent. Demonstrates willingness to work through double teams. Can track down play from behind. Shows ability to disengage and re-direct along line of scrimmage. Has a nice swim move but needs to continue development technique. Has to work on ability to anchor against run when lined up as defensive lineman. Improving hand work to keep offensive linemen off on initial punch is important. Has to continue to develop lower body flexibility to dip shoulder and explode when coming around edge. Multi-year starter for Top 20 program. Has NFL draft potential.”
Lyons’ addition to the class brings it to 10 members and bumps it up from sixth to fifth in the country according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings. The group ranks second in the Big Ten, behind only Ohio State.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 1:04 PM.
