Penn State adds defensive tackle, receiver to 2016 recruiting class, Aaron Mathews flips to Pitt

Penn State added two more verbal commitments to its 2016 recruiting class early this week, and they couldn’t have come any sooner — National Signing Day is on Wednesday.

Antonio Shelton, a three-star defensive tackle from Westerville, Ohio, announced his commitment via Twitter late Sunday night. At 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds, Shelton adds some much-needed depth to defensive line coach Sean Spencer’s unit after the departure of arguably three of the team’s best players: Anthony Zettel, Carl Nassib and junior Austin Johnson.

Shelton was on an official visit to Penn State over the last weekend in January.

“Blessed to have the chance to wear blue and white next year,” he wrote on Twitter, with a photo of himself and head coach James Franklin standing together on the snow-spotted grass of Beaver Stadium.

“I’m committing to Penn State!”

The Nittany Lions also picked up a commitment on Monday morning from three-star receiver Dae’lun Darien, after the Baltimore, Md., product made the last-minute decision to flip from Temple.

“I would first like to thank God for all of the opportunities he placed in my life,” he wrote on Twitter. “I would also like to thank the staff at Temple University for being there for me and still supporting me even with the big decision I’m about to make. I have decided to de-commit from Temple and spend my next four years at THE Penn State University. I want to say thanks to everyone who has supported me through this whole process.”

Darien is lanky and physically gifted at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, and is the first receiver in Penn State’s 2016 recruiting class to commit — Penn State has an incredibly dense pool of young players at the position, but Darien’s build and set of skills could actually transfer to a defensive position as well, should the need arise — he actually played receiver, quarterback and defensive end in high school.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted a screen shot of a tweet that appeared to be sent by Temple receivers coach Fris Jackson at 8:24 a.m. that called Penn State out for “negative recruiting” just a few weeks after Franklin adamantly stated he and his staff don’t partake in such tactics.

“You’re suppose (sic) to be ‘Power 5’ but you have to negative recruit us to get a recruit, what a joke!!’” The tweet read. It has since been deleted.

Finally, on Monday afternoon, Neshaminy High School (Langhorne, Pa.) offensive lineman Hunter Kelly announced his intent to attend Penn State and be a preferred walk-on. Kelly also had his official visit to the program over the weekend. This means Kelly has a guaranteed spot on the team unlike regular walk-ons, but has not been offered a scholarship.

“I plan on working harder than anyone in the classroom, the weight room and the football field,” he wrote via Twitter after his announcement. He thanked offensive line coach Matt Limegrover and Spencer (who took the lead on his recruitment) as well as Franklin and his family, and offered a “special” thank-you after.

“A future thanks goes out to the people who think I can’t make it and doubt me, you will all make me better,” he wrote. “It’ll be a long journey, but I can’t wait to take it with this Penn State family.”

Later Monday night, athlete Aaron Mathews, a Clarion, Pa. native, tweeted his decision to flip his verbal commitment to Pitt as a wide receiver. Mathews was committed to Penn State as a safety (he announced his commitment on Dec. 27) and his statement implied the position change was a factor in his decision.

Following the announcement came that of Pittsburgh Central Catholic athlete Damar Hamlin, who expressed his commitment to Pitt via broadcast.

Hamlin is a four-star prospect who was ranked the No. 3 player in the state of Pennsylvania by 247Sports.

Penn State’s 2016 class now has 18 verbal commits and, according to 247Sports.com composites, ranks No. 16 in the nation. The class includes four early enrollees.

The rest of the class, as of Monday evening, is as follows:

▪ Miles Sanders, running back, Pittsburgh

▪ Michal Menet, offensive guard, Reading, Pa.

▪ Shane Simmons, defensive end, Hyattsville, Md.

▪ Ellison Jordan, defensive tackle, Baltimore

▪ Daniel Joseph, defensive end, Lake Forest, Il.

▪ Andrew Pryts, safety, Hermitage, Pa.

▪ Cameron Brown, linebacker, Burtonsville, Md.

▪ Zechariah McPhearson, cornerback, Upper Marlboro, Md.

▪ Will Fries, offensive tackle, Cranford, NJ

▪ Shaka Toney, defensive end, Philadelphia

▪ Blake Gillikin, punter, Atlanta

▪ Alex Barbir, kicker, Cumming, Ga.

▪ Dae’lun Darien, wide receiver, Baltimore, Md.

▪ Antonio Shelton, defensive tackle, Westerville, Oh.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Penn State adds defensive tackle, receiver to 2016 recruiting class, Aaron Mathews flips to Pitt."