THE SKINNY

Hometown/High School: Wexford, PA (North Allegheny H.S.)

Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 185 pounds

Ranking: ★★★★ (0.8974 247Sports Composite — No. 316 Overall)

Notable Offers: LSU, Miami, Nebraska, and West Virginia

HIGHLIGHTS

THE TALE

A former linebacker, Joey Porter Jr. moved to cornerback last year and since doing so has seen his recruitment skyrocket. Penn State and Porter Jr. have had a relationship for quite some time however with his first unofficial visit to Happy Valley coming back in April of 2016. The Lions were not the first to offer the son of the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and they wouldn’t offer until this past April.

The first offer that did come through the door for Porter Jr. was from the Buffalo Bulls last Novemeber before picking up his first official Power 5 offer from West Virginia in January. Porter ended up gaining six additional Power 5 offers and took 14 unofficial visits along the way including making trips to LSU, Ohio State (did not offer), and West Virginia.

The Nittany Lions were considered one of the favorites throughout the recruitment despite not handing out an offer to Porter Jr. until just a few months ago. At points, it seemed that the Pennsylvania native had his eyes set on being a Tiger and playing in Baton Rouge. Last night, there was chatter that perhaps Porter Jr. was closing in on a decision and then this morning he decided to announce his commitment to Penn State.

OUTLOOK

As mentioned above, Porter Jr. is a converted linebacker into a cornerback, making him still raw at the position. That being said, the early reports are that the four-star is looking good in his new position. At 6-foot-2 and 185-pounds, he has great size for a cornerback and will be great to put up against opposing team’s top redzone targets in the future. Right now, it appears that cornerback will be where he plays at the next level but knowing how James Franklin and the rest of the coaching staff works, moving him throughout the defense early on is a possibility.

Porter Jr. is now one of four secondary recruits in Penn State’s 2019 recruiting class and the highest ranked. He joins State College native Keaton Ellis, Lackawanna Community College safety Jaquan Brisker, and Connecticut duo Tyler Rudolp and Marquis Wilson at safety and corner. The Nittany Lions may not be done in the secondary as they are still recruiting top-100 safety Lewis Cine, and remain in contact with other defensive backs like John Dixon and Noa Pola-Gates out of Arizona.