Trimmings: Five Penn State thoughts from the State College Elite 11
Happy Valley played host to the final stop on the Elite 11 Regional tour on Sunday at Memorial Field in downtown State College. The camp was more than just quarterbacks, as some of the top position players from the region were on hand for the All-22 portion of the camp.
Top performers among the quarterbacks included Georgia commit Ryan Montgomery, Missouri commitment Matt Zollers and uncommitted Maryland prospect Malik Washington. Here’s a look at five Penn State-centric notes from the events.
There’s something there with Penn State QB commit Bekkem Kritza
Part of projecting high school prospects to college is getting an idea of what they’ll look like a few years down the road with proper development. Penn State quarterback commit Bekkem Kritza is as polarizing as a thrower as the Nittany Lions have brought in under James Franklin, and on Sunday he flashed the upside that the staff seems to see in the Colorado native.
Kritza has tools, but right now they’re laying around the garage instead of organized in one spot. His frame is absolutely huge. He’s 6-6 with a ton of room to fill out. Right now he’s 198 pounds and shooting for 205 when he enrolls in January. He’s going to look like a different person after a redshirt year if he takes to the nutrition and strength program at Penn State. That’s going to make a difference.
Coaches on Saturday raved about his arm talent and release. It was a process, though, as a few mechanical adjustments were helpful in slowing down his delivery. When he found the right slot, he threw it as well as anybody at the camp. That’s exciting on a couple levels, as he was able to take the coaching and put it into action in just a few hours.
He’s a project, no doubt. He knows that. Kritza told me he’s probably about 20 percent of the quarterback that he thinks he can be. The good news there is that he has time to find it. He’s as raw as Penn State has brought in at the position, but there’s something to work with there.
Lyrick Samuel leads Nittany Lions commits
Holding the event in downtown State College made the double-dip possible for several Penn State commitments this weekend. Wide receiver Lyrick Samuel, tight end Matt Henderson, linebacker DJ McClary and jumbo athlete Brady O’Hara joined Kritza in representing the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2025 on Sunday.
Leading the way in the group was Samuel, who looked the part at over 6-3 and matched his camp number from last summer with a 4.53-second 40. He also clocked a shuttle in the 4.3s, which is pretty solid considering his long, rangy build. He was the top receiver on hand, showcasing an attention to detail that we weren’t sure he had just yet. He specifically excelled in getting off the jam and up the field to get into his route.
He still has a bunch of room to fill out, but there’s a lot to be excited about with Samuel. For a tall receiver, he has very good body control and there’s more suddenness to his movement than expected. He seemed to live up to the billing as a riser this spring.
Penn State must prioritize Andrew Olesh
OK, so the Nittany Lions are already listing in-state tight end Andrew Olesh as a top target. But his showing on Sunday in State College reinforced his status as a gem that’s still out there. Olesh tested on par with his camp showings last year at Penn State and caught the ball extremely well. He continues to fill out and looks the part of one of the top tight ends in the country.
The recruiting battle is certainly heavy. Penn State is in it, and he went over to the Nittany Lions’ facility to meet with Ty Howle after the camp on Sunday. Michigan and Alabama have gained momentum, however, and Florida is getting an official visit as well. Ole Miss may get an official as well if the dates work out. He’s planning to decide on or around July 1.
The visits will be big, as Olesh reinforced that relationships are what is driving his recruitment right now. He also wants to play early. Penn State still has work to do to try to lock this one down and keep him home.
Olesh and Samuel were the top skill performers in the All-22 portion of the camp, and they each got a ton of reps.
Nittany Lions pledges in action
We weren’t treated to a full day of new Penn State tight end commit Matt Henderson, but it was a nice glimpse into the latest Nittany Lions pledge. He wasn’t quite on Olesh’s level, but that’s not necessarily a knock. He was smooth and caught the ball well in one-on-ones. As an athlete, looks like a basketball player who is still making the transition. He was explosive and flashed before a hamstring tweak ended his day early. We hope to see more of him at Penn State’s camp this summer if the hamstring is OK. It was a promising first look at the Virginia four-star.
Brady O’Hara went through drills with the offensive linemen but did not take reps during the short one-on-one portion. He then went through a full day of tight end drills where he ran a ton of routes. Those guys have to be sore this morning, as numbers weren’t strong without Brody Lennon, who suffered a recent injury and did not participate. O’Hara was clearly a step behind Olesh and Henderson as a tight end. He has a great frame but it’s evident that he’ll have to embrace playing on the offensive line at the next level.
These camps aren’t great showcases for running backs and linebackers, but even taking that into account, DJ McClary didn’t have a great day. His rawness showed up in drills and he didn’t kill it in testing, either. He’s a tough evaluation based on his available film, where he’s asked to do everything for his high school team on both sides of the ball. There’s a long way to go for McClary, who we would like to get another look at this summer at camp.
Strong group of underclassmen quarterbacks led by Penn State target
The Elite 11 splits up its ‘A’ groups by graduating class. So the top group featured Montgomery, Zollers, Washington, Kritza, Clemson commit Blake Hebert, Duke commit Dan Mahan, Cincinnati commit Zebulin Kinsey and others. The underclassman group was led by top 2026 target Dia Bell. Here’s how I ranked the group of younger players on hand.
Dia Bell
Osiris Lopez
Jonas Williams
Derrick Zammit
Peter Bourque (2027)
Dia Bell, who made the trip up from Florida, was polished in his delivery and showed good accuracy. Massachusetts product Osiris Lopez was as consistent as they came and he was a real pleasant surprise. Jonas Williams, a four-star prospect from Illinois, won the underclassman accuracy challenge along with 2027 Cheshire Academy quarterback Keegan Croucher. Zammit tested well and throws a great ball, but his 6-foot frame will be tough for some programs to overcome. Peter Bourque was able to hang in the ’A’ group with those a year ahead of him and he held up well.
The post Trimmings: Five Penn State thoughts from the State College Elite 11 appeared first on On3.
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