Penn State added an important piece to its 2022 recruiting class Friday when ESPN Junior 300 offensive lineman Drew Shelton announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.
"I chose Penn State because I have a great relationship with coach [Phil] Trautwein [offensive line], analyst [Ty] Howle and [head coach James] Franklin," Shelton said. "It's close enough to home where my mom and sister can come see me play and get back home for the night. I felt why would I wait when I know where I want to go, so I pulled the plug."
Shelton is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound tackle from Downington West High School in Downington, Pennsylvania. He is the No. 3-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 97-ranked recruit overall.
"I'M STAYING HOME," Shelton tweeted on his decision to play for Penn State.
It's still early in the 2022 recruiting cycle, but Shelton had big offers already, with Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon and a handful of others extending scholarship offers.
Shelton is the only ESPN Junior 300 recruit from Pennsylvania who has announced his commitment, and Penn State has a good shot at some of the others on the list. Defensive end Ken Talley and athlete Mehki Flowers are ranked below Shelton but have interest in the Nittany Lions, as does the No. 1 in-state recruit, defensive end Enai White.
While most of the Pennsylvania recruits are still uncommitted, the Nittany Lions have gotten off to a good start with the 2022 class outside of the state. With Shelton, the program now has four ESPN Junior 300 commitments, as he joins tight end Holden Staes, ranked No. 96, and wide receivers Jerry Cross and Kaden Saunders.
Those four ESPN Junior 300 commitments are more than the number of ESPN 300 commitments Penn State has in its 2021 class, which is ranked No. 24 overall with only three ESPN 300 commits.
