Penn State recruiting road map: Camps, official visits and what to watch for in June

June is among the busiest months on the college football calendar. Official visits are in full swing, and the Penn State staff will be looking to add to a 2024 class that has verbal commitments from 14 prospects and is ranked No. 7 nationally in the 247Sports Composite.

So, what’s on tap for June in Happy Valley?

The camp circuit

Penn State will host six prospect camps this month and a seventh in late July. Starting on Sunday afternoon, James Franklin and staff will get their own measurements and times on rising ninth- through 12th-graders. These camps are as much about seeing how recruits take to the staff’s coaching as they are an opportunity for commits to work with their future position coaches, if they so choose. If a player gets pulled aside by Franklin during a workout and is invited into his office, that typically signifies that a scholarship offer could be on the way.

In addition to the elite showcase camps, there are the seven-on-seven dates for high school teams June 16 and 23 and a specialist camp June 24. Remember, Penn State, like many schools, often will not offer a prospect until he attends a camp.

Who is taking official visits?

Typically, there’s one weekend when the majority of Penn State’s committed prospects take official visits together, and it’s during that weekend that high-priority targets are also on hand.

This year, that weekend is June 9-11. There will likely be time spent in Beaver Stadium, a presentation from Franklin, possibly a pool party and absolutely a lot of food consumed at all hours of the day and night.

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These are by no means all of the visitors this month — and plans will and do change — but here are some of the notable officials, starting with this weekend when Penn State linebacker commit Kari Jackson will be joined by several prospects.

June 2-4

• Chance Robinson, four-star wide receiver from St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Robinson verbally committed to Miami in April but is still looking around. Penn State’s 2024 class does not include a wide receiver. This is a chance for receivers coach Marques Hagans and Florida-area ace Ja’Juan Seider to work on flipping the 6-foot-1, 190-pound prospect who is ranked No. 151 nationally in the 247Sports Composite.

🦁 🤍!@coachjfranklin @coachseider @coachmhagans @chrismahon_ @Coach_Yurcich
— Chance J Robinson (@ChanceJRobinso1) May 31, 2023

• Jaylan Hornsby, three-star wide receiver from Winslow Township (N.J.) High. He also is slated to take officials to Rutgers and Texas A&M later this month. Hornsby is switching high schools this offseason, moving from Camden to Winslow Township, where former Penn State running back Bill Belton is the head coach.

• Sione Laulea, cornerback transfer target who most recently played at California’s College of San Mateo. Laulea has an impressive offer sheet, including Oklahoma, Utah, USC, UCLA, Florida State, Miami and Colorado, among others. Penn State doesn’t desperately need another corner, but being in the mix for the 6-4 Laulea is a good sign.

• Jaylen Harvey, four-star edge from Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg, Md. At some point, this class has to get on a roll with defensive linemen, and Harvey would be a tremendous starting point. However, the 6-2, 235-pound prospect who visited for the White Out game last season has a jam-packed month, with other official visits to Florida, USC, Maryland and Ohio State. At the moment, the Buckeyes have the last visit of the month, June 25.

• Dejuan Lane, four-star safety from Gilman High in Baltimore. He visited for the Land Grant Trophy game in November and now returns to campus. Penn State offered more than a year ago, and his finalists also include Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan and Maryland.

• Chris Cole, four-star linebacker from Salem (Va.) High. Virginia Tech is doing its best to impress Cole, who visited Brent Pry and staff this week. But Cole, the top-ranked player in the state, doesn’t have an official visit set for Blacksburg. He headed to Georgia for an unofficial visit this week and will be all over the map this month, with official visits to Penn State, Notre Dame, Georgia and Miami.

Had a Great Visit with @HokiesFB !! Thanks for having me. @CoachPryVT @CoachShawnQuinn @Coach_Marve @Coach_Adibi @CoachPrioleauVT @JonesVTFB
— Chris Cole (@Chris_Cole3) May 30, 2023

• Liam Andrews, four-star lineman from Dexter High in Brookline, Mass. The 6-5, 260-pound prospect, ranked No. 82 nationally, could end up on either side of the ball in college. He has officials set to Penn State and Florida this month.

June 9-11

• Nick Marsh, four-star wide receiver from River Rouge (Mich.) High. He committed to Michigan State last July but has since reopened his recruitment. Getting Marsh on campus during the main official visit weekend for Penn State’s commits means a lot of peer recruiting will be taking place. Penn State needs to come out of this month in a strong position with a few receivers, and Marsh is probably atop Hagans’ wish list. Marsh has a commitment date set for July 7, and the Lions’ pursuit of him is one of the most critical storylines to follow over the next six weeks.

• Jamonta Waller, five-star edge from Picayune Memorial (Miss.) High. Waller is clearly one of the Lions’ prime targets, but with Georgia, Florida and Auburn among other suitors in the mix, it’s going to take a massive pull for Penn State to land an elite prospect from so far outside its footprint.

• Mylachi Williams, four-star edge from Monsignor Bonner in Drexel Hill, Pa.

June 16-18

• Benedict Umeh, four-star defensive lineman from Avon Old Farms High in Connecticut. The Toronto native is one of the more interesting prospects in the 2024 cycle. Umeh started playing football just a few years ago after previously playing volleyball and running track, and he has blossomed into a high-upside prospect.

• Elijah Newby, four-star linebacker from Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. Newby is high school teammates with Penn State tight end commit Luke Reynolds. He picked up an offer from Alabama on May 24, which certainly could change things. He’s starting June with an official visit to USC.

June 23-25

• Jerrae Hawkins, four-star wide receiver from IMG (Fla.) Academy. Given the needs at wide receiver, Hawkins is certainly of high interest. He is ranked No. 172 nationally and is slated to take officials to Miami and Florida before the Penn State trip.

Searching for a second QB

Quarterback commit Ethan Grunkemeyer will be on campus for his official visit June 9-11 and then soon after will head to Los Angeles for the Elite 11 Finals.

Grunkemeyer’s recruitment took off this spring, and other teams could try to get involved if he has a strong showing in Southern California. That’s just the reality of quarterback recruiting. Remember, Penn State was one of those teams last year that swooped in and offered then-Tulane commit Jaxon Smolik after he showed out at the Elite 11.

Penn State is still open to taking a second quarterback in this class. Monitoring whether Miles O’Neill, who received an offer May 18, makes it back to campus for an official visit is another storyline to watch this month. O’Neill, who plays at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J., does not have a composite rating but is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports.

(Photo of Jerrae Hawkins: Manny Navarro / The Athletic)