Penn State football: Blue chip WR target flashes at national camp

Penn State football hopes to use its recruiting success in June as momentum for another strong month on the trail in July. One way for the Nittany Lions to pick up steam would be to outflank Big Ten rival Michigan for coveted 2025 wide receiver Taz Williams Jr.

This week, Williams showed why he’s earned 50 Division I offers so far in the 2025 recruiting cycle. At the Rivals Five-Star Showcase this week, the Red Oak (Texas) prospect did, as the camp’s name suggests, put his skillset on display for the scouts in attendance.

A Few clips from rivals 5 ⭐️ showcase
I only can control what I can control 🤷🏽‍♂️ @Rivals @adamgorney @MarshallRivals @SkysTheLimitWR @rohawksfootball @210ths pic.twitter.com/1Ij9rTdO38

— 𝑇𝑎𝑧 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑚$ 𝐽𝑟 (@Taz_1x) June 28, 2024

A four-star, Taz Williams is rated as the No. 278 prospect nationally and the No. 37 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite Rankings for the 2025 recruiting cycle. On3’s Industry Rankings evaluate Williams as the No. 51 receiver in 2025, while Rivals has him as a top 25 pass catcher and a top 20 player in Texas for the class.

Williams caught 80 passes for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior last fall.

What a grab by Taz Williams pic.twitter.com/UZ0aO0JBGy

— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) June 26, 2024

Is Penn State football picking up late momentum to land Taz Williams?

James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have long had their eyes on Taz Williams, whose family is originally from Pittsburgh. Penn State offered the 6-0, 190-pound receiver in August 2022.

However, the Nittany Lions have only hosted the four-star prospect twice: for a junior day in January and his official visit on the weekend of June 14.

Instead, it’s been Michigan that’s had more success. Williams has visited Ann Arbor three times, including twice in the last two months. On3’s Chad Simmons predicted Williams to commit to the Wolverines in April. Michigan remains the overwhelming favorite in the site’s Recruiting Prediction Machine.

However, some evidence suggests that Taz Williams may be trending back in the Nittany Lions’ favor. This week, multiple staff members from Rivals predicted Williams to commit to Penn State football.

Williams will announce his commitment on July 13. In addition to Penn State and Michigan, SMU and Texas A&M are on his final four list.

July can be a massive month for the Nittany Lions’ wide receiver recruiting

© Grace Carella // Basic Blues Nation

While Penn State football went on a recruiting heater in June, one position that lagged behind on the trail was receiver. However, that could soon change as the Nittany Lions are primed for a potentially massive month of wide receiver recruiting in July.

Nittany Lions fans got a taste of what could be to come on Friday evening, when McDonogh wide receiver Jeff Exinor joined the 2025 recruiting class. The No. 9 overall recruit in the state, Exinor is the top-ranked receiver from Maryland in the current cycle.

Outside of Taz Williams, James Franklin and his staff also await decisions from several top targets. Penn State remains the favorite for top in-state receiver Lex Cyrus, who will choose between the Nittany Lions and South Carolina. The Susquehanna Township prospect is expected to announce soon.

Franklin and the Nittany Lions are in a similar position with Virginia wide receiver Matthew Outten. On3 currently has Penn State favored over Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Maryland, the other three schools that the I.C. Norcom receiver visited in June.

Another name to watch is Coconut Creek’s (Florida) Samari Reed. Reed had the Nittany Lions in his top five dropped last week, which also included Clemson, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ole Miss.

After nine June commitments, Penn State football is up to the No. 7 class in the 2025 recruiting cycle per 247Sports, while On3 ranks the Nittany Lions No. 13 nationally.

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