Penn State football commit visits SEC program with ex-Nittany Lions target

Longstanding Penn State football commit Messiah Mickens checked in on another college campus this weekend. The four-star Harrisburg (PA) running back traveled to South Carolina to take in the No. 21 Gamecocks’ win over No. 23 Missouri.

Mickens made the trip to Columbia with another in-state prospect that is quite familiar to James Franklin and the Nittany Lions staff: Susquehanna Township receiver and current South Carolina commit Lex Cyrus.

According to 247Sports, Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks offered Mickens on November 1. Cyrus and Mickens were captured on the sidelines of Williams-Brice Stadium together before Saturday’s kickoff.

No place like Willy-B🤙🏾! Let’s go Gamecocks! @Messiah_1M #GamecockNation pic.twitter.com/KD10y9AWAD

— Lex Cyrus (@lexcyrus8) November 16, 2024

Messiah Mickens was the first member of the 2026 Penn State football recruiting class, pledging to the Nittany Lions in August 2023. Ranked No. 4 in the state, Mickens is rated as the No. 10 running back and the No. 98 overall prospect by the On3 Industry Rankings.

Mickens has been a vocal part of the Nittany Lions seven-commit class, which is now ranked No. 5 in the country.

Franklin and the Nittany Lions found themselves on the losing end of the recruiting battle for Lex Cyrus, who committed to South Carolina in July. The Penn State football staff has continued pushing for the commonwealth’s top receiver in the 2025 cycle, most recently hosting Cyrus and several other flip targets for the UCLA game on October 5.

The early National Signing period for the class of 2025 will begin on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, and closes on Friday, December 6, 2024.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.