Penn State football predicted to land Maryland’s No. 1 WR in 2025

Penn State football appears to be in the driver’s seat for the top pass catcher out of Maryland in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Following his visit to Happy Valley last weekend, multiple recruiting experts have logged predictions for McDonogh wide receiver Jeff Exinor to commit to the Nittany Lions. A position under the spotlight of late for Penn State, the projections come as James Franklin and the Nittany Lions are also soon expected to land Pennsylvania’s top receiver, Lex Cyrus.

Multiple predictions logged for Penn State football to land top Maryland wide receiver Jeff Exinor

Things have been trending in the right direction for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions coming out of the second official weekend of June, with one commitment and several expert predictions already on the books since Sunday.

The focus on Tuesday was four-star McDonogh wide receiver Jeff Exinor. Multiple recruiting insiders predicted that Exinor will commit to Penn State football, including Brian Dohn of 247Sports and Sean Fitz of On3.

Exinor is coming off his official visit with Franklin and the Nittany Lions last weekend. He’s been to Happy Valley six times in total, more than any other program. Already traveling to Virginia Tech this spring, Exinor is scheduled to visit Syracuse (6/14) and in-state Maryland (6/21) yet this month.

Jeff Exinor is rated as the No. 9 prospect in Maryland and the No. 52 wide receiver (No. 341 recruit nationally) in On3’s Industry Rankings for the 2025 recruiting cycle. The 247Sports Composite slots Exinor as the state’s seventh-best recruit and the No. 11 athlete in the country (No. 273 nationally).

Both outlets rank him as the best wide receiver in Maryland for 2025.

Named to the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro first-team offense as a junior, Exinor caught 72 passes for 872 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

Nittany Lions receiver class expected to fill up soon?

After a relatively empty wide receiver room in the 2025 recruiting class for most of the spring, things may soon pick up for James Franklin and Penn State football.

Predicted to end up in the class since February, momentum appears to be building towards a commitment from Susquehanna Township receiver Lex Cyrus. The top in-state wide receiver, Cyrus was in State College two weeks ago and took his only other official visit of the summer to South Carolina last week.

© Dylan Jacobs / USA TODAY NETWORK

Just outside the top 100 prospects nationally, Lex Cyrus is the No. 5 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 17 wide receiver in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to On3. As a junior, Cyrus caught 67 passes for 1,115 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Currently, the only commitment the Nittany Lions have at the position comes from New York three-star Lyrick Samuel.

With Monday’s pledge from California cornerback Daryus Dixson, Penn State football is up to 14 commitments in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The Nittany Lions sit at No. 13 and No. 12 in the On3 and 247Sports national composite rankings, respectively.

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