Another Lackawanna star commits to Penn State

Clearly, Penn State’s relationship with Lackawanna College is growing stronger on the football recruiting front.

Norval Black, a 6-foot-1 receiver with good speed, exceptional hands and a strong freshman season with the Falcons under his belt, verbally committed to the Nittany Lions after a strong camp in Happy Valley over the weekend.

Penn State represented Black’s first Football Bowl Subdivision offer, and he accepted it by the end of the camp. Lackawanna fans know Black pretty well: He was one of the players featured prominently in a Washington Post article written about the Falcons program in April.

EXTREMELY BLESSED TO ANNOUNCE THAT I HAVE RECEIVED MY FIRST OFFER AND I AM ALSO COMMITTED TO PENN STATE ?✔️ #WEARE ? #LLTS❤️ @coachjfranklin @GeradParker1 @markduda73 pic.twitter.com/AWH5mDQ5L4

— Norval Black  (@NB3live) June 9, 2019

A little more than a week after Southern Columbia standout Julian Fleming — once considered the Nittany Lions’ top target in the 2020 recruiting class — verbally committed to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions got back on the receiver wagon by landing Black. Last season at Lackawanna, Black tallied 445 receiving yards and five touchdowns, both good for second on the team. But, he did all that with just 15 catches.

Lackawanna’s offense is pretty run-based, and the Falcons had a handful of solid receivers last season — Javon Turner went to UMass after the season, Harrison Dreher ended up at IUP and tight end James Stanley went to Hampton — so there weren’t a ton of opportunities for a newcomer like Black to get looks. That said, he averaged 29.7 yards per catch, so he obviously made the most of what he got in his debut season.

He’ll be Lackawanna’s No. 1 target in the receiving game this fall and with plans to join the Nittany Lions’ 2020 class. If he winds up signing, he’ll have two years to play three.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H9GKXACZYo&w=560&h=315]