Courtesy of Penn State Athletics
Today, as the early National Letter of Intent signing day period kicks off, most — if not all — of the newest members of the Penn State recruiting class will sign on the dotted line, accepting a scholarship to play football for the Nittany Lions. For every player who does sign, I’ll be here to provide an in-depth scouting report. Here is my report on defensive back Jeffrey Davis Jr.
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
School: Kingswood-Oxford School (West Hartford, Conn.)
Projected position: Cornerback
Rating: Three stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other Power 5 offers: Boston College, Connecticut, Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Wake Forest
Projection: A really smart kid and relentless worker who was gifted enough to become the first player in the history of his high school to earn a letter as an eighth-grader. Leader-type player who is a productive and smart defender. Another dual threat who scored 21 career touchdowns on offense as a receiver. He’s a hard hitter who seems to like getting involved on the running downs and short passes, and his technique is terrific. Penn State has had plenty of success over the years finding solid defensive backs out of New England who didn’t play the best prep competition but who translated well to the Big Ten (Jordan Lucas had a terrific career, and the Nittany Lions have gotten solid work out of Marquis Wilson in his two seasons with the program). Davis is a fairly unheralded prospect, but don’t bet against him forging a role, and doing so rather quickly.
Donnie Collins has been a member of The Times-Tribune sports staff for nearly 20 years and has been the Penn State football beat writer for Times-Shamrock Newspapers since 2004. The Penn State Football Blog covers Nittany Lions, Big Ten and big-time college football news from Beaver Stadium to the practice field, the bowl game to National Letter of Intent Signing Day. Contact: dcollins@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5368; @DonnieCollinsTT