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 one of the top prospects in Michigan, safety Jaylen Reed.
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190
School: Martin Luther King HS (Detroit)
Projected position: Safety
Rating: Four stars by Rivals.com, 247sports and ESPN
Other Power 5 offers: Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, USC, West Virginia.
Projection: Reed is among the more versatile defensive back prospects Penn State has landed in recent years. He played extensively in the box for powerhouse King HS in Detroit, and he tackles like a linebacker. He’s not afraid to mix it up in the run game, and in fact, that might be the strength of his game. He fights around tackles because he can quickly diagnose the play. His instincts are tremendous. All that said, he has the size and speed combination of a defensive back, and he could project as a nickel corner if that’s the way Penn State decides to go with him. However, he has room to grow, and once he does, he can be a weapon at safety, where he has a chance to be a Jaquan Brisker-like player for the Nittany Lions throughout his career.
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