Penn State’s Class of 2023 got a little bit better on Wednesday night. Ejani Shakir, a four-star wide receiver from New Jersey, announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions to give Penn State’s current recruiting class an offensive weapon.
Penn State had been emerging as the favorite to secure Shakir’s commitment with West Virginia believed to be the top competition in the final stages of his recruiting process. The 6′-0″ 175-pound wide receiver is rated as a four-star prospect according to 247Sports, although the 247Sports composite ranking results in a three-star rating.
Shakir is the 12th member of Penn State’s current recruiting class for 2023 and he is the first wide receiver in the class. Penn State added Kaden Saunders, Anthony Ivey, Omari Evans, and Tyler Johnson at the position in the Class of 2022. Penn State also welcomed Western Kentucky transfer Mitchell Tinsley to the program this spring to help fill the void left by first-round draft pick Jahan Dotson in the 2022 NFL draft. Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith are each back for the 2022 season as well.
Shakir has said he felt Penn State would be his decision for. few months, but it was best to fully evaluate his options before coming to any final decision.
“To be honest with you, I felt like I knew I was going to go there since I went up there (a while ago),” Shakir told Lions247. “A lot of schools didn’t really reach up to their potential. I knew I was going to go there for a couple of months.”
New Jersey is an important recruiting state for Penn State, as it typically is for a number of Big Ten programs. Shakir is the first New Jersey recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2023 at this point. Shakir is the No. 7 recruit overall in the state of New Jersey according to the 247Sports composite rankings (No. 3 just according to 247Sports).
List
Penn State’s 2023 football commitment tracker
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