Penn State Football: Top 5 targets for 2019 National Signing Day
By Shane Lunnen
3. Smith Vilbert – Defensive End
The defensive front four under James Franklin has become a real strength for the Nittany Lions. Adding defensive end Smith Vilbert should add to that current success.
Vilbert is a monster of a human. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 250 pounds, Vilbert is a towering athlete. The three star prospect hails from Montvale, New Jersey, where he played his prep career at St. Joseph Regional. Vilbert has a good frame, wide shoulders and has a good burst off the edge.
Vilbert had a relatively quiet recruitment until the last couple months when his profile skyrocketed. In addition to Penn State, Vilbert has a final four that includes Florida, Oregon and Syracuse. If the Lions can fend those schools off, they will have another defensive end for line coach Sean Spencer to mold into a monster athlete that terrorizes opposing defenses.
If Vilbert does end up a Nittany Lion, it will be the second former basketball player turned football prospect out of New Jersey heading to Happy Valley. The Lions secured the commitment of Jayson Oweh in the 2018 class. Vilbert has a similar frame to Oweh and would provide more depth.