Penn State Football: 5 must-land recruits for Nittany Lions in 2022

4-star DT Alex VanSumeren

If you are going to win in the Big Ten then you need to have some big bodies playing along the line of scrimmage and while the Nittany Lions have added a four-star offensive tackle in Drew Shelton, they could use some beef at defensive tackle.

Penn State football didn’t add any 300-pounders on defense in last year’s recruiting class either and Alex VanSumeren, a former Michigan commit, would be the perfect addition.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound defensive tackle was originally listed as an athlete before growing into a DT. He has also played fullback which tells you what kind of athlete he is.

VanSumeren is also one of the top-ranked players in the state of Michigan, but the Wolverines aren’t a factor anymore. They aren’t even involved in his recruitment.

Ben VanSumeren, his younger brother, transferred to Michigan State and the Spartans are pushing to add Alex too. However, he recently took an official visit to Happy Valley and the Nittany Lions, who have a strong rep of developing NFL talent on the D-line, are squarely in the mix.

It would also be great for Penn State to land top players from Michigan and New Jersey, two key states in Big Ten East recruiting, especially with Rutgers on the rise.