10 Things to Know: Five-star Dani Dennis-Sutton commits to Penn State

Penn State locked up its most important commitment in a few years Thursday with the addition of five-star defensive end and Baltimore native Dani Dennis-Sutton.

The nation's top-ranked edge rusher was believed to be leaning towards the Nittany Lions for about a year, but after a serious push from Kirby Smart and his staff at Georgia, which included an official visit at the beginning of June, it felt as if Penn State had a serious fight on its hands.

Fortunately for fans, James Franklin and his staff were able to seal the deal and lock up a much-needed five-star commitment.

Ryan Snyder breaks down everything you need to know about one of Maryland's top overall prospects in at least the past decade.

Related: Dani Dennis-Sutton opens up about commitment to Penn State

Rivals only hands out five-star ratings to about 30 players every year, and four or five programs seem to get about half of them every year. In other words, it's not easy to land them.

Penn State has picked up its fair share of five-star players over the years, but that hasn't been the case in recent classes.

In 2020, Nittany Lion fans were let down when Southern Columbia wide receiver Julian Fleming chose Ohio State over staying home in Pennsylvania. Then, last year, it happened again, and this one was arguably even more frustrating, as Penn State legacy Nolan Rucci decided to join his brother, Hayden, at Wisconsin over playing at the school both of his parents attended.

This year, Franklin and his staff were realistically in the mix with two five-star players in Dennis-Sutton and linebacker Shawn Murphy. Murphy is destined to end up down south, which makes this commitment all the more important. After striking out on a few realistic five-star players the past couple of years, the staff had to get this one over the line.

If Dennis-Sutton ends up like the last five-star to commit to Penn State, linebacker Micah Parsons, he'll be a fan favorite in no time. Overall, he's the fourth five-star, according to Rivals, to commit to Franklin and his staff since they started at Penn State. Receiver Justin Shorter and safety Lamont Wade were the other two.

Penn State extended an offer to Dennis-Sutton back in May 2019. It was his fifth scholarship offer at the time, as Florida, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia were the only schools to extend one previously.

Dennis-Sutton attended Penn State's win over Michigan that following October, and it ended up being the only visit he took to any school until last month. All throughout 2020, the Nittany Lions were considered the team to beat, but once he was able to see a few schools, his decision suddenly wasn't as clear-cut.

By the time Dennis-Sutton began lining up official visits at the beginning of May, he was up to 35 scholarship offers.

Louisville, Michigan, Notre Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and USC were all named to his top 12, but Alabama and Georgia ended up being Penn State's true competition here.

Once visits were allowed in June, Dennis-Sutton hit the ground running. Georgia had the first crack June 4-6, followed by Penn State, June 11-13, and Alabama, June 18-20.

He considered going back to Georgia for an unofficial visit during the final weekend in June but ultimately didn't end up making the trip. This came at a time when Georgia was surging. His decision not to return to Athens proved to be a crucial moment in his recruitment.

Still, his decision came down to Penn State and Georgia, and both schools were truly in the mix up until a few days before.

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When PJ Mustipher committed to Penn State from McDonogh back in 2018, it felt like just another solid commitment from Maryland. Franklin and his staff have always been a force throughout the state, but there weren't really one or two schools they truly dominated.

That's no longer the case. After Mustipher, Penn State pulled in defensive tackle Dvon Ellies in 2019 and followed that up with linebacker Curtis Jacobs in 2020. They didn't offer anyone from McDonogh in the 2021 class, but now they've picked up right where they left off by adding the best prospect of them all in Dennis-Sutton.

With offensive lineman Antonio Tripp now favoring the Lions in the Class of 2023, it's clear that Penn State has built a pipeline to one of Baltimore's top high school programs.

"Dani is a really special prospect. We've seen him have a lot of success as a big, bulky defensive linemen, and that's how he was built as a sophomore. Now that's much older, he's matured so much more physically. He has a lot of lean muscle mass on his frame and he can win with both speed and power now. That's what makes him special. He also has a great understanding of technique. He has a game plan in his head before each play and he oftentimes executes it well. He's also versatile. That athleticism that he's showed on the basketball court has translated to the football field. I see him being used in space at times, which will make him difficult to handle against opposing quarterbacks."

- Rivals National Analyst Adam Friedman

Dennis-Sutton earned a five-star rating earlier this summer primarily based off of his physical potential and the progress he's made over the past year. That's the main reason, but I would also add that mentally, this young man is ahead of most of his peers.

I've been fortunate to get to know Dennis-Sutton for over a year now, and I can't think of too many players who are as mature and mentally ready for the next level as well as he is. Nick Singleton and Kaden Saunders come to mind, and of course, both of Penn State's quarterback commits, Beau Pribula and Drew Allar, but I'd still rank Dennis-Sutton as high as any of them.

An honor roll student with a 3.2 overall grade-point average, Dennis-Sutton is the complete package. On and off the field, Penn State fans are going to love this young man. Just this week, he helped oversee a football camp for youth players in Baltimore. He cares about the little things and is an excellent role model for any high school player coming through the ranks.

To me, it's about more than just what he brings athletically. He's a leader, a role model and is beyond mature for his age. That's what makes Dennis-Sutton the complete package.

John Scott Jr. will go down as Dennis-Sutton's primary recruiter for Penn State, and he deserves a ton of credit here. He played a major role in landing Kaleb Artis and Zane Durant, and now he's helped seal the deal with Dennis-Sutton. He's proven in recent weeks that he can lock up good players, especially when he gets the chance to meet with them in person.

With that said, National Recruiting Coordinator Kenny Sanders also played a major role in getting Dennis-Sutton over the line. Sanders graduated from McDonogh in 2000, so he has close ties with head coach Hakeem Sule and many others in and around Owings Mills, Md.

All throughout this recruitment, Dennis-Sutton was in contact with Sanders as much or more than anyone. In the final weeks, Dennis-Sutton told us that he was speaking with Sanders multiple times a day.

This recruitment was truly a team effort. Franklin and defensive coordinator Brent Pry all played major roles, but Sanders has a bond here that can't be matched.

Recruits all across the country rave about Sanders, so it should be no surprise that Penn State is on course for its best recruiting class since 2018 when Sanders was previously on the staff before leaving for Oregon.

Here is Penn State's 2022 class sorted by commitment timeline:

July 25, 2020 - Four-star WR Kaden Saunders, Westerville (Ohio) Westerville South

July 28, 2020 - Four-star TE Jerry Cross, Milwaukee (Wisc.) Rufus King

Aug. 3, 2020 - Four-star QB Beau Pribula, York (Pa.) Central York

Sept. 4, 2020 - Four-star OL Drew Shelton, Downingtown (Pa.) Downingtown West

Sept. 8, 2020 - Four-star DE Ken Talley, Philadelphia (Pa.) Northeast High

Nov. 29, 2020 - Four-star WR Anthony Ivey, Manheim (Pa.) Manheim Township

Jan. 1, 2021 - Four-star ATH. Mehki Flowers, Harrisburg (Pa.) Central Dauphin East

March 8, 2021 - Three-star QB Drew Allar, Medina (Ohio) Medina High

May 1, 2021 - Three-star OL Maleek McNeil, Easthampton (Mass.) Williston Northampton

May 5, 2021 - Three-star S Tyrece Mills, Philadelphia (Pa.) Lackawanna College

May 25, 2021 - Two-star K Alex Bacchetta, Atlanta (Ga.) Westminster

June 21, 2021 - Three-star WR Tyler Johnson, Ridgeway (Va.) Magna Vista

July 2, 2021 - Three-star OL JB Nelson, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Lackawanna College

July 3, 2021 - Three-star DE Keon Wylie, Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Charter

July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Tyreese Fearbry, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Perry Traditional Academy

July 4, 2021 - Four-star DE Zane Durant, Orlando (Fla.) Lake Nona

July 4, 2021 - Four-star DT Kaleb Artis, Queens (N.Y.) St. Francis Prep

July 6, 2021 - Four-star RB Nicholas Singleton, Shillington (Pa.) Governor Mifflin

July 16, 2021 - Four-star RB Kaytron Allen, Norfolk (Va.) IMG Academy (Fla.)

July 17, 2021 - Three-star CB Jordan Allen, Lafayette, (La.) Lafayette Christian Academy

July 22, 2021 - Five-star DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Baltimore (Md.) McDonogh

Here are Penn State's 2022 commits by position:

2 — Quarterback

2 — Running Back

3 — Wide Receiver

1 — Tight End

3 — Offensive Line

5 — Defensive Line

1 — Linebacker

2 — Defensive Back

1 — Athlete

1 — Kicker

10. Here is a breakdown of the Nittany Lions commits by state (based on where they play today):

9 - Pennsylvania

3 - Florida

2 - Ohio

1 - Georgia

1 - Louisiana

1 - Massachusetts

1- Maryland

1 - New York

1 - Virginia

1 - Wisconsin

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