Four 2021 signees expected to join roster next week

Penn State football will add four of its Class of 2021 signees for the start of summer classes on May 16.

With high schools across the country beginning to wrap up their spring semesters, the Nittany Lions are set to benefit with addition of three defensive players - Jamari Buddin, Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley - as well as wide receiver Harrison Wallace. All four players have either already graduated or will do so this upcoming week, allowing them to join the football program about six weeks earlier than the rest of the class.

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Both Wheatley and Reed earned four-star ratings. Wheatley, who attended Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., was only able to play in two games this past season. In 2019, he totaled 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and five interceptions, while also totaling 810 yards and seven touchdowns on offense. He chose the Nittany Lions over Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Pitt, Vanderbilt, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Reed put up some eye-catching numbers at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. A three-year letterman and captain in 2020, Reed totaled 119 tackles, four forced fumbles and an interception in 14 games in 2019. He followed that up with 68 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, and another four forced fumbles in 10 games this past season. Reed chose PSU over offers from Florida, Georgia, Michigan State, Oregon, Tennessee, USC and West Virginia.

Buddin, who played at Belleville High School outside Detroit, earned a three-star rating. A four-year letterman and team captain this past season, he totaled 184 tackles, including 59 for a loss of yards, and 19 sacks. His decision came down to Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota.

Wallace, who also earned a three-star rating, was one of the final additions to the class, committing to Penn State about a week before the start of the early signing period. A two-year letterman, Wallace only began playing football in 2019, which is why he went under the radar a bit until midway through his senior season, when most schools began offering. He previously committed to Duke in Oct. 2020, then switched his commitment to Penn State about a month after earning an offer.

With the addition of these four players, Penn State will now have 11 of its 16 scholarship signees on campus, as James Franklin and his staff welcomed seven early enrollees back in January. The final five players - TE Khalil Dinkins, WR Lonnie White Jr., WR Liam Clifford, DT Davon Townley and K Sander Sahaydak - will arrive for the second summer session, which begins at the end of June. Penn State is also expected to add Harvard transfer Eric Wilson at some point in the coming weeks. Harvard's classes end this upcoming week.

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