New Jersey native Keon Sabb opens up about Nittany Lions

Athlete Keon Sabb was named the top prospect in New Jersey for the Class of 2022 when the Rivals250 was released last month.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Sabb is expected to play safety at the collegiate level. He also transferred to Williamstown High School after spending the first two years at nearby Glassboro. Regardless of where he plays, Penn State plans to go all out for Sabb, as he’s easily one of the staff’s top defensive targets in next year’s class.

“I talk to Coach [V’Angelo] Bentley almost everyday,” Sabb said. “We FaceTime a lot and have a lot of similarities. We like a lot of the same things. Like, when basketball is on, we talk about that. During that last [NBA] series, I’m a Rockets fan and he’s a Lakers fan, so we were going back and forth on that. We spend a lot of time on stuff other than football.”

Sabb said he’s also had extended conversations with Penn State’s two defensive back coaches, Terry Smith and Tim Banks, as well as director of high school relations Dann Kabala. He’s also done two Zoom calls with the staff, one of which took place just last week.

“The first one was mainly about us just getting to know the whole staff there,” Sabb said. “We also talked about sports stuff and where they see me playing. This second Zoom call was mainly about them getting to know my mom more and my uncle. Our first Zoom with them was mainly just me and my dad.”

Sabb has visited Penn State previously, attending last year’s White Out against Michigan. Like so many recruits, the atmosphere left a lasting impression.

“The atmosphere was amazing," he said. "Watching Michigan call a timeout on the first play of the game because they couldn’t hear anything, that was crazy. That was amazing to see. Everyone had their flashlights on [when singing] and just seeing the hype around the place during pregame. Their fan base is ridiculous.”

However, that’s the only visit he’s taken to Penn State, which means Sabb still has to tour facilities and meet with many outside the coaching staff, including academic advisors and the strength and conditioning staff. That’s forced him to do research on his own.

“One thing I’ve learned that I really like is that there are nine former players or alumni on the staff. That stands out to me a lot,” Sabb said. “Just knowing that so many people that played for the school or went to that school want to come back and help them succeed speaks highly of the coaches. I know that if I had a good coach, I would want to go back and help him, so I think that says a lot.”

Sabb also has a relationship with another former Nittany Lion who just began his first season in the NFL.

“I have a relationship with Juwan Johnson. He was from the high school that I was previously at. I just transferred this year,” Sabb said “But me and Juwan are really close. We talk a lot. We’ve talked about the Oregon situation and his time at Penn State. He’s been telling me about what he likes about each school. He’s said a lot of great things about Penn State. He has a good relationship with everyone there still.”

Overall, Sabb has earned 30 scholarship offers. He said that, in addition to Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech are the schools recruiting him the hardest. Rutgers is the only other school he’s been able to visit so far.

Sabb is currently the 40th-ranked prospect in the nation and the third-ranked athlete. He holds a 6.0 four-star rating.

*******

• Talk about this article inside The Lions Den

• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue-White Illustrated

• Follow us on Twitter: @BWIonRivals, @NateBauerBWI, @RivalsSnyder, @DavidEckert98

• Like us on Facebook