PA OL Nick Dawkins earns offer from Nittany Lions
Penn State offered just its third in-state prospect in the Class of 2020 Saturday in Allentown native Nicholas Dawkins.
A 6-foot-4, 300 pound offensive lineman from Parkland, Dawkins has been on a roll over the past month. Since earning an offer from Tennessee on Feb. 14, Indiana, Kansas, Pitt, Rutgers, Vanderbilt and West Virginia have all followed. Now, the Nittany Lions have also joined the race following a trip to State College this weekend to watch spring practice.
“It was a good visit. I got to see a lot,” Dawkins said. “When we got to campus, they took us into player meetings, so we got to see what goes on behind the scenes. It was cool seeing Coach [James] Franklin and Coach [Matt[ Limegrover go over all that kind of stuff. Then we got to see practice. It was good seeing everyone get after it and compete.
“After that, they had us put on the jersey and that kind of stuff, but then we got a presentation from Coach Franklin. He talked about a lot of stuff, including all the accolades and achievements they’ve earned over the years. But the best part was definitely at the end, when I got to go up to Coach Franklin’s office and sit down with him and Coach Limegrover, Coach [Sean] Spencer and Coach [Dann] Kabala. That’s when they told me they were going to offer me and that it’s important to keep the best players in Pennsylvania."
While Saturday’s visit was his first opportunity to really see the ins and outs of Penn State’s football program, Dawkins has been on campus before, attendng the game against Iowa back in October.
“It was an amazing game and the crowd was amazing,” said Dawkins. “Everyone was into it and was loud. It was great to see Beaver Stadium jumping!”
So far, Dawkins has also been able to visit Army, UConn, Pitt, Rutgers and Syracuse. He’s now planning to visit Rutgers next weekend, March 30, followed by Army, April 6, and Northwestern April 13. With spring practice also set to begin at Parkland soon, he said he likely won’t be able to make it back to Penn State until the summer.
“It’s cool because I grew up watching Penn State,” said Dawkins, when asked what it means to earn an offer from the Nittany Lions. “When I was younger and going through the years, a lot of people in my school and family have been Penn State fans, so it’s cool. I’m a Pennsylvania kid, so to get a Pennsylvania State [University] offer is great.”
Dawkins is the son of former Philadelphia 76ers center Darryl Dawkins. The honor roll student currently holds 20 scholarship offers, as well as Ivy League opportunities at Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth and Yale.