Making The Case: Will it be Penn State or USC for D'Von Ellies?
MAKING THE CASE: Arizona State, Nebraska or USC for Noa Pola-Gates?
National Signing Day is rapidly approaching, with just a few weeks until the remaining unsigned top prospects sign their official letters-of-intent. With that in mind, several elite players have started to narrow down their lists and prepare for commitment announcements. One of those players is three-star Maryland defensive lineman D’Von Ellies, who will announce his decision Saturday afternoon.
Today, experts from the Rivals.com network examine where he will end up. The candidates are USC and Penn State.
THE SITUATION
Plenty of programs are still in the market for defensive linemen and as one of the last unsigned players at the position with Power Five offers, Ellies has spurned plenty of schools to focus on the Nittany Lions and Trojans. Earlier in the process he took an official visit to Ohio State and after once looking like the team to beat, the Buckeyes have fallen out of the picture. He also took November officials to Los Angeles and State College, with each school given the opportunity to show what they have to offer, Ellies is ready to announce at Saturday’s Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii. So where will he end up?
We asked our team experts to state the case for their respective programs and let National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell issue a verdict.
THE CASE FOR PENN STATE
“Penn State has prioritized Ellies since the summer and I expect those efforts to pay off with a commitment. Defensive line coach Sean Spencer has done a great job here, but Ellies was also high school teammates with PJ Mustipher, a former four-star defensive tackle who had a pretty good freshman season at Penn State. That friendship has certainly helped the Lions. According to his coach, James Franklin and his staff also really impressed his parents during their November official visit.” -- Ryan Snyder, BlueWhiteIllustrated.com
THE CASE FOR USC
“This is another case where it’s possible the Trojans would be better positioned if they had started recruiting Ellies earlier. Penn State has been coming at him hard since the summer, allowing him to build strong relationships with head coach James Franklin and DL coach Sean Spencer. Ellies admitted even he’s surprised USC ended up as one of his two finalists considering they didn’t start aggressively pursuing him until the last couple months, but he was genuinely impressed on his official visit. It didn’t help that USC changed DL coaches and he hasn’t yet been able to establish much of a relationship with the new coach, Chad Kauha’aha’a. Nonetheless, the Trojans made his final decision tougher for him, but it would be a surprise if he doesn’t end up at Penn State.” – Ryan Young, TrojanSports.com
THE VERDICT
"I think Elles picks Penn State because of how familiar he is with the program having visited many times and their need for defensive linemen who can play right away.” -- Mike Farrell, Rivals.com