As with the rest of the Big Ten, Penn State has been known to pluck a few prospects from the state of Ohio. The early 90s saw Westerville's Ki-Jana Carter rush for nearly 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns while playing for Joe Paterno. Union City's Curtis Enis arrived at Happy Valley in 1995 and proceeded to rush for over 3,200 yards while scoring 38 touchdowns.
Since Urban Meyer's arrival, the state's top high school talent has pretty much remained on lockdown, but a few locals have made the journey to Penn State for their college careers. The Nittany Lion roster currently features four players from the state of Ohio, and while none of them have made their marks just yet, they could be some names to watch in the coming years.
Chance Sorrell • OT • Middletown, OH • Class of 2014
Middletown's Chance Sorrell was the nation's 90th-ranked offensive tackle back in 2014. The three-star committed to Vanderbilt in June of 2013 and then promptly opened his recruitment back up when James Franklin moved on to Penn State. The now 6-foot-5, 293-pounder flipped to the Nittany Lions on Jan. 11, 2014. He also held offers from Boston College, Indiana, Louisville, and a number of MAC schools.
@CapsCrazie I understand but I have lots of OSU history as a player, fan & friend of former coach. Like them to #LoseEarly&LoseOften ! LOL!
— Gardner Sorrell (@glsorrell) September 7, 2014
His father, Gardner Sorrell, played center at the University of Kentucky in the 80s. He also apparently has some major issues with Ohio State and gets extremely upset when the Buckeyes are brought up.
Can't express enough my level of respect for @coachjfranklin after options given my son & my 1st-hand knowledge of #tOSU treatment of player
— Gardner Sorrell (@glsorrell) October 6, 2016
The younger Sorrell redshirted in 2014 and appeared in just three games a season ago. He was not listed on the official depth chart that Penn State released on Monday. As of now, the source of the animosity is unclear.
Alex Gellerstedt • OT • Dublin, OH (Coffman) • Class of 2016
Alex Gellerstedt signed with the Nittany Lions this past cycle and arrived on campus in January as an early enrollee. A 6-foot-7, 275-pound senior in high school, Gellerstedt certainly possessed the measurables to play tackle at the next level. He also garnered attention from North Carolina, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and others.
Gellerstedt committed to Penn State in May of 2015 and ended up rated as the No. 62 tackle in the country. The All-Ohio selection cited his relationship with offensive line coach Herb Hand as one of the deciding factors for the Nittany Lions. Hand would announce that he was heading to Auburn shortly after the early enrollees arrived this past January.
Gellerstedt was not listed on Penn State's official depth chart and appears on track for a redshirt season.
Antonio Shelton • DT • Westerville, OH (North) • Class of 2016
Another Westerville star elected to follow in the footsteps of the aforementioned Ki-Jana Carter. Antonio Shelton was rated as the country's No. 82 defensive tackle for the 2016 class. Westerville North struggled throughout the 2015 season as they failed to pick up a single win. Shelton, however, shined for the Warriors and recorded 10.5 sacks as a senior.
The Nittany Lions suffered three decommits at the position leading up to February's signing day, and it was late in the process that they made a move on the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder. Shelton committed to Illinois in June of 2015 but backed off that pledge about a week before signing day. He then made the trip to Happy Valley and elected to join forces with James Franklin.
In speaking with Penn Live, he noted that he grew up hearing about Carter, who is a former classmate of his mother's.
"Even before Penn State was an option, she talked about [Carter] all the time," Shelton said. "Everybody still talks about Ki-Jana over here because as of right now, he and I are the only two guys out of Westerville to go to Penn State. Just to be mentioned next to a dog like Ki-Jana Carter, it just makes you want to work harder and uphold the tradition." Via
Shelton also looks to be on track for a redshirt season.
Anthony "T.J" Johnson • Cleveland, OH (Euclid) • Class of 2016
Penn State landed another Ohioan less than 24 hours before signing day when Cleveland's Anthony Johnson made the call. Johnson, who was listed at 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds as a senior, was high on the Illini but elected to wait it out to see if the Nittany Lion offer came his way. He made a trip to Penn State in late January, but it wasn't until the night before signing day that James Franklin and Co. extended the offer.
Johnson didn't have much time to think on the offer, but he really didn't need it as he elected to commit on the spot. The corner transferred from Cleveland Heights to Euclid following his junior year and would go on to record seven interceptions as a senior. He was the 66th-rated player in the state of Ohio and the No. 136 cornerback prospect in the country. Johnson also held offers from Kentucky, Illinois, and virtually every MAC school.
He too is expected to redshirt this season.
The Nittany Lions also have a pair of 2017 Ohioans currently in the fold. Cincinnati's Sean Clifford (St. Xavier) is one of the more highly-rated Ohio prospects to team up with James Franklin and Penn State. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder is the country's No. 7 pro-style passer and holds offers from Auburn, Louisville, Michigan State, and others.
Stow, Ohio offensive guard Michael Miranda committed to the Nits this past April. Nebraska, Boston College, and Missouri have also extended offers. Miranda took home offensive line MVP honors at this past spring's Rivals camp in Columbus and was briefly mentioned as an interior lineman the Buckeyes could take a look at.
