This week is Signing Day, and on Wednesday, college football’s early signing period begins.With additional flip targets and uncommitted prospects on the table, Penn State’s class of 2025 now has 25 commits, but that figure is probably going to alter before next summer.
PennLive spoke with head coach Hakeem Sule of McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Maryland) on four-star wide receiver commit Jeff Exinor before of Wednesday’s signing. Three current Nittany Lions, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas, and defensive end Mason Robinson, all graduated from McDonogh, making it a legitimate pipeline for Penn State.
The next in that lengthy line of McDonogh products will be Exinor, a powerful and large receiver. Exinor, who is 6-2 and weighs 212 pounds, has performed admirably and filled a variety of positions on the field, including emergency quarterbacking. This season, he had 34 rushes for 143 yards and three touchdowns and 37 receptions for 609 yards and seven touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. He has a few Division I offers on the table and has scored 1,000 points in his basketball career.
The 247Sports Composite ranks Exinor as Maryland’s eighth-best player.Since his June 28 pledge, he has made 11 trips to Penn State.
Here are Sule’s thoughts on his star wide receiver’s performance and prospects at Penn State.
Please take note that several responses have been slightly modified for clarity and conciseness.
PennLive: When did you first notice Jeff?
Sule: The Exinor family is someone we’ve known for a long time. Here at McDonogh, his uncle David Lunn gets inducted into the Hall of Fame. He’s been at the school since he was a little child, and it’s clear that he was always athletic. We were longtime acquaintances of the family.
You claimed that he had always been athletic; when did you realize that he had the potential to become a top football player?
I was recruiting him when he was probably in the seventh or ninth grade. He was giving the squad his all when I went to a game. Jeff received an offer from Penn State at the start of his freshman year of high school. I’m not sure whether you recall this. James Franklin presented him while the entire staff was on a Zoom call.
When you guys used him on the field, how did his adaptability work out?
It was a success. each year. He began by playing both defense and offense, then in his first season, he started playing a little bit more defense. He then clearly developed into a very dangerous threat on the offensive end as the offense expanded and he changed.
What is his game like at the next level, and how did he adjust to being a receiver?
Excellent. A dominant receiver will demonstrate how to use their body, enter and exit breaks, and contend for the ball because of their basketball history. A well-trained athlete who is very coachable and capable of performing well in a variety of game-related tasks, such as blocking and catching the ball.
You guys had a good year, going 10–2. Throughout the year, where did you most see his personal development?
leadership. Jeff had to start three games at quarterback and lead the Wildcat offense while our starting quarterback was sidelined for a few weeks. He was the offensive leader in those three games, and by essentially running Wildcat in the backfield, we were able to win. He might have pouted in terms of leadership, but it’s clear that he wants to win. To win, he will stop at nothing. This season, he came through in that leadership role.
He was likely aided by the fact that he played everywhere in his early career. At Penn State, he might become the next Tyler Warren!
He might be. sufficiently athletic, physically fit, and adaptable. That is undoubtedly a part of his game. An explosive athlete, without a doubt.
What, in your opinion, made Jeff’s transfer to Penn State the best option?
Comfort level, familiarity, and playability. All of those, in my opinion, were major factors in his decision to attend Penn State. They have been with him since the beginning, are excellent communicators, and have a great rapport with the parents. Therefore, I believe that all of things had a significant influence on his decision to enroll at Penn State.
Which of Jeff’s strengths will help him advance?
Being a big-body receiver, receiving the ball in traffic will be his strongest suit. He and a few smaller defenders are available for some one-on-one encounters. Extremely aggressive, physically strong, and a great route runner when attacking.
He is obviously not going to be the quickest person on the planet, but he does run clean routes and play fast. Thus, that will work to his advantage. There will still be room for improvement.
at a high level, like Penn State, in the Big Ten. However, he is a worker and will adapt.
Are you able to recall his test results?
Yes, I believe he has a 36-inch vertical and can definitely run 40 yards in 4.59 seconds.
Do you have a favorite tale about Jeff? That’s the only other question I believe I should ask him.
I have a ton, I’m sure. My favorite Jeff story… I can probably tell you my favorite game. Is that preferable? Earlier this season, he had a game where he scored three touchdowns, and that was really a monumental moment in the season, because it was just on the heels of him playing quarterback for three weeks. Then to come back out there, we get the quarterback back and in his first outing, he gives you a three touchdown performance. And doing it catching screens, catching deep balls, showing you the versatility there. That was probably one of the great games.
I think one of my favorite moments is just his endearment for his family. With his mom, even making the decision for Penn State, everything he s done has been with the family at the center of it all. But I guess my favorite moment, coolest moment now that I m talking… Jeff has a younger brother Jameson Exinor, who was a sophomore for us, pretty good player coming up, and he s on the defensive side of the ball.
Those guys, it was after the Mount St Joseph game, there was a cool moment when he got to sit down with his brother on the bench. And he was like, Man, this is, like, the greatest feeling ever, being able to play side by side with my younger brother. They ve competed against each other, and they make funny stories every year.
In training camp. We do, and I m sure Penn State does it too, we do kind of like a bull in the ring type deal. We call the Big Cat Drill. Some of the matchups are intentional. We intentionally matched up those two. And the brother, who s a D-end, almost had him. Almost lifted him off his feet. Jeff kind of saved his hips a little bit, rebounded and was able to flip him over and win the battle. But that was a really cool moment. And Jeff got it was like, Oh my gosh. My brother almost had me.
That s kind of scary when little brother can step to you!
Brother s a little bit taller, a little bit more range-y than Jeff is.
Is he gonna be on Penn State s radar here soon?
He already is. He s already camped there and everything.
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