Final part of the series takes a look at Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin
This is the last part of our three part series looking at impact new players. If you missed parts one or two, you can review them here and here.
Penn State – CB Kalen King
When the head coach calls you the most advanced freshman he has seen, and the defensive coordinator mentions you are ahead of the game, you’re doing something right. Meet true freshman, Kalen King.
King, who hails from Detroit, MI, made quite the impression during the spring scrimmage. He ended the session recording two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He also would have been credited for a sack if it was a live game, though in spring ball the quarterback is off limits for tackling.
The performance in the spring scrimmage, along with the glowing reports out of practice leads one to think King will see significant time in 2021. Even with a relatively deep room at cornerback, King may be too good to not play.
Penn State fans should be very excited by what they’ve seen so far from King, as he will be important in slowing down some of the more potent passing offenses in the Big Ten.
Purdue – LB Yanni Karlaftis
The Boilermaker’s most prized recruit in the 2021 class is the younger brother of current defensive end, George Karlaftis. Yanni Karlaftis will join his older brother on the Boilermakers and have the chance to play together during the upcoming season.
Yanni comes to the Boilermakers as a 4-star linebacker, and rated the third best prospect from Indiana in 2021 according to 247 Sports. Many thought he would elect to play with his brother throughout the recruiting process, but Purdue did have to beat out some Big Ten schools for his services.
Purdue is going to have to replace arguably their best linebacker from last year in Derrick Barnes. It’s possible that Yanni could come into the program and fill that void, though he will have to make up for lost time as he was slowed by an injury this past spring.
Still, Yanni is a fast and agile player at linebacker, and his talent alone may be too much to not have on the field. If he shows he can hold his own in fall camp, Purdue may have two Karlaftis players that can disrupt opposing offenses this season.
Rutgers – CB/S Alijah Clark
Greg Schiano and his staff have worked hard to curb top players leaving the state since he took over Rutgers. With the commitment of Alijah Clark, Schiano kept a top player home who could become a swiss army knife in the secondary this year.
247 Sports has Clark as the second best prospect out of New Jersey in 2021, and 142nd nationally. He is one of three players that were rated in the top five of the state to commit to Rutgers, helping Schiano to achieve his goal of keeping players home.
While his profile lists him as a cornerback, talk of him playing safety has emerged this spring. Rutgers is thin at the safety position, and if Clark wants to see the field ASAP, safety may be the position to achieve that.
Clark at safety would allow Rutgers to be more versatile in the secondary. It would allow the Scarlet Knights to have a player on top of the defense with good cover skills, who can line up at the corner position if a match up is favorable to the defense, or they want to present a certain look.
Wisconsin – RB Chez Mellusi
It feels rare that a school like Wisconsin has questions at running back. However, entering the 2021 off-season, that’s exactly what happened. The Badgers had an inexperienced group coming into the off-season, but got a boost when Chez Mellusi transferred from Clemson to Wisconsin.
The former 4-star recruit from Naples, FL committed to Clemson as part of the 2019 class. With the Tigers, Mellusi had 427 yards rushing on 71 carries, six of which went for touchdowns.
The reports on Mellusi indicate a player that is best running between the tackles, and can make quick cuts as a one read type back. He may not have the speed to get to the outside as well as others, but is more than capable of gaining yardage through the middle.
Mellusi is thought to be the leading candidate to start for the Badgers this season, mainly due to experience. Even if that changes in fall camp, expect Mellusi to play a meaningful role in Wisconsin’s bid for a conference title.