Better get used to it. Pitt and Notre Dame left in the dust as Dakota Royer picks the Nittany Lions.

6′3″ 220 lbs. Manheim (PA) Central DE / LB Dakota Royer ended his recruiting process today by joining the Blue and White becoming the 15th member of the recruiting class. Rated a 3-star (Scout) / 4-star (Rivals), Royer has quite a collection of accolades to his name. He won the AP First-Team AAA honors as DE his junior year racking up

86 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 3 deflections and a blocked punt.

Royer held over 24 scholarship offers including ones from Virginia Tech, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame and of course Pittsburgh and Rutgers.

He also played a bit on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver hauling in 56 catches for 1,099 yards and ran for 271 yards and 4 TDs in 40 attempts.

Let’s not forget this superhuman like pool jump that many others athletes are now imitating. At the point this is going, it might join the 40-yard dash in combines.

ESPN had this to say about the newest Nittany Lion:

He has a good get-off and at times will flash real good quickness. He can bring them, separate, and shed. Does a good job of coming across the ball, breaking down, and being able to shuffle and close daylight. He is a solid tackler though he does tend to overrun the ball and have to grab for cloth to bring the ball carrier down. As a pass rusher you would not expect it, but the kid has some speed rush flare to him. He can get up-field, attack the outside shoulder, get some body lean, and turn the corner.

NittanyNetwork got a chance to interview Royer at the Penn State camp on May 2nd, 2009. This is what he had to say:

I went up there and felt at home

Welcome to the Greatest Show in College Football Dakota Royer.

With Royer becoming the 15th member of this year’s recruiting class, this leaves just about 4 scholarships for the Penn State staff to use for this class. And with recruits like (Carlsbad, CA ATH) Kenny Stills in the mix, things on the recruiting front can become really interesting in the final 6 month stretch before Signing Day. Kenny Still just set up his official visit to Penn State for the November 7 showdown with Ohio State which incidentally will also mark Penn State’s 300th home game in Beaver Stadium.

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