BREAKING: Penn State Football Adds 2026 Safety Commit
On this first day of spring practice Penn State football has landed a new commitment. This afternoon the Nittany Lions gained the pledge of Imani Christian defensive back, David Davis. Davis slots in as the 346th best player in the country according to ON3’s industry ranking. He is also good for 9th best in the state of Pennsylvania.
Davis holds offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan State, Kentucky and others.
The Pittsburgh area standout is listed as an athlete suggesting he may have some position versatility. At 5-11 Davis is just a touch undersized, but that shouldn’t hinder him that much at the next level.
What Does Davis bring to the table at Penn State?
The WPIAL product will bring a lot to the Nittany Lions. Davis has played, QB, RB, WR, CB and S at Imani Christian. He is likely either a safety or corner when he gets to Happy Valley. Davis’s film shows elite ball skills in the secondary as well as an ability to stick his face in the fan, come downhill and make plays. Both of these traits are traits that make up elite defensive backs.
One area Davis may have to improve on is his speed and keeping up with receivers. Throughout his film there were a few times where he got beat off the line of scrimmage but made up for it and broke up the pass with his elite ball skills.
Overall, I think James Franklin and co. are getting a very solid prospect.
Where does Davis’s Commitment leave the rest of the Safety Board?
Penn State now have two safeties committed this cycle, Matt Sieg and David Davis. Granted, Davis could wind up at cornerback. But how does this impact the other Penn State safeties?
There are really two other priority targets at safety as of right now.
The first is Joey O’Brien. O’Brien is a must have for James Franklin in this class. No matter if Penn State has 5 safeties committed, they would still gladly accept O’Brien. The question is, does Davis’s commitment signal that Penn State has lost ground on O’Brien? Only time will tell the answer to that question. I tend to believe that Penn State has taken Davis for his versatility and in order to keep the western Pennsylvania pipeline going. I think Davis’s commitment has little to do with O’Brien.
The second recruit is Maryland native Darrell Carey. The Davis pledge probably means that Carey will become less of a priority for James Franklin and the Nittany Lions. One way this could change is if Penn State views Davis as a cornerback. Again, time will tell, but to me, Davis’s commitment makes Carey a little bit less likely of an option for Penn State in this cycle.
More Penn State news from NittanyCentral:
James Franklin To-Do list for the class of 2026
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.