STATE COLLEGE — Penn State was expecting a big recruiting weekend for Saturday night’s Whiteout game against Auburn, and coach James Franklin and his Nittany Lions staff are getting just that.
Chartiers Valley three-star Lamont Payne announced his commitment to Penn State at halftime of the Whiteout to give the Nittany Lions their second pledge in the Class of 2023. Payne made his announcement on social media Saturday night.
Payne checks in as a three-star recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings, and he’s ranked as the No. 9 player in Pennsylvania, the No. 33 cornerback nationally and the No. 308 overall prospect in the class. Rivals ranks Payne as a four-star recruit, the No. 8 player in the state, the No. 32 cornerback nationally and the No. 228 overall prospect in the class.
He seems to fit the profile of other defensive backs recruited by Penn State in recent seasons with 247Sports listing him at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds.
Payne’s offer list featured Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse and West Virginia, among others.
No. 10 Penn State leads No. 22 Auburn, 14-10, at halftime at Beaver Stadium.
The Western Pennsylvania prospect — Chartiers Valley is located southwest of Pittsburgh — is the second member of Penn State’s Class of 2023. He joins Broad Run (Va.) offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier, who is ranked as a five-star recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Payne made three visits to State College this summer, according to his 247Sports profile. One of those visits was for the Lasch Bash at the end of July. Earlier this week, Payne tweeted he was returning to Penn State for the Whiteout.
Penn State reportedly has more than 50 uncommitted prospects with scholarship offers on campus this weekend, and the majority of the 24-prospect Class of 2022, which is ranked No. 1 in the 247Sports composite rankings, is also on campus.
Read more: Penn State men’s basketball: 4-star center commits to Micah Shrewsberry’s Nittany Lions
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Penn State coverage on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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