Penn State Football: 2017 Class Gets One More In Star Linebacker

With national signing day just 48 hours away, Penn State picked up a key addition to its 2017 haul in four-star linebacke and Under Armour All-American Ellis Brooks.

Brooks hails from Richmond, Va., and is the nation’s 13th ranked linebacker according to the 247Network’s composite rankings. On the scales Brooks coming in a 6-foot-2, 233-pounds and brings two state championships with him from Benedictine College Prep. 

Previously Brooks had been committed to Duke as of last March but opened his recruiting in May, eventually taking official visits to Maryland, Northwestern, LSU, Oregon and Penn State.

The verbal commitment is particularly important for Penn State as the Nittany Lions looked to fill the void left behind by four-star linebacker Dylan Rivers who recently flipped his commitment to Virginia Tech.

Brooks joins early enrollee Brelin Faison-Walden and Brailyn Franklin as the the three linebackers in Penn State’s 2017 class. The Nittany Lions are currently ranked No. 15 in the nation per the 247Network with 19 verbal commitments. All are expected to become official during Wednesday’s national signing day event.