Early National Signing Day 2023: Penn State signs eight of Pennsylvania’s top high school football seniors

Three of the top five players in Pennsylvania will play for the Nittany Lions

On Wednesday during football’s Early National Signing Day, Penn State received National Letters of Intent (NLI) from eight of the top 13 high school football seniors in the state of Pennsylvania, including the top two players and three of the top five (rankings according to 247Sports).

The top player in Pennsylvania is Belle Vernon athlete Quinton Martin. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is also the No. 5 athlete nationally and just helped lead the Leopards to their second straight PIAA Class 3A state championship.

Right behind Martin is McDowell inside offensive lineman Cooper Cousins. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Cousins is the No. 2 player in the state and the No. 2 player in the country at his position.

Linebacker Anthony Speca of Pittsburgh Central Catholic is the No. 5 player in Pennsylvania. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Speca made 94 tackles and had four sacks and 17 tackles for loss for the Vikings this past season.

Two of the top three wide receivers in Pennsylvania are also headed to Happy Valley, as Speca’s Central Catholic teammate Peter Gonzalez and Imhotep Charter’s Tyseer Denmark signed their letters on intent Wednesday.

Gonzalez was second on the Vikings with 47 catches and the No. 7 player in the state led Central Catholic with 1,082 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

Despite missing the playoffs due to PIAA transfer rules, the 5-foot-11 Denmark was second on the team in catches with 30. The No. 8 player in the state, he had 350 yards receiving and was second on the team with four receiving touchdowns.

At No. 10 in the state is defensive end Mylachi Williams of Monsignor Bonner, who at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds was named the Catholic League MVP after making 52 solo tackles with 13 sacks and 28 tackles for loss.

Caleb Brewer of Wyomissing checks in at No. 11 in the state. At 6-foot-4, 275 pounds, the three-star recruit helped open up holes on the offensive line which helped the Spartans average more than 37 points per game.

No. 13 is Kenny Woseley II, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback who helped Imhotep Charter win the Class 5A state championship.

-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh

(Feature photo of McDowell offensive lineman Cooper Cousins by Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports)