Penn State signs Minnesota high school defensive end to a national letter of intent

Penn State added one more player Wednesday to its signing class for 2021, a consensus four-star defensive end from Minnesota who only began playing high school football in his junior year.

Davon Townley Jr., a 6-foot-6, 250-pound former basketball player from Minneapolis and North High School, became the 16th player to put his name on a national letter of intent for the 2021 Nittany Lions. Coach James Franklin signed the remainder of the class on the Dec. 16 early signing date, with seven of the recruits having enrolled for the spring semester.

Franklin also acquired five players, including two defensive linemen, from the NCAA transfer portal, and it seems likely he could add another, possibly a quarterback, after two-year backup quarterback Will Levis announced last month that he would transfer.

It was a busy day for football programs throughout the nation on the traditional signing day.

Temple did not add any new signees to the 12 high school players and five transfers who committed to the Owls during the early signing period. Since that time, three more transfers have joined the program: defensive linemen Xach Gill and Lancine Turay from North Carolina and running back Iverson Clement, a former star at Rancocas Valley who transferred from Florida.

Rutgers added nine players to the 23 signed in December, including linebacker Todd Bowles Jr., the son of the former Temple star and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator, and offensive lineman Terrence Salami of Willingboro, N.J., and Holy Cross Prep.

In an interview with Rivals national recruiting director Mike Farrell, Franklin said the signing of Townley was “a big get for us” to improve depth at defensive end, which lost starters Shaka Toney and Jayson Oweh and backup Shane Simmons from the 2020 team.

Franklin thinks Townley has a chance to be a similarly athletic defensive end like he had with 6-7, 270-pound Carl Nassib and 6-5, 264-pound Yetur Gross-Matos, both of whom are in the NFL.

“We just thought he was a guy with a huge upside,” Franklin said. “So we’re really excited. I think he’s got a chance. I kind of think he fits the mold of a defensive end with length and athleticism that we’ve had success with.”

Townley also had interest from Minnesota, Nebraska, Washington, and other schools but settled on Penn State.

“They never stopped recruiting me,” Townley said in an interview with Rivals. “The opportunity to play in the Big Ten and play at a major program like Penn State, it was too great of an opportunity to pass up.”

In updated team recruiting rankings Wednesday, Penn State was rated No. 21 by 247Sports, No. 26 by Rivals and No. 27 by ESPN.

As for Temple, coach Rod Carey says he is happy with his recruiting, especially with how the transfers will be coming in to fill specific needs.

Carey said that the Owls have up to five more players they could offer scholarships. If used, they would likely come from the transfer portal.

“We wanted to save some scholarships because after spring ball, there could be players who want to move on,” Carey said on Tuesday in a phone interview with The Inquirer.

That is a situation that is not just limited to Temple. Players who might see themselves low on the depth chart may be looking to transfer.

The NCAA is expected to pass legislation allowing first-time transfers immediate eligibility, which has made the transfer portal extremely busy.

The Owls also signed several preferred walk-ons, including incoming freshman Ali Barkley, a running back from Cheshire Academy in Connecticut. He is the brother of former Penn State and New York Giants star Saquon Barkley.

Rutgers’ early signees included three area players: defensive back Alijah Clark of Camden High, defensive lineman Keshon Griffin of Sicklerville, N.J., and St. Joseph (Hammonton), and offensive lineman Tyler Needham of Newtown, and Penn Charter.