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Penn State Nittany Lions in heated battle against elite group of finalists for top-100 recruit with unreal upside and even better name

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Ryan Roberts | Last updated May 26, 2025 12:33 PM ET

The Penn State Nittany Lions have been on quite the roll in terms of developing the defensive line in recent years. That includes star pass rusher Abdul Carter, who was selected with the No. 3 overall selection by the New York Giants in the 2025 NFL Draft. The program returns Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant for the 2025 college football season, and that should be one of the best defensive duos in the country this fall.

In the 2026 recruiting class, the Nittany Lions are busy pursuing some of the best defensive linemen in the entire class. That includes St. Louis (Mo.) DeSmet star defender Titan Davis, who is one of the toolsier defensive ends in the country. Penn State has made some impact with Davis, having been named to his four finalists over the weekend.

The Nittany Lions were joined by the Alabama Crimson Tide, USC Trojans, and Michigan Wolverines in that top group. As of today, Michigan and Alabama are viewed as the leaders of the finalists, but a lot can change over the next couple of months. Penn State is very much still in the fight.

NEWS: Four-Star DL Titan Davis is down to Alabama, Michigan, USC, & Penn State, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’5 270 DL from Saint Louis, MO is ranked as a Top 10 DL in the ‘26 Class (per On3 Industry)

Where Should He Go? ⬇️https://t.co/ZDUs91nIMg pic.twitter.com/OnREy5ImBh
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 24, 2025

From a pure talent perspective, you aren’t going to find many defensive ends that look the part as much as Davis. At around 6-4 and 262 pounds, he has the frame and upside to develop into a dominant defensive end or even move inside long term. Davis is coming off of a standout junior season for DeSmet, collecting 46 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and nine sacks.

The Missouri standout is considered a consensus four-star player by every major recruiting platform. Davis currently rates as the No. 98 overall player, the No. 13 defensive lineman, and No. 2 player in the state of Missouri for the 2026 recruiting class via the 247Sports Composite ranking. Rivals also has Davis rated inside the top 100 as the No. 95 overall player in the class.

Outside of the finalists for Davis, he has been pursued by a long list of premier programs. Some of the other top programs that have offered Davis include Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Miami, Texas A&M, Florida, Florida State, Nebraska, Auburn, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan State, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Iowa, Iowa State, Arizona State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Purdue, UCLA, Washington, UCF, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and Kansas among many, many others.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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