Penn State lands another top Pa. recruit, Scranton Prep RB London Montgomery
Penn State coach James Franklin received a verbal commitment Monday from running back London Montgomery, who rushed for 2,356 yards and 36 touchdowns in only 10 games last season for Scranton Prep.
Montgomery’s pledge gives the Nittany Lions’ 2023 recruiting class six of the top 14 players in Pennsylvania, according to Rivals.com rankings. He is ranked No. 14 in the state among all prospects and No. 23 among running backs in the nation (second in Pennsylvania).
Penn State’s other in-state recruits include Wyomissing offensive tackle Jven Williams (No. 3), North Penn wide receiver Yazeed Haynes (No. 4) of Lansdale, Chartiers Valley cornerback Lamont Payne (No. 5), Philadelphia Roman Catholic defensive end Jameiel Lyons (No. 8) and Exeter tight end Joey Schlaffer (No. 12) of Reading.
At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Montgomery is a three-sport athlete at Scranton Prep. After football last season, he played basketball and ran track, winning a District 2 Class 2A gold medal in the 200-meter dash and finishing seventh in the 100 at the PIAA championships.
During the football season, he led Scranton Prep to an undefeated regular season, the Lackawanna Football Conference Division II title and the District 2 Class 3A championship.
Montgomery missed two games due to covid protocols, but recorded two with more than 300 yards and four with at least five touchdowns. His personal best for the season was a 373-yard effort against Scranton, a Class 6A opponent. In the first game back after his absence, he rushed for 353 yards, with six total touchdowns against Lake-Lehman.
“He is a terrific player,” rival coach Steve Shumbres of Scranton told the Times-Tribune of Scranton. “His game against us last year, he came out at the end of the third quarter, otherwise the LFC would have had a new single-game rushing record. He is a great player and a great kid. He is easy to root for when he isn’t going against you.”
“He has the speed, and obviously the power and durability to carry the ball 40 times in a game,” Valley View coach George Howanitz said. “Anybody at any level of football who can carry the ball 40 times, you have to tip your hat to them. That is impressive.
“He came as advertised. He is one of the toughest we have played in the last 5-10 years. You have to give him a lot of credit.”
Montgomery joins Penn State’s 17-man class of 2023 that is ranked No. 8 in the nation, second in the Big Ten to top-ranked Ohio State, according to Rivals.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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