If there was any worry that the Lions lost some 2018 juice, they got it in a big way in the last week.

The latest of the Lions’ flurry of verbal commitments might’ve been the most crucial one of the bunch.

On Tuesday, Penn State picked up a commitment from four-star safety Isheem Young.

 

Young is rated the No. 12 safety and the No. 116 player overall in the 2018 class. The Philadelphia native is the No. 5 recruit in the state of Pennsylvania, according to the 247sports composite.

He picked the Lions over the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State and others. The 5-9 1/2, 205-pound safety made that announcement after taking an unofficial visit to Happy Valley over the weekend.

With Young on board, the Lions now have 10 players rated as four-star recruits in the 247sports composite. Young is the fifth-highest rated recruit, and the highest-rated defensive player in PSU’s 2018 class.

With six commitments in the last four days, the Lions are up to 20 verbal pledges in their 2018 class, which is ranked No. 3 nationally.