Penn State has finally put a bow on a hectic and largely successful June recruiting period.
Through official visit weekends, prospect camps, two decommitments and 11 new verbal pledges, Penn State left June and entered the recruiting “dead period” as the nation’s eighth-best 2025 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite. The Nittany Lions feature 20 players at this time, with plenty more major targets still yet to decide. And the latest addition was a big one.
Jeff Exinor, a four-star wide receiver from the familiar McDonogh School in Maryland, rounded out Penn State’s month with a Friday night commitment. He chose Penn State over the hometown Terrapins and Virginia Tech.
Exinor is a big-bodied receiver, standing 6-2 and 220 pounds, and he uses that frame well on the field. We’ll dive deeper into the wideout’s film, where he shows a mostly polished game from the outside.
You can find all of Exinor’s published highlights on his Hudl page, but we’ll focus on his 2023 highlight reel.
Catch Radius
The first clip in Exinor’s reel shows something Penn State fans should be excited to see: a contested catch for a touchdown. Penn State’s current roster is more or less devoid of big-bodied wide receivers who can go after the ball at its highest point and rip it away from a defender. After all, the lack of deep passing was one of the Lions’ most-talked-about issues in 2023.
In that first clip, even with an underthrown pass, Exinor is able to make the adjustment and time the jump for the touchdown. Later, at the 2:20 mark, he slides between two defenders and hauls in a pass that looks sure to be intercepted. It was an incredible leaping effort that once again shows the boost Exinor could bring to Penn State.
Route running and versatility Exinor runs deep go routes most often when making plays, as he’s bigger and faster than most of the defensive backs across from him. But when asked to do something more, Exinor is capable of it.
McDonogh runs a number of tunnel screens featuring Exinor as the target, and his footwork is strong enough to turn upfield quickly.
He also tends to break a tackle or two on his way. What’s more impressive, though, is his knowledge of the full route tree and his ability to sink into soft spots between corners and safeties.
His clip at the 37-second mark is the first to jump out. He runs a high-level stop and go, where he waits on the fake hitch just long enough to pull the corner in before burning his defender deep for a touchdown.
At 1:05, he runs out of a bunched formation and sinks into a soft zone. Plenty of high school receivers will continue running that route to the sideline, losing the opportunity for their quarterback to make the throw.
At 3:05, a pair of back-to-back clips show his versatility. In the first, he slows his route down just enough after getting behind the corner to open a window for the throw. In the second, he sticks his foot in the ground on a sharp in-breaking post.
Exinor will need to gain some speed at the next level, something Penn State’s staff has been adamant about with current players. But he has a strong base in terms of footwork and route running.
Physicality
Exinor is a multi-sport star, having surpassed the 1,000-point milestone in basketball last winter. He often looks like he’s posting up or boxing out for a rebound when making grabs on Friday nights.
Around the 1:15 mark of his highlight reel, he finds a soft spot in a confused defense and keeps his back flat to defenders to clear space for the catch.
At the 1:50 timestamp, Exinor beats press coverage with active hands and burns his defender for the score. He’ll face significantly tougher defensive backs in the Big Ten, but he has the early foundation to be a true deep threat who features the size and physicality. Plus, he’s already got a good-looking signature touchdown celebration, throwing up the “X” with his arms.
