Penn State football team picks up first 2019 recruiting commitment of Lasch Bash weekend

Three-star wide receiver Emery Simmons verbally committed to Penn State late Saturday night, becoming the 13th member of the Nittany Lions’ heralded 2019 recruiting class.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound pass-catcher flipped his commitment from North Carolina.

Simmons, along with a collection of top-tier recruits, were in State College this weekend for Penn State’s annual Lasch Bash — a weekend-long event that features a cookout at the Lasch Football Building, campus tours and more. It is the program’s biggest summer recruiting push before fall camp opens and the season gets underway.

The Lasch Bash, which started under Bill O’Brien, has thrived under James Franklin — and Simmons’ commitment is just another example of that. 

Simmons, a North Carolina native, held offers from the Tar Heels, Indiana, Duke and East Carolina, per 247 Sports. He committed to the Hoosiers on March 18, then flipped to North Carolina on June 20. And now, the No. 68-ranked receiver in the country is a Nittany Lion. 

Simmons is the second wide receiver this cycle, linking up with four-star Florida product John Dunmore.