ESPN: 2025 New Jersey Star Player commits to Rutgers Football And Was Ask To Live Has Been Reversed By…
Omari Gaines, an athlete from Shabazz High School, made a major announcement today regarding his commitment to Penn State Football, which is encouraging news for the team as they continue to dominate the recruiting trail in the state of New Jersey.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound recruit, who plays high school ball at Shabazz High School in Newark, New Jersey, decided to play for the Penn State Nittany Lions despite receiving offers from a number of other universities, including Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Syracuse, and West Virginia.
Gaines told NN, “It was really just the hospitality leading up to my most recent visit.” “It was really just the relationship I have with James Franklin and the entire staff—I’ve been to Penn State a lot.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time around it because I’ve been camping there since the eighth grade. It’s a college town, and I think Penn State has everything I would have liked to see in a university in the future.
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NATIONAL 17 ST 42 POS OMARI GAINES
2025 Shabazoz Newark, NJ 6’3” | 175 LBS | ATH
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Gaines continued by stating that his decision to commit was largely influenced by the relationships he had developed over the years with a number of staff members.
“Coaches Terry Smith, Khalil Ahmad, Gabe Infante, and Bryce Jones are the ones I speak with the most,” stated Gaines. “Coach Terry has not only visited my school but has been coaching up since I camped there in the eighth grade. Aside from that, coach Khalil recruited me while he was at Syracuse and Rutgers, and coach Infante has been doing so since Temple. Since I spend the most of my visits with the DBs coaches, it goes without saying that I developed such ties with them.
Gaines’ acquisition now not only provides Penn State with a legitimate defensive back prospect, but it should also aid in their efforts to attract other players throughout the state. Nasir Gaines, the father of the player, was dubbed the most powerful guy in New Jersey football by NJ.com in October 2019.
The Brick City Lions Pop Warner squad is owned and operated by Nasir Gaines. Through this program, alumni have gone on to play for various power-five schools, including East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Among those names should be recognizable to you is Amin Vanover, the defensive end that Penn State now has.
Omari Gaines stated, “I’m trying to get my guys Jaylen (McClain) and Kaj (Sanders) to join me.” They are aware of my origins, and I believe there is nowhere else for me to go. To be honest, hardly many schools offer the same familial culture as those up there. Apart from that, we all grew up with the Nittany Lions and the Brick City Lions, so it was destined to be. Going to the next level with us together is risky.
Additionally, Gaines’ dedication will aid the Nittany Lions in luring in more Shabazz High School talents. Two 2024 offensive lineman Judah Pruitt and 2025 athlete Daveion Porter, both of whom have already received power-five offers, are now included in the program as power-five level recruits.
Gaines’ arrival means that Penn State now has two verbal commits in the 2025 class; the other is Jaelyne Matthews, an offensive lineman and Rivals100 member from New Jersey.
