Saunders is one of the fastest players in this entire recruiting class regardless of position. The future Nittany Lion was hand timed at a 4.31 and 4.41 from February of 2021. At this same event Saunders shredded DBs and even shined when he flipped sides and played cornerback shutting down receivers. Saunders committed to Penn State last summer over Notre Dame. The Ohio native racked up 47-958-13 (20.4 YPC) in 2020. A major bump from his sophomore year of 20-370-4.
Saunders’ speed on film looks very legit. His speed is a couple notches above anybody else that he faces on a high school field on Friday nights. His ability to accelerate off the line of scrimmage just eats up any cushion that a high school DB gives him. Saunders can reach his top speed very quickly. His burst and acceleration will be among the best in this entire class. He’s extremely smooth, flying around a football field is effortless for Saunders. The crazy part about Saunders’ game is that Penn State does an amazing job at physically developing their personnel in the room weight. Saunders could still get bigger, faster, and more explosive. Saunders is an above-average route runner for a high school recruit, he’s able to create separation without even having to try due to his speed and quickness. Saunders plays a lot of slot in high school and I would expect him to do a lot of the same at Penn State. Giving Saunders a free release of the line of scrimmage with his speed and acceleration is a terrifying idea.
Listed at 5’10” and 172lbs, if those numbers are anywhere near legit Penn State should have no problem getting him over 180lbs during his career. Currently rated 247s 11th best receiver in the country, I expect Saunders to be hovering around a top 5 receiver this time next year for my personal ranks. Saunders has the makings of a special college player. IF Penn State can develop a halfway decent college QB, Saunders will be a major threat on Saturdays in the near future.
Saunders on how Penn State plans to use him:
“They see me playing inside and outside — not just limited to the slot — because of the matchup problems that I can bring,” Saunders said. “With the offense that Coach Yurcich is bringing in and the schemes that he sets, they see me playing inside and outside. Just getting to the best matchups and getting the ball in space.”
If they truly move Saunders around to find the best matchup and to get him the ball in space, watch out.
