Who said the football program was the only team allowed to recruit on national signing day?

Penn State men’s hockey landed a verbal commitment from left wing Jared Westcott on Wednesday morning, according to the player’s Twitter account.

Very honored and proud to announce my commitment to play D1 hockey for Penn State University! Can’t thank my all of my family, friends, teammates and coaches for helping me achieve this! Dream come true! pic.twitter.com/d6Ce7OUEW2

— Jared Westcott (@jwesty_15) December 19, 2018

Westcott currently plays in the USHL for the Sioux Falls Stampede — the same junior organization which freshman defenseman Paul DeNaples captained last season. The 19-year old ranks second on his team in scoring with 18 points in 21 games played during his first USHL campaign.

It’s not surprising to see Penn State go back to Sioux Falls for recruits — DeNaples is currently one of the Nittany Lions’ most effective defensemen. The freshman is tied for the national lead in plus/minus with a +17 rating in 18 games while playing a steady, simple game.

The Imperial, MO native spent the majority of the 2017-18 season with CarShield hockey club’s AAA U18 squad, but finished the year by playing three games with the NAHL’s Lone Star Brahmas. Current Penn State center Ludvig Larsson also spent one season with Lone Star, scoring 55 points in 51 games played during the 2014-15 season.

Westcott will join Guy Gadowsky’s program in the 2020-21 season. The left-shot forward has a nose for the net and boasts good size, standing at 6’1″ and weighing 185 pounds.

GOALLLLLL! Jared Westcott! pic.twitter.com/mESAZpLPct

— x- Sioux Falls Stampede (@sfstampede) December 5, 2018

Penn State now has 10 prospects committed in its recruiting class of 2020. Four members of its current class — Mason Snell, Connor McMenamin, Tyler Gratton, and Kevin Wall — signed their national letters of intent on November 20 and will join the team next year.