Penn State Recruit Jven Williams Breaks a Penn State Legend's State Record - Sports Illustrated

Joe Kovacs' Pennsylvania high school shot put record stood for 15 years. The Penn State graduate will be happy to know that a future Nittany Lion broke it.

Jven Williams, a Wyomissing High junior and Penn State football recruit, broke Kovacs' 2007 shot put record Saturday at the PIAA Class 2A Track & Field Championships. Williams launched the shot 66 feet 7.75 inches on his fifth attempt, breaking Kovcas' previous record (64-10.75) by nearly two feet.

Williams also won gold in the discus at the two-day championship meet at Shippensburg University, helping Wyomissing to the Class 2A team title. Even better, Williams won the discus one year after his brother Rushard won the event at the 2021 PIAA championships.

Williams, who committed to Penn State's 2023 recruiting class in February, is a four-star offensive line prospect, according to 247Sports. The 6-4, 285-pound lineman was an all-state selection last season and helped Wyomissing to the Class 3A state-championship game.

Williams is Pennsylvania's top-ranked player in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports' composite ratings, and a top-10 offensive tackle nationally. He's certainly a player Kovacs will enjoy watching. Perhaps Williams could follow Kovacs' track & field successes as well.

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Kovacs, a 2011 Penn State graduate, was a Big Ten shot put champion before embarking on an elite international career. He is a two-time world champion and Olympic silver medalist in the shot put, having won his second Olympic medal at the 2020 Summer Games.

Kovacs attended Penn State initially hoping to walk on with the football team. He remains a huge Nittany Lions football fan, having held his bachelor party at the 2018 Penn State-Ohio State game. Kovacs currently ranks No. 3 in the world in the shot put.

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