2027 OT Jimmy Kalis reflects on busy fall visit schedule

It has been a busy fall for rising 2027 offensive tackle Jimmy Kalis out of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.

In addition to competing in his sophomore season with the Vikings, Kalis has been doing a lot of traveling throughout the 2024 college football season. He has taken visits to Penn State, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio State and Ole Miss over the past couple of months.

He concluded his fall slate with an in-state trip to Happy Valley this past weekend. Kalis was able to take in the atmosphere at Penn State’s traditional “White Out” game, as he watched the Nittany Lions dominate Washington by a final score of 35-6.

Prior to that, he was in Knoxville for Tennessee’s 28-18 victory over Kentucky on Nov. 2.

Kalis spoke to Rivals to detail his most recent trips, reflect on his overall visit schedule, discuss what is next for him and more.

The game-day atmosphere at Beaver Stadium for Penn State’s “White Out” contest is known to be one of the best environments in college football. That was definitely something that stood out to Kalis on the trip, but so did being able to spend quality time with the PSU coaches and support staff.

“My favorite part about Penn State is either just talking with all the coaches pregame and just constantly connecting with each other and just building a strong relationship, or walking onto the field and just feeling that atmosphere and energy,” Kalis said.

Kalis felt similar vibes at Neyland Stadium, which came a week before the Penn State trip. The electric environment at Tennessee was something he had not yet witnessed to that point.

“My favorite part about Tennessee was very similar to Penn State,” Kalis noted. “Just taking in Tennessee’s atmosphere is like something I’ve never felt.”