ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State's impressive recruiting efforts during this cycle paid off again Tuesday afternoon with a commitment from another top 100 prospect.
That makes three top 100s who have committed to the Nittany Lions so far.
Here's a look at the five most important things to know right now about Penn State's recruiting.
1. 4-STAR D-LINEMAN COMMITS
Penn State picked up a commitment Tuesday from 4-star defensive lineman Tomarrion Parker out of Central High School in Phenix City, Ala. Parker (6-4, 255) is rated the No. 80 prospect in the nation by 247Sports, as well as the No. 8 defensive lineman.
10000% COMMITTED!!! #WeAre23 pic.twitter.com/JTXtF3hfcx
— Tomarrion Parker (@tomarrion) June 21, 2022
Parker also tweeted that he is canceling all other official visits.
This is a huge get for the Lions as they try and stockpile quality defensive linemen for the future, an area the program has excelled for many years.
Parker had offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Florida and a bunch of other power programs. He just visited Penn State over the weekend and decided to commit just a few days later.
Here's what 247Sports wrote in its prospect profile of Parker:
Possesses prototypical size and length at 6-foot-4 and 250-pounds. Has the ability to add additional weight to his frame. Positioned the majority of snaps in a two-point stance in a stand-up pass rushing edge role.
Displays good athletic ability and a natural ability to bend the edge. Smooth mover for his size. Plays with good initial foot and body quickness. ... Projects to a pass rushing edge role in a 3-4 and with his hand in the dirt as a five technique in a 4-3 defense. Position projection will be heavily dependent on the defensive scheme. Arrow is pointing up as the game continues to slow down for him. Projects to high level impact starter at the next level for a Power Five program.
2. LIONS NO. 3 NATIONALLY
Penn State continues to rank third nationally for the class of 2023, behind only Notre Dame and Ohio State.
The Lions have 14 commits thus far, including one 5-star, eight 4-stars and five 3-stars. This is shaping up to be another great class, following upon last year's No. 6 class.
3. THREE TOP 100S
The Lions' highest-rated commit is 5-star offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier (6-5, 285) from Broad Run HIgh School in Virginia. He's rated the No. 32 prospect in the nation and No. 1 in Virginia.
Next up is 4-star offensive tackle J'ven Williams (6-4, 285) from Wyomissing High School in Reading. He's rated the No. 61 prospect in the nation and is No. 1 in Pennsylvania.
Parker makes the third top 100 commit, checking in at No. 80 in the nation and No. 9 in Alabama.
Penn State also picked up a big commitment Friday from the No. 1 player in New York, 3-star defensive lineman Tyriq Blanding (6-3, 275) from Christ The King Regional High School.
So, that gives Penn State the No. 1 recruits from Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York.
4. DOMINATING ANOTHER STATE
The following tweet has great information about how well James Franklin and the Lions are recruiting in Virginia.
Penn State could be on their way to landing 6 of the top 7 recruits in Virginia. Don’t just dominate the state, dominate the region. pic.twitter.com/jGyUQLie98
— PSU Everything (@PSU_Strong) June 21, 2022
5. THE BAD NEWS
There's no doubt Penn State is having a fantastic recruiting cycle, but ... so is Ohio State.
The Buckeyes rank No. 2 nationally, one spot ahead of the Lions, and have 12 commits (two 5-stars, nine 4-stars and one 3-star).
Ohio State has had some outstanding wide receivers in recent years, including two first-round picks in this year's draft (Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave), plus returning star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, brother of Pirates outfield prospect Canaan Smith-Njigba.
Given their wideout success, it's perhaps no surprise that the Buckeyes have landed two 5-star receivers in the past two days. Carnell Tate committed to Ohio State on Monday, and today the Buckeyes landed Brandon Inniss. As noted by ElevenWarriors.com, the Buckeyes have signed 13 wide receivers ranked in the top 100 over the past five years.
No matter how well Penn State is ever doing in anything, it's always important to keep track of what Ohio State is doing, as well. And right now, the Buckeyes are crushing it even more than the Lions.
