ALTOONA, Pa. -- Penn State signed a very good -- but not great -- recruiting class, and the program enjoyed its usual hoopla during a fun and exciting signing day Wednesday.
The Lions did indeed sign all 25 players, as expected. The program has been very good when it comes to locking down everybody for the early signing day.
"There's a lot to be said for a drama-free signing day," James Franklin said. "Again, I think we take that for granted. I think it's very telling about the staff and how thorough and detailed we are. I think it's very telling about our process, that we don't pressure guys to commit. I also think it's very telling about the type of young men we recruit, the families that they come from and the high school coaches and people they are surrounded with, so that's been great and I'm very, very appreciative of that."
Here are some basics to know:
• Penn State's class comes in at No. 14 in the 247Sports national rankings, No. 15 at On3 and No. 17 at Rivals. All of those outlets use different formulas, which explains the different rankings.
• For our purposes here, all rankings cited will be from the 247Sports composite. That's a reflection of how all the major recruiting services view each player.
• The Lions have zero 5-star recruits, 16 4-stars and nine 3-stars. The highest-rated member of the class is tight end Luke Reynolds from Connecticut. He's rated as a 5-star guy by 247Sports, but in their composite, he's only a 4-star. So, again, for consistency purposes, we'll use the composite for everyone.
"I think if you look at our class, it's pretty well-rounded," Franklin said. "We were really able to fill needs at every position, as well as signing so we can continue to develop across the board. I thought our length in this class is better than what it's typically been."
THE NATIONAL RANKING
Yes, having the No. 14 class in the nation is good. Yes, Franklin and his staff have done a good job in recruiting. Yes, the Lions can win a lot of games and get to the College Football Playoff with top 15 classes.
But, as with everything, we're looking at Penn State with how it compares to the best of the best, and in that regard, being at No. 14 is a little underwhelming. Here's the top 20.
1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Florida State
5. Texas
6. Miami
7. Oklahoma
8. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
10. Florida
11. Auburn
12. LSU
13. Tennessee
14. Penn State
15. Clemson
16. Michigan
17. USC
18. South Carolina
19. Texas A&M
20. Nebraska
The bottom line is that several of the elite programs in college football also dominate in recruiting: Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, etc. If those players are consistently getting better recruits than Penn State, and also getting better transfers, which often is the case, then it becomes more difficult to catch those teams.
For instance, we thought Ohio State was a little bit down this year, and that maybe Penn State had a better overall roster than the Buckeyes. But in reality, even though the rosters were pretty even, the Buckeyes had a GIGANTIC advantage at the most important position -- wide receiver -- and Marvin Harrison Jr. was clearly the difference in the game.
EARLY ENROLLEES
Wow, a whopping 16 commits will enroll early in January, getting a head start on their collegiate careers.
There was a time not long ago when only a handful of guys enrolled early. But now, with everyone wanting to play right away as freshmen, the numbers have increased.
These 16 will enroll early: Liam Andrews, Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Eagan Boyer, Josiah Brown, De’Andre Cook, Cooper Cousins, T.A. Cunningham, Xavier Gilliam, Ethan Grunkemeyer, Jaylen Harvey, Kari Jackson, Quinton Martin Jr., Jon Mitchell, Luke Reynolds, Garrett Sexton and Vaboue Toure.
"We've got a ton of guys coming in early," Franklin said. "Again, that's not something ... some programs pressure guys to come in early. We don't do it, but it continues to trend in that direction more and more, guys wanting to get on campus as early as possible. So we are excited about that.
"But I think there's also going to be opportunities for guys to come into summer and still be able to impact our program and our roster and we saw that last year as well. So that will continue."
How much will it help those guys competing early in their careers?
"I think, obviously, when you're able to get guys on campus earlier, I don't think it's the end-all be-all, but it helps," Franklin said. "I mean, when they are here in the spring, learning the system, getting comfortable, getting a feel, it allows them to be better positioned to legitimately compete in the summer and during training camp.
"So you know, the number of guys, 16 guys coming in early, I think that helps. Now, I do think we got nine guys coming in the summer, that if they approach it the right way will still be able to compete and we've seen examples of that.
"So that's why you see the number trending. There's a lot of reasons why academically it makes sense in terms of the possibility of getting a master's degree while they are here, the likelihood of that improving. Playing as a true freshman, the likelihood of that increases."
DOMINATE THE STATE
Penn State did so once again, landing three of the top four prospects (Martin, Cousins, Williams) and five of the top 11.
"From literally my first press conference, we are going to make Pennsylvania a priority," Franklin said. "I think we did a really good job of that the last couple years. That continues to be a priority for us. We want the best players in PA to stay in PA, and specifically, at Penn State. If you look at us, we have a tremendous hit, if you say, in terms of the guys that have chosen to stay home.
"We have hit really well in terms of those guys staying home and being successful, whether that is a guy like Saquon Barkley or Micah Parsons or Miles Sanders, Abdul Carter. I can go on and on; Nick Singleton, the guys that have chosen to stay home as high-profile recruits, and there's a number of guys I could name."
WHAT KIND OF PERSON?
There was a good question posed to Franklin about what kind of person the Penn State program is looking for. Franklin gave a very long and thoughtful answer, which I'm including in its entirety.
This is good stuff.
"I think we have done a good job of this because again, we are responsible for 125 18-to-22-year-old males, the most unpredictable group of people on the planet, and we are responsible for them, unfairly, 24 hours a day," Franklin said.
"We have worked really hard at making sure we know what we're bringing into the locker room, not perfect, but make sure we know who we are bringing in the locker room, who we are bringing into the Happy Valley community, who we are bringing in to the brotherhood of lettermen, and making sure that the guys that we take that the lettermen are going to be proud of those guys. The community is going to be proud of.
"And again, that's not easy. But I think we do a ton of homework there. Just like myself, they are not all perfect. But I do believe the guys that we're bringing within our structure and within our support system will flourish. I really believe that. I've got a ton of examples of guys that have flourished under the structure and under the system.
"So for us, I talk to the staff a lot about [not getting] intoxicated by talent and talent alone. You know, look at the transcript. There's a ton of information on that transcript besides just GPA: Absences, tardies, the type of classes they are taking. Ask a ton of questions at the school. You guys heard me talk about this before. Talk to the high school coach, but there's pressure on the high school coach, right. Talk to the teachers. Talk to the guidance counselor. Talk to the principal. Talk to the other students in the hallway. You guys have heard me talk about this before.
"My mom was a hall aide as well as a janitor in our school system. Talk to them. They know everything, and how these young men treat those people that work in those buildings I think is very, very telling.
"Talk to other coaches in the community that don't have the pressure to talk kindly about the kids. Get information from them. Be willing to ask the tough, uncomfortable questions.
"You know, and it's funny because I say the same thing to the recruits. I'm a big boy, you won't hurt my feelings. Ask the tough questions. If there's concerns that you or your family have or other schools have negative recruited, just ask. Let us talk through these things, and that's part of building that trust and that relationship.
"Then again, not telling recruits and families and for the most part, the kids that we're recruiting into families, they appreciate the transparency; that we are not just telling them everything they want to hear. 'Oh, you want to wear No. 1? You got No. 1, and you've told that to every recruit in the class, even the O-lineman. Like, are you going to start as a true freshman? Oh, yeah, you're going to start as a true freshman. Back when we were in Pollock dorms, oh, you're going to have your own room with your own bathroom'. And then they showed up and they didn't.
"Like we are an under-promise, over-deliver program. I think sometimes we lose kids for that because we don't sell them on a fantasy. We sell them on the reality. But I think, when you sell young men and their families on the reality, then I have a better chance of holding them accountable to what the expectations are once they get here and that trust is established, and then once they get here, you're able to build on that trust and that relationship.
"Because, as you guys know, as well as I, it's not going to go perfect. You know, they are going to think they are going to play as a true freshman. Some will. Some won't. Some are going to expect to play as redshirt freshmen or true sophomores and maybe they don't get the same amount of playing time that they thought they were going to get. Or maybe they miss a couple field goals and then social media blows up on them. Like there's going to be adversity that comes.
"So by really developing this relationship based on trust, and love and support through the good times and bad times, I think allows you to overcome some of those things. And we have been fortunate. We have been fortunate through chemistry, love, support, honesty, transparency, that I think we have been able to work through a lot of issues that can be challenging at times."
EXPERT ANALYSIS
Here's a great overview of the recruiting class from 247Sports' Tyler Calvaruso, who was a guest on this week's We Are podcast.
"There were some misses in the class with certain prospects, such as life on the recruiting trail. You're not going to have a 100% hit rate. That's something that Penn State is well aware of. They are very content with the class that they do have in place.
"When you look at the top of the class you have Luke Reynolds, who went from a tight end prospect who was ranked I believe outside of the top 1,000 when he committed to Penn State, and we now have him ranked as the top tight end in the entire nation in the 2024 class. So that speaks to the evaluation skills of the staff I would say.
"Quinton Martin was a big-time get. Belle Vernon standout, was a guy Penn State wanted for a really, really long time dating back to when he was an underclassmen at Belle Vernon. So, to go out and get that one done with some pretty fierce competition from some programs who are big-time NIL players, that was a big deal for Penn State.
"They hit on multiple top targets on the defensive line in Liam Andrews, and the edge rusher from Maryland, Jaylen Harvey, was a top target for Deion Barnes, really from the moment he stepped in to the defensive line coaching job.
"So, Penn State hit on a lot of guys that they wanted, and they accomplished what they wanted to accomplish at pretty much every position, especially at quarterback.
"Going out and landing Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has developed into a top 100 recruit out of Olentangy High in Ohio, that's big for continuity sake. It's three straight cycles that Penn State has gone out and landed a quarterback who participated in the Elite 11 finals, and not only participated but shined at the Elite 11 finals in California.
"Grunkemeyer has really been a top-tier leader in this class. He didn't waver following the firing of Mike Yurcich, he remained locked in with Penn State. He has been a vocal leader behind the scenes with this class, keeping the group together and just even outstanding from our perspective.
"So, there's a lot of optimism about this class and what it can accomplish when it makes it to campus. And the good news is the majority of this chunk is going to be enrolling early for the spring semester in January. So, those guys are gonna be getting to work sooner rather than later."
THE COMMITS
Here's a look at all 25 members of the recruiting class, along with some comments from Franklin about certain guys.
RB QUINTON MARTIN
School: Belle Vernon High in Pennsylvania
Height/weight: 6-2/200
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 1 in Pennsylvania, No. 4 athlete in nation, No. 56 overall
Franklin: "I actually think both Quinton and Corey (Smith) could play wide receiver for us. It's kind of back to the conversation we had about Liam [Andrews]. The guys that we are recruiting really should be recruitable prospects on both sides of the ball. You should be able to make the argument that those guys are able to do it and do it at a high level. Here is Quinton who is the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania based on ratings and rankings, depending on how much stock you put into that kind of stuff. But really, was low maintenance. You know, Quinton and his family and his support system have been awesome. He was able to lead his team to a state Championship Game this year. Committed to us. Never wavered. Stopped flirting with other schools and other teams. Totally shut it down. Really has done extremely well academically. Has just been awesome."
TE LUKE REYNOLDS
School: Cheshire Academy in Connecticut
Height/weight: 6-4.5/220
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 1 in Connecticut, No. 6 tight end in nation, No. 74 overall
QB ETHAN GRUNKEMEYER
School: Olentangy High in Ohio
Height/weight: 6-2/190
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 4 in Ohio, No. 8 QB in nation, No. 97 overall
Franklin: "He's proved that, you know, over his entire career, and really over the last probably year and a half, he has really taken it to a different level. His high school and his high school coach did a phenomenal job with him. His quarterback trainer, as you know now, we've got history with him. He's done a great job with him as well. His family have done a great job. This kid is wired right. He's been raised right. Discipline and structure at his high school. Discipline and structure in his home. I think all these things lend a young man to have success when he gets in our structure and discipline. I think he's fortunate. I think more times than not, especially at the quarterback position, you know, are there exceptions? Yes. But more times than not, you like to come in and sit behind a guy for a year and learn and take it all in. I think there's a reason why Drew (Allar) threw 23 touchdown passes and one interception, whatever that number was this year. I think being able to sit behind Sean (Clifford) and learn behind Sean was valuable."
DL LIAM ANDREWS
School: Dexter School in Massachusetts
Height/weight: 6-5/260
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 2 in Massachusetts, No. 18 OT in nation, No. 133 overall
Franklin on Andrews playing D-line instead of O-line: "We were recruiting him hard as an offensive lineman, and thought he had a chance to be special as an offensive lineman. But I think you guys know with us, we are an under-promise, over-deliver program and I'm not going to tell a guy what he wants to hear to get him here and then switch it with other alternative motives or agendas, we are not going to that. When we decided to say, hey, we are going to take you as a defensive lineman, if I'm remembering the timeline correctly, Deion [Barnes] was able to go see him work out, whether it was off-campus, at like a New England showcase or whether it was here, and we legitimately felt like this guy has a chance to be a special defensive lineman."
OL COOPER COUSINS
School: McDowell High in Pennsylvania
Height/weight: 6-6/315
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 2 in Pennsylvania, No. 3 interior offensive lineman in nation, No. 110 overall
Franklin: "Coop is kind of an unusual guy, right. I think, first of all, he could play all five positions. You don't usually see a 6-6, 320-pound guy play center. I think that's unusual. In some ways, I think it hurt him in the rankings because I think when they ranked him as an offensive lineman, they ranked him as an interior guy and they always rank the interior guys lower than the tackles. From having him in camp, I think he could play all five spots and there's tremendous value in guys like that. He came to every camp. That was unique. We played him at tackle, and he showed he could do it. He's got a nasty streak. And to your point, he doesn't look like a high school kid. He's a lean 6-6, 320 pounds, which is unusual."
CB JON MITCHELL
School: Mandarin High in Florida
Height/weight: 6-0/177
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 19 in Florida, No. 15 cornerback in nation, No. 142 overall
OT GARRETT SEXTON
School: Arrowhead High in Wisconsin
Height/weight: 6-7/265
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 2 in Wisconsin, No. 19 OT in nation, No. 213 overall
S DEJUAN LANE
School: Gilman High in Maryland
Height/weight: 6-3/195
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 10 in Maryland, No. 36 safety in nation, No. 313 overall
RB COREY SMITH
School: Catholic Memorial High in Wisconsin
Height/weight: 5-11/170
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 4 in Wisconsin, No. 28 RB in nation, No. 360 overall
S VABOUE TOURE
School: Irvington High in New Jersey
Height/weight: 6-0/195
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 6 in New Jersey, No. 37 safety in nation, No. 327 overall
DE JAYLEN HARVEY
School: Quince Orchard High in Maryland
Height/weight: 6-2/250
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 12 in Maryland, No. 31 DE in nation, No. 367 overall
LB ANTHONY SPECA
School: Central Catholic High in Pittsburgh
Height/weight: 6-2/220
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 10 in Pennsylvania, No. 37 LB in nation, No. 452 overall
DL T.A. CUNNINGHAM
School: Grayson High in Georgia
Height/weight: 6-6/275
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 57 in Georgia, No. 52 LB in nation, No. 447 overall
OL DONOVAN HARBOUR
School: Catholic Memorial in Wisconsin
Height/weight: 6-3/220
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 3 in Wisconsin, No. 16 OL in nation, No. 268 overall
WR JOSIAH BROWN
School: Malverne High in New York
Height/weight: 6-0/170
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 2 in New York, No. 58 WR in nation, No. 351 overall
Franklin: "When you talk about Josiah Brown, he was a guy that we identified very early on. Had track times to back it up. Came to camp. Ran really well in camp. Suffered an injury his senior year, which limited some of his impact for his team and maybe some on the rankings, as well."
DE MYLACHI WILLIAMS
School: Monsignor Bonner in Pennsylvania
Height/weight: 6-3/215
Star rating: 4 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 4 in Pennsylvania, No. 22 DE in nation, No. 256 overall
WR TYSEER DENMARK
School: Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia
Height/weight: 5-11/180
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 11 in Pennsylvania, No. 68 WR in nation, No. 459 overall
Franklin: "We were able to evaluate him on film but also in seven-on-seven, live in camp, and just supreme confidence. Ball skills. Change of direction. It was obvious very early on that we wanted him and felt like he had a chance to be kind of a difference-maker for us in this class."
CB KENNETH WOSELEY
School: Imhotep Institute in Philadelphia
Height/weight: 5-11/170
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 14 in Pennsylvania, No. 44 WR in nation, No. 545 overall
LB KARI JACKSON
School: West Bloomfield High in Michigan
Height/weight: 6-2/215
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 13 in Pennsylvania, No. 46 LB in nation, No. 507 overall
OT EAGAN BOYER
School: William Amos Hough High in North Carolina
Height/weight: 6-7/250
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 17 in North Carolina, No. 46 OT in nation, No. 558 overall
OT CALEB BREWER
School: Wyomissing High in Pennsylvania
Height/weight: 6-4/275
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 15 in Pennsylvania, No. 39 OT in nation, No. 578 overall
CB ANTOINE BELGRAVE-SHORTER
School: Mandarin High in Florida
Height/weight: 6-0/180
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 92 in Florida, No. 56 WR in nation, No. 660 overall
DE XAVIER GILLIAM
School: Quince Orchard High in Maryland
Height/weight: 6-3/265
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 22 in New Jersey, No. 80 DE in nation, No. 721 overall
DL DE'ANDRE COOK
School: Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington D.C.
Height/weight: 6-4/260
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 4 in D.C., No. 103 DL in nation, No. 882 overall
WR PETER GONZALEZ
School: Central Catholic High in Pittsburgh
Height/weight: 6-2.5/200
Star rating: 3 stars
Prospect rankings: No. 27 in Pennsylvania, No. 119 WR in nation, No. 882 overall
Franklin: "A guy that came to camp, we told him the things that he needed to work on and to watch the improvement he made was significant. (Peter's) dad played college football and played in the NFL, as well. (There's) value in that. And really, just his measurables; height, weight, speed, and had a really productive senior year."
