Penn State Football Recruiting Roundup: Reviewing 2016 Class, Previewing Class of 2017

An in-depth look at Penn State recruiting, staring with a look back at 2016 and a look ahead to 2017. 

National Signing Day is now behind us and the Nittany Lions’ 2016 recruiting class is in the books. Now the coaching staff’s focus will 100 percent shift to 2017 and beyond when it comes to recruiting.

Class Of 2016

Despite some late de-commitments, including 4-star safety Andrew Pryts flipping to Stanford on signing day, Penn State signed a very strong class this year. .

In the end, the Nittany Lions signed a class consisting of 20 members. According to the 247 Sports composite rankings, Penn State finished with the 19th best class in the country and third best in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan.

The Nittany Lions’ 2016 class is highlighted by a trio of top prospects in offensive lineman Michal Menet, defensive end Shane Simmons, and the nation’s top running back and 5-star recruit, Miles Sanders. While Simmons will likely redshirt, I expect both Menet and Sanders to make a big impact as true freshmen in the fall.

Other members of the class of 2016 that I expect to make an impact as true freshmen this fall include 4-star center Connor McGovern, 3-star JUCO defensive tackle Tyrell Chavis, 3-star punter Blake Gillikin, 3-star kicker Alex Barbir, and JUCO defensive tackle Brenon Thrift.

Quick Analysis Of The 2016 Recruiting Class

Best Player
This one is a very tough call between the trio of Menet, Sanders and Simmons. However, I give the slightest of edges to Menet. The Reading (PA) native is arguably the best interior offensive line prospect in the country, and could play all five positions along the line in college.

Due to his elite combination of power, size, and athleticism, I believe Menet is best suited to play guard in college. Menet is currently six-foot-four and weighs 285 pounds. I expect Menet to be around 300 pounds by the time the season starts, and for him to grab a starting role on the offensive line as a true freshman this fall.

Most Underrated Player
I will say tight end Danny Dalton here. Dalton is a 3-star prospect from Marshfield (MA), but held offers from programs such as Alabama before committing to the Nittany Lions in May. I feel that Dalton often gets overlooked when the 2016 recruiting class is talked about, but Dalton has all the makings of being a very good tight end.

The six-foot-five, 230-pound Dalton has good size and is also very athletic. Furthermore, Dalton enrolled at Penn State in January and has already began to add size and strength. Dalton is absolute perfect fit at tight end in Joe Moorhead’s offense, and I would not be surprised to see him make an impact in the passing game as a true freshman.

Most Important (Non 4 or 5 Star) Get
There are a lot of different players who could get the nod here, but I am going to go with punter Blake Gillikin. Why Blake Gillikin? Well that is because the past two seasons Penn State’s punting game has been, to put it lightly, abysmal.

Poor punting directly cost Penn State a pair of games (Maryland and Illinois) in 2014, and played a large role in losing to Northwestern and Michigan in 2015. Gillikin is the best high school punter in the country, will start from day one in the fall, and should help the Penn State punting game do a complete 180 from the past two seasons.

Looking Ahead To 2017

Penn State’s 2017 recruiting class is already off to a stellar start. Right now, the Nittany Lions have a pair of 2017 commits. For reference, last year at this time the class of 2016 had four commits: Miles Sanders, Shane Simmons, Jake Zembiec, and Lavert Hill.

Penn State’s two class of 2017 commits are 4-star Stephens City (VA) linebacker Dylan Rivers, and 4-star Cincinnati (OH) quarterback Sean Clifford. The Nittany Lions are one of 17 FBS programs that already have multiple 4-star commits for the class of 2017.

Right now the Nittany Lions have 81 scholarship players on the roster, including 11 seniors. That means the Nittany Lions are on pace to be at 70 scholarship players at the end of the season. That leaves room for just 15 commits in the class of 2017.

However, the Nittany Lions can backdate at least five class of 2017 commits to the class of 2016 via enrolling early. Combine that with the usual offseason attrition like we saw this past offseason, and I fully expect the Nittany Lions to be signing a class of 20+ players next year at this time.

There is obviously a long way to go with class of 2017 prospects, but early on Penn State is either the leader or among the leaders for some of the region’s best talent. As long as the on field product improves this fall, and I believe it will, Penn State’s 2017 recruiting class might be the best yet of the Franklin Era.

Some names to remember moving forward for 2017 are offensive linemen CJ Thorpe, Jordan McNair, Micah Clark, and Robert Hainsey. Linebackers Avery Roberts, David Adams, Jordan Anthony, and Nathan Proctor. Defensive backs Amir Riep, Damani Neal, and Lamont Wade. Defensive linemen Cam Spence, Chase Young, Damion Barber, Jordan Williams, Joshua Kaindoh, and Yetur Matos. And running backs Anthony McFarland and D’Andre Swift.

New Offers

Amongst all the craziness of National Signing Day, James Franklin still extended a pair of new offers to class of 2017 players. The first offer was made to 4-star Cincinnati (OH) safety Amir Riep.

The Nittany Lions join Illinois, Michigan State, and Ohio State as Big Ten programs that have offered Riep thus far. I would expect Riep to pop up on campus for a visit some time this spring. Possibly, for the Nittany Lions’ upcoming junior day later this month.

The Nittany Lions also extended an offer to 4-star Ocean Lakes (VA) defensive tackle Eric Crosby. Penn State was Crosby’s fifteenth offer, joining programs such as Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Ole Miss. Penn State still has a big need at defensive tackle, so you can rest assured the staff will make Crosby a big priority.

The 2016 recruiting cycle is now officially behind the Nittany Lions. While the 2016 class was not as strong as it once looked like it would be, it was still a very good class. It helped the Nittany Lions restock the talent pool at many key positions, and brings the team one step closer to being a Big Ten Championship contender once again.