Analyzing How Penn State did on National Signing Day 2017
National Signing Day has wrapped up for Penn State.
Another National Signing Day has ended for Penn State and head coach James Franklin. Again, Franklin proved his recruiting reputation and did another excellent job in bringing some top recruits to Happy Valley.
Penn State signed a total of 21 recruits as part of the 2017 class, four of which were already signed as early enrollees. As of this writing, 247Sports has the Nittany Lions ranked as the No. 15 class in the country and the third best in the Big Ten Conference behind Ohio State and Michigan.
Of the 21 total recruits, 12 are currently slotted for defense, while nine will be on the offensive side of the ball. 11 recruits are rated as four-star prospects, while the other 10 are three-star recruits.
The class includes four players — quarterback Sean Clifford, offensive lineman C.J. thorpe, cornerback Lamont Wade, and center Michael Miranda — ranked in the top-10 at their respective positions.
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Franklin has made a point to recruit in not just Pennsylvania, but the surrounding states as well. He did just that in the 2017 class. 10 total states are represented. Franklin was able to gather players from Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, and NorthCarolina.
Five of the recruits are from Pennsylvania, including Lamont Wade, the No. 2 recruit in the state. Penn State also landed offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe, the N0. 4 prospect in PA. Wade is also the top-rated player of the group, coming in at No. 46 nationally. Thorpe is just behind Wade at No. 87 in the nation.
There was a clear focus on the defensive backfield, as five players are either safeties or cornerbacks.
While the class was mostly settled by noon on National Signing Day, there was one top target who had pushed back his decision. Four-star cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields was expected to commit to Penn State a few weeks earlier, but decided to wait. He was deciding between Penn State and Maryland.
Next: Penn State National Signing Day 2017 Tracker
Overall, it was another very strong effort by Franklin and his staff. They worked hard found viable replacements when certain targets didn’t work out. Based on Penn State’s recent product on the field, the recruiting success in Happy Valley should continue.