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Penn State Football: James Franklin Continues to Prove His Recruiting Reputation

By Barry Leonard Jr.

Nov 26, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks back to the sideline following a time-out against the Michigan State Spartans during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions won 45-12. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks back to the sideline following a time-out against the Michigan State Spartans during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions won 45-12. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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James Franklin continues to have recruiting success at Penn State.

When James Franklin came to Happy Valley in 2014 he brought with him the reputation of being a great recruiter. The thought was that if he was able to do that at Vanderbilt, surely he’d be a successful recruiter at Penn State. To date, Franklin has done nothing to prove his reputation false. In fact, he’s continued to gain attention as one of the top recruiters around.

Even when Penn State was in a state of flux, Franklin was able to bring in some top players. Starting with the 2015 class, he put Penn State in the top-15 of the National Team Rankings according to 247Sports. He followed that up with another strong haul in 2016 that finished No. 20. That class included five-star running back Miles Sanders.

Franklin once again snatched some top talent for Penn State’s 2017 class. Although it’s lacking a five-star recruit, there are some very solid players, including some of the best at their positions. Penn State is currently ranked at No. 17 for 2017.

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Everybody remembers Franklin’s famous recruiting phrase at his welcoming press conference in Happy Valley — “Dominate the State.”

That hasn’t been much of a problem so far. While some of the top talent in PA has gone elsewhere, for the most part, they have joined the Nittany Lions.

The 2017 class consists of three of the top players from the state, No. 2 Lamont Wade and No. 4 C.J. Thorpe.

Aside from just Pennsylvania, Franklin has been able to gather some top talent from around the region, particularly New Jersey and Maryland.

Penn State transformed itself on offense and turned into a very potent and fun to watch unit. That’s something that could have receivers, quarterbacks, and running backs lining up to come to Happy Valley.

Next: Penn State 2017 National Signing Day Tracker

With the success that Penn State enjoyed on the field in 2016, and the high expectations heading into the 2017 season, more and more top high school players will likely be interested in playing for Coach Franklin.

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