Penn State Football Recruiting: James Franklin signs top-15 class

It was another successful cycle for Penn State football recruiting 

National Signing Day for college football no longer carries the same excitement it once did thanks to the Early Signing Period in December, but it was still an important day for Penn State football recruiting. The Nittany Lions entered the day with most of its 2019 class already signed, but there were a few targets who still had to make decisions.

At the end of the day, Penn State head coach James Franklin was sitting with yet another top class. The Nittany Lions currently sit at No. 13 in the 247Sports Team Rankings. That number could change however, as there’s still a big target sitting out there that chose not to make a decision Wednesday.

Four-star safety Nick Cross, from DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland, was expected to sign with his chosen school on National Signing Day, but he chose to delay his decision. Cross has been committed to Florida Sate for a while, but late pushes by both Penn State and Maryland added intrigue to the situation. He has yet to make a decision, and technically doesn’t have to until April 1.

If Cross does in fact flip to Penn State, it would give Franklin yet another elite recruit in a class that’s already loaded with talent.

Penn State had two other targets go elsewhere Wednesday, as defensive tackle Jaquaze Sorrells chose South Carolina, offensive lineman Doug Nester picked Virginia Tech, and offensive tackle Dawand Jones is headed to Columbus.

One target that was previously uncommitted before Wednesday was Florida wide receiver T.J. Jones, who did indeed commit and sign with the Nittany Lions.

Defensive linemen Joseph Darkwa and Smith Vilbert, and cornerback Daequan Hardy were previously committed to the Nittany Lions and officially signed on Signing Day. Hardy was just given an offer the day before and he quickly accepted.

Overall, Penn State’s 2019 class contains 23 members, including 18 blue chip recruits (four or five-stars). Only Alabama (26) and Georgia (20) landed more top prospects. The highest-ranked player in the class is five-star linebacker Brandon Smith, the No. 18 ranked player in the nation.

Other top recruits that highlight the class are running back Noah Cain, defensive end Adisa Isaac, linebacker Lance Dixon, and safety Tyler Rudolph.

Franklin heavily recruited for both lines, particularly on defense, and also stocked up on defensive backs. The head coach continued his trend of picking up some of the best running backs, adding both Cain (No. 6 RB) and Devyn Ford (No. 5 RB).

Another highlight of the class is the fact that it contains two quarterbacks. Four-star Taquan Roberson is the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback, while Michael Johnson Jr. is the No. 15 dual-threat recruit.

Although there were some important targets that the Nittany Lions missed on, at the end of the day, the 2019 class for Penn State has to be looked at as a big success. Franklin came to Happy Valley with a strong recruiting reputation, and he has certainly lived up to that so far.