The first National Signing Day for the 2021 recruiting cycle will be on Wednesday, and Penn State Football could add to this year’s class.
The 2021 recruiting cycle has been a turbulent class for Penn State Football coach James Franklin and his staff, but the finish line is in sight.
Many Penn State fans will remember this class for the notable misses, especially from within the state of Pennsylvania. Despite this, there’s still a lot to like about this class, and still some things to look forward to between Wednesday and the second signing day in February.
Let’s start by looking at the current Penn State commits. All 15 of them are expected to sign on Wednesday.
Offensive lineman Landon Tengwall headlines the class as its highest rated commit. He is joined on the offensive line by Nate Bruce, a composite 3-star who was recently promoted to a 4-star by 247 Sports.
The other offensive commits include 3-star quarterback Christian Veileux, and group of talented wide receivers who are all rated as four stars by 247; Lonnie White Jr., Liam Clifford and Harrison Wallace. Khalil Dinkins is listed as a tight end, but the composite 3-star may end up at defense in college. The team is still waiting on a running back for the class, something that will be covered later.
The defensive side of this class is headlined by three 4-star defensive backs in corner back Kalen King and safeties Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatly. Cornerback Jeffrey Davis Jr. is another defensive back in the class. King’s twin brother, Kobe is a linebacker in the class along with another Michigan native, Jamari Buddin, both are composite 3-stars. Rodney McGraw, a flip from Indiana over the Summer, is the only defensive line commit in the class so far.
The class also includes Sander Sahaydak, who is the second ranked kicker in the nation for 2021.
In terms of something to look forward to on Signing Day, you’ll have to wait a little.
Despite Wednesday being considered Signing Day, the signing period is open until Friday. That is when 4-star running back Deshun Murrell will announce his commitment and sign. The Alabama native is down to the Nittany Lions and UCLA, where he was committed to from June to November.
There are no other planned commitments for Penn State targets, but Penn State still has some holes to fill before the final signing period.
If the Nittany Lions get Murrell, they’ll be set at running back. If they don’t, there’s a chance they don’t take one.
Offensive line, defensive help remains a priority
The other positions the Nittany Lions are trying to fill are offensive tackle, defensive tackle and defensive end. They may also take a fifth defensive back.
One of the main names to know for offensive tackles is Austin Uke, a recent Holy Cross decommit from Texas who just got a massive rankings boost from 247 Sports and is now a 4-star. This is a position that the Nittany Lions probably don’t fill until February, as they’ll look to flip a tackle that didn’t sign this week, if they don’t land Uke.
On the defensive line, Penn State is still in thick of it for 4-star tackle George Rooks. They’ve been battling Michigan and Boston College for him. Victory Vaka, a recent Texas A&M decommit, received an offer lately and has shown interest on social media. Vaka is a massive 6 foot 2, 350 pounds. At defensive end, 4-star Davon Townley remains on the board for now, but there’s a few 3-star targets on the board. They include Keith Cooper and Deonte Anderson. This is another position that Penn State will look into a flip to fill.
Penn State’s 2021 class currently ranks 20th nationally. They may drop a few spots on Wednesday as schools behind them will land some commitments, as the Nittany Lions are expected to be quiet until Murrell on Friday.