Penn State Football recruiting: Reasons for optimism

Penn State Football has plenty of reason to feel optimistic, particularly on the recruiting trail, despite finishing under .500 this past season

It’s not often that a team coming off a 4-5 season would have reason to feel good about themselves in terms of recruiting, but Penn State Football may be one of those rare cases, as the Nittany Lions aim to springboard into recruiting season.

Despite being a preseason top ten team, the Nittany Lions struggled during the Covid shortened season, going 4-5 after losing their first five contests.

On top of the struggles on the field, Penn State also saw a decline in recruiting. The 2021 class ranks 22nd nationally, the lowest a Penn State class has ranked since 2014.

It doesn’t sound like the Nittany Lions would have reason for optimism on the recruiting trail going forward, but they do.

When looking at Penn State’s 4-5 record, you would say that it is a disappointment, and it is, but when you consider that they started 0-5, a 4-5 finish doesn’t look all that bad. The team could’ve folded up and threw away the season, but they didn’t. They put themselves in position to get back to .500 and may have gotten there if they accepted a bowl bid. It is a testament to James Franklin and his staff that they kept things from getting out of control and continued to fight, and that’s something recruits will notice.

The second part of Penn State’s 4-5 record that needs to be looked at, is that they went 4-5, meaning they played all their games. Penn State was  one of only two Big Ten programs to play all nine games on their schedule.

Franklin and the staff were able to control the virus within the program, with minimal cases. That is something that the parents of recruits will look at, considering they are trusting the staff with the health and well-being of their son. It’s something Penn State can use to their advantage on the recruiting trail.

Penn State is also primed to look good come draft time.

Linebacker Micah Parsons is a consensus top ten pick and could be the first defensive player taken in the 2021 draft. Tight end Pat Freiermuth could sneak into the first round, but it’s hard to see him dropping past the middle of the second round. Defensive end Jayson Oweh also entered the draft, he did not have a good season from a stats standpoint, but his athleticism and size should make him a top three round pick, maybe even as early as Round 1. Center Michal Menet is also expected to get drafted. Penn State is still waiting to see if wide receiver Jahan Dotson, safety Jaquan Brisker and offensive tackle Rasheed Walker will declare or not.  Running back Journey Brown also would’ve been a big name on draft night, but had to retire due to a medical condition. Seeing players get drafted high, should give Penn State another weapon on the recruiting trail.

While some Nittany Lions will be going pro, others will be coming off their first season with the team. Some of those freshmen played significant roles with the team this season.

True freshman Parker Washington was the second leading receiver on the team, while fellow true freshman Keandre Lambert-Smith was the third starting receiver. Washington had 36 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns.

After Freiermuth’s injury, true freshman tight end Theo Johnson saw significant playing time, while redshirt freshman Brenton Strange became the primary target at tight end. With Brown’s retirement and Noah Cain’s season ending injury, true freshmen running backs Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes received the bulk of the carries. Lee won Big Ten freshman of the week against Michigan, and finished the year as the team’s leading rusher with 438 yards. Red shirt freshman offensive lineman Caedan Wallace also saw an increase in his playing time as the year went on.

Freshman linebacker Curtis Jacobs saw more action as the year went on, as did red shirt freshman linebacker Lance Dixon. Redshirt freshman corner back Joey Porter Jr. was a starter the entire season, and took home freshman of the week honors during the year. Fellow red shirt freshman corner Daquan Hardy played more after Tariq Castro-Fields injury.

The fact that so many young guys played prominent roles is something that recruits look at, because they want to play as soon as possible. Showing that you’ll play the more talented player, regardless of age, is a good recruiting tool, especially with highly ranked prospects.

The Nittany Lions already possess the third ranked 2022 class in the nation. With seven commits, all four stars and four from Pennsylvania, the class has a chance to be special. The early success in the class will give some added momentum with other 2022 recruits as the cycle goes on. Peer recruiting does happen, so having seven commits already in the fold, four from within your state, gives you more recruiters in addition to the staff. As more blue chip recruits are added to the class, others will take notice and may want to join a talented class, talent wants to play with talent.