5 Things Penn State Football must do to close recruiting gap on Ohio State

Penn State Football has recruited at a great level since head coach James Franklin‘s arrival in 2014.

Despite their great recruiting, Penn State Football has constantly been looking up at Ohio State in recruiting for the majority of those years.

The Buckeyes’ success on the field has put them in the top three of recruiting annually.  This elite recruiting is starting to separate Ohio State from the rest of the Big Ten, as no one else has been able to consistently  win and recruit at the same level.

Franklin’s Nittany Lions have had their moments, but there’s five things Penn State must do to get on the same recruiting level as Ohio State.

1. Spend

Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved a $48 million renovation to the football facilities last week.

The approval is a step in the right direction. Updating and adding is the name of the game in college football. Penn State Football needs to continue to do so.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State athletics led the country in spending in 2019. Although not all of this goes to football, the fact that over $220 million was spent, you can bet a lot of it did go to football.

This allows Ohio State to make necessary upgrades and do things like keep top assistants on the staff, something we will address next.

Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic will hurt spending, but as life begins to return to normalcy, Penn State will have more opportunities to invest money back into the football program.

The more money you put in, the more you will get back. Better facilities and coaches will lead to better recruits, which will lead to more wins, which leads to more income.