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Penn State Football recruiting: Why Dani Dennis-Sutton’s commitment matters

By Alec Whitaker

Penn State head coach James Franklin high-fives fans after a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.191012 Penn St Iowa Fb 077 Jpg
Penn State head coach James Franklin high-fives fans after a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State, Saturday, Oct., 12, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.191012 Penn St Iowa Fb 077 Jpg /
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Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) attempts a two-point conversion during the fourth quarter of a NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. The pass was knocked down incomplete in the end zone.Ohio State Faces Penn State In Happy Valley
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) attempts a two-point conversion during the fourth quarter of a NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. The pass was knocked down incomplete in the end zone.Ohio State Faces Penn State In Happy Valley /

Staying Within Striking Distance of Ohio State

Ohio State is recruiting at an incredibly high level the past few cycles, and that’s bad news for the Big Ten.

Ryan Day has the Buckeyes recruiting at a rate that even Urban Meyer didn’t during his time in Columbus. The Buckeyes landed the top ranked recruit in 2021 in defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and have a commitment from the top ranked 2022 recruit in quarterback Quinn Ewers. Overall, Ohio State has landed nine 5-stars between the two classes.

The reality is, Penn State Football isn’t recruiting at that level, and probably won’t be able to until they reach the College Football Playoff.

The good news is, the Nittany Lions are at least in striking distance of Ohio State.

Landing recruits like Dennis-Sutton, Drew Allar, Kaden Saunders and Nick Singleton makes Penn State the biggest threat to the Buckeyes in the conference. Add in that Franklin has started to use the transfer portal to his advantage, and the gap closes even more, although it is still sizable.

If Penn State wants to catch Ohio State, they’ll have to beat them on the field more regularly.  Players like Dennis-Sutton, along with the whiteout, make that a possibility.

Next. How 2022 class has quickly become James Franklin's best. dark

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