Grading Penn State Football coach James Franklin’s offseason

Recruiting

If there was one phase of the college game that people expected Penn State Football to take a step back at after the 4-5 season, it was recruiting.

Penn State’s 2021 class wasn’t like Penn State’s prior classes under Franklin.

The Nittany Lions missed on many top targets and struggled to fill spots. The 2022 class has been the complete opposite.

Penn State currently has the No. 1 class in the country for the 2022 class, and have 24 commits. The Nittany Lions had a monstrous July on the recruiting trail, landing 12 2022 commits, one 2022 transfer and one 2023 commit.

Franklin has landed just about every recruit he has wanted in the 2022 cycle, including his top targets, RB Nicholas Singleton and DE Dani Dennis-Sutton. The 2023 commit, Alex Birchmeier, is rated as the top interior offensive lineman in the country in 2023.

Penn State Football also landed 4-star quarterback Drew Allar back in March. If he signs, he will be the highest rated quarterback to sign for Franklin. That is crucial, because quarterback play has been pointed out as something that is holding Penn State back from reaching the playoff the past few years.

To see the full 2022 class, click here. For a recap on July recruiting, check this out.

It’s hard to ask for anything more on the recruiting from Franklin and his staff this offseason.

Grade: A+