Wish List: 5 Targets for Penn State Football in the 2023 Cycle

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 02: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions smiles after Sean Clifford #14 throws a touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson #5 during the second half of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on October 2, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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Juice Scruggs #70 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

2. OL Jven Williams

Offensive line recruiting is something that Penn State Football tried to improve in 2022, after the 2021 cycle netted just one offensive line signee in Landon Tengwall.

Penn State ended up with three offensive line signees last week, but to bring in just four offensive linemen, with one being a JUCO, in the last two recruiting cycles is not ideal. Things seem to be looking better in 2023 though.

Alex Birchmeier, considered one of the premier interior offensive linemen in the country, committed to Penn State over the Summer, giving the Nittany Lions a huge centerpiece to the 2023 offensive line haul. So, the question becomes, who’s next?

The quick answer is 4-star offensive lineman Jven Williams from Reading, Pa. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, Williams is ranked as the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania and top 100 player in the composite rankings. Williams has had a quick ascend up the recruiting rankings, as he was first ranked in November as the No. 289 player in the country but is already up to No. 97.

Starting an offensive line class with Birchmeier and Williams would be the best-case scenario for offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and it’s not that far-fetched either, especially if Penn State continues its successful in-state recruiting.

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