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Ranking Penn State’s 5 most impressive recruiting victories of James Franklin Era

By Alec Whitaker

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin interacts with members of the Penn State student section prior to the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin interacts with members of the Penn State student section prior to the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State Football, Theo Johnson
Penn State’s Theo Johnson (Image via York Daily Record) /

4. Theo Johnson (2020)

Much like Cain a year earlier, Theo Johnson’s recruitment went down to the wire.

With Johnson hailing from Ontario, Canada, there wasn’t a slam dunk destination spot for him. Penn State was the first major program to offer Johnson and that seemed to pay off in the long run. His Penn State offer came in the Summer of 2018, it would take other powerhouses like Michigan and Georgia until January of 2019 to extend an offer.

Despite having that long-standing relationship with the Nittany Lions, Johnson considered his other options as the offers continued to pour in, including the likes of Alabama and Iowa. As his recruitment continued into 2019, a top-four emerged of Penn State, Michigan, Iowa, and Georgia. For a tight end, there aren’t many better top fours to have when picking where you will play college ball.

Leading up to his Dec. 9 commitment, it looked like Michigan had finally overtaken the Nittany Lions for Johnson. He visited Ann Arbor twice in November and did not make a stop anywhere else in between.

Franklin and tight ends coach Tyler Bowen prevailed in the end though as Johnson picked the Nittany Lions during a livestream on Instagram.

Johnson will enter his third season at Penn State in 2022 and looks primed for an increased role. He has shown glimpses of elite athleticism for a tight end over his first two seasons, racking up 23 catches for 269 yards and a touchdown.

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