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

1. Micah Parsons (2018)

Not many recruitments had as many twists and turns as Micah Parsons did.

The 5-star defensive edge committed to the Nittany Lions way back on Feb. 27, 2016, and although it was a monumental victory, Franklin knew it was going to be a battle to keep one of the most sought-after recruits in the country on board.

By that Fall, Parsons was visiting other schools, most notably and frequently, Ohio State. Parsons also spent time at Georgia and West Virginia. Parsons eventually decided to de-commit from Penn State on April 23, 2017, just one day after visiting Happy Valley for the Blue and White Game.

Parsons spent the next few months mulling over his many choices, taking visits across the country and having coaches visit him as well. The new favorite for Parsons became the Buckeyes and it got as far as Parsons naming his dog Brutus, the name of the Ohio State mascot.

Ohio State made one huge error though, when they allowed Parsons to meet College Gameday host Kirk Herbstreit on stage during a visit, it was a recruiting violation.

The Buckeyes were forced to take a back seat in his recruitment after that, but Georgia, Oklahoma, and others were there to take their place.

The Nittany Lions also received an official visit from Parsons in December of 2017, just weeks before he was set to sign his letter of intent. The visit may have reminded Parsons as to why he chose Penn State in the first place as on Dec. 20, 2017, Parson re-committed and signed with the Nittany Lions.

His career in Happy Valley will always have the question of what would’ve happened in 2020 had the pandemic not happened, but if his first season in the NFL is any indication, it would have been quite special.