Penn State Football: 6 Burning questions for Nittany Lions’ offseason

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 02: A view of the Penn State Nittany Lions student section before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on October 2, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 02: A view of the Penn State Nittany Lions student section before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on October 2, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football
Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Question #4 – Can James Franklin have a repeat summer on the recruiting trail?

Despite coming off of a 4-5 campaign in 2020, James Franklin was able to put together an incredible summer (of 2021) on the recruiting trail that helped to build what ended up as the nation’s sixth-best recruiting class in 2022.

In the months of May, June, and July, the Nittany Lions picked up 13 commitments from class of 2022 recruits, as well as picking up a commitment from the top-rated offensive tackle in the class of 2023, Alex Birchmeier.

Penn State Football has already had a nice run of commitments over the past few weeks from the classes of 2023 and 2024. They picked up two commitments from 2023 offensive linemen J’ven Williams and Anthony Donkoh, as well as 2024 offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, all in the last four weeks.

The 2023 class currently stands at eight commits: four offensive linemen, one edge rusher, two tight ends, and one cornerback. Two of those four offensive linemen are currently top ten ranked offensive linemen in the nation.

Perhaps the biggest remaining target for Penn State Football in the class of 2023 is Nyckoles Harbor, a five-star athlete from Washington DC who also excels on the track, and is currently rated at the 19th best prospect in the 2023 cycle. He has Olympic potential on the track, so if he does decide to continue playing football, he would be a great pick up.

Can James Franklin and his staff continue to roll on the recruiting trail and keep the 2023 recruiting class, which currently ranks fourth nationally, inside the top ten?