Penn State Football: What do recruits value?

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 28: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions is soaked with the Gatorade cooler by Cam Brown #6 of the Penn State Nittany Lions after the Nittany Lions beat the Memphis Tigers 53-39 at AT&T Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports) /

1. NFL Development

This may be the No. 1 thing recruits look at when reviewing the schools on their offer lists.

“Can you get me to the league?”

Schools like Alabama, Goergia and Ohio State have really good tracks records when it comes to getting players drafted, so it’s no surprise they’re usually at the top of the recruiting rankings.

Penn State Football has done well when it comes to putting players in the league the past few years. Penn State has had three first-round picks the past two years and this past draft had eight players drafted.

That success is a big reason why Penn State really hasn’t missed a beat on the recruiting trail despite the tough stretches on the field.

Look at a school like Northwestern. Traditionally, and recently, they don’t win a lot, but they’ve had a handful of first-round picks in the last few NFL Drafts. That success is starting to help recruiting as Northwestern currently has the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation. Now, will the ranking hold? No, but the fact the Wildcats are that high in June is impressive.

It’s every recruit’s dream to make it to the NFL and Penn State is able to use that to their advantage on the recruiting trail.

Home/Football Recruiting