Did Penn State Football find a new recruiting pipeline?

Penn State Football found recruiting success in a place not many expected they ever would. 

Penn State Football is on a roll on the recruiting trail again, and the staff’s efforts in Alabama have been a huge factor in that success.

The Nittany Lions landed two 4-star recruits from the state of Alabama this past week.

The first was Tomarrion Parker, a defensive end who had never visited Penn State before his official visit last weekend. Parker’s commitment was a bit of a surprise as no one envisioned him in Penn State’s class a few weeks ago.

The second commit was safety DaKaari Nelson. Nelson was on Penn State’s radar a little longer than Parker as Nelson had been up to Happy Valley before.

The Nittany Lions may not be done in Alabama either, as 4-star offensive tackle Stanton Ramil was up to Penn State for a mid-week official visit last week.

So, how are the Nittany Lions having so much success in a state that has two SEC blueblood programs in it?

There are a few factors to keep in mind when looking at Penn State’s recruiting success in Alabama.

The first is the fact that Alabama (the school) recruits at an elite level and they recruit the entire country, not just their region. Look at this the same way we looked at Drew Allar and Kaden Saunders in the 2022 cycle. Ohio State was off looking for wide receivers and quarterbacks around the country and overlooked two guys in their own backyard. Penn State made the two priorities from the start and landed them.

Now, you may be asking, what about Auburn?

Auburn isn’t recruiting as well as they’re capable of at the moment. They went 6-7 last season and some of their boosters tried to fire first-year head coach Bryan Harsin over unfounded gossip rumors about his personal life. This debacle became a national story, and you can see why it would turn off recruits for some time.

So, to recap, Penn State is taking advantage of Alabama being so elite that they can miss on in-state 4-stars and be fine and the fact that Auburn is in a transitional phase.

Penn State’s series with Auburn may also be a driving force behind southern recruits having interest in the Nittany Lions. Penn State hosted Auburn for the annual Whiteout game last season, and not only did the Nittany Lions win, but the fans created an insane environment.

Recruits, who may have been tuned in to the game to watch Auburn, may have come away from the game intrigued by Penn State and the Whiteout. Scheduling this series increased Penn State’s national exposure and it’s now paid off in recruiting.

James Franklin and Penn State have recruited Alabama before. They landed 2021 4-star wide receiver Harrison Wallace from Pike Road, AL. Going back even further, 2014 signees Christian Campbell and Torrence Brown were from Alabama. None of these guys were as highly regarded as Nelson and Parker are though.

This recruiting success may not be sustainable long term. Alabama will find the best of the bunch and can grab anyone at the last minute if they need to. Moreover, Auburn will eventually get it together and Harsin will start to recruit the state better.

For now, Penn State Football should enjoy their new pipeline and use it to build a top 10 recruiting class in 2023.