Does Penn State football have the best offensive line recruiting haul for 2023?
Penn State football continues to press the issue on the recruiting trail and it’s paying off in a big way.
Penn State football may very well have the best offensive line haul in the 2023 class, at least according to one recruiting service.
On3 recently updated its rankings, and two Penn State commits headlined the interior offensive line list. Jven Williams is listed as a 5-star and the No.1 interior prospect in the country according to On3. Fellow commit, Alex Birchmeier, is ranked as the No. 3 interior prospect.
On the outside, On3 lists tackle commit Anthony Donkoh as a 4-star and the No. 272 player in the country. Donkoh is rated as an interior lineman, but he is expected to be a tackle project for the Nittany Lions.
These three make up Penn State’s 2023 offensive line haul so far. If these ratings hold, it will be the first time since the 2015 class that every single offensive line recruit brought in by James Franklin was a blue-chip recruit. Landon Tengwall was a 4-star in the 2021 class, and was the class’s only offensive line signee, but in terms of having multiple commits, this would be the first time since 2015.
The Nittany Lions are likely still looking for another tackle to pair with Donkoh. Two of Penn State’s top targets, Evan Link and Stanton Ramil, committed elsewhere over the summer. Identifying new targets this late in a cycle can be difficult, but offensive line coach Phil Trautwein will have to do so.
Penn State could still swing for the fences with 5-star tackle Samson Okunlola from Massachusetts, but that seems like an uphill climb. Landing him would all but ensure Penn State has the best offensive line haul in the country though.
Regardless, Penn State is the only school with two top ten interior offensive line commits in the On3 rankings. Georgia has one top ten interior commit and top ten tackle commit in On3’s rankings, putting them firmly in the mix as well.
Even if Penn State’s offensive line haul isn’t the best in the country, it’s certainly in the top five and that’s a huge improvement for this program.