Penn State Football: Grading the 2023 recruiting class

Overall Grade

This class is poised to do big things for Penn State Football in the future.

The offensive line haul is exactly what this program needed to get to the next level and the reload at tight end, linebacker and defensive back comes at the perfect time.

The Nittany Lions got more physical on offense and put together quite the athletic back seven on defense. That combined is a recipe for success in college football.

There are reasonable concerns at other positions though.

Only brining in one wide receiver means new wide receivers coach Marques Hagans will have to work extra hard in 2024 to try to bring in three to four wide receivers, especially with Dante Cephas and KeAndre Lambert-Smith moving on after 2023.

The running backs have upside but it’s still unclear if either will be ready to go for the start of the season. If 2020 taught Penn State anything, it’s that you can never have enough running back depth. The Nittany Lions may need to try to find one in the portal in the spring, if they have room.

At defensive end, Tomarrion Parker is the biggest loss of the 2023 class for Penn State. He is someone who would have competed for playing time in 2024 with Adisa Isaac gone after 2023 and the chance Chop Robinson leaves as well.

With that said, the pros definitely outweigh the cons for Penn State Football in its 2023 recruiting class. Having a blue-chip recruit ratio of 78% is a huge step in the right direction.

Grade: A-