We’re under 100 days until the kickoff of Penn State’s season opener in Morgantown West Virginia, but until we have real games to talk about, stadium construction and roster construction have filled the offseason discourse. Penn State is pouring $700 million into Beaver Stadium, but how much will James Franklin dump into his 2025 high school recruiting class to stay competitive in the new-look Big Ten?
The Nittany Lions have not had the same fundraising success as programs like Ohio State and Oregon, so Franklin will need to be shrewd about how he allocates his NIL resources. Penn State has already locked down commitments from 13 players including four-star linebacker DJ McClary and running back Alvin Henderson who project as key contributors a few years down the line.
Still, Franklin and his coordinators Andy Kotelnicki and Tom Allen are not done piecing together the 2025 class and with whatever resources they have remaining, they need to prioritize these three players who will fill key holes on the roster for the short and long term.
Penn State was in the mix for the No. 1 quarterback in the 2025 class, Bryce Underwood before he committed to LSU, so the Nittany Lions needed to recalibrate. Then, four-star Matt Zollers committed to Missouri and the situation started to become more dire.
Three-star Bekkem Kritza has been committed to the Nittany Lions for a while, and Ethan Grunkemeyer could be the future starter, but Franklin needs to add more talent at the position and Washington is a great fit for Kotelnicki’s offense.
Washington is a natural thrower from the pocket and has the size to withstand big hits. While he’d rather stay put with good protection, Washington has the athleticism to scramble and throw off-platform or beat defenders downfield with his long strides. Kotelnicki’s offense thrived at Kansas by utilizing the speed of Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean, and Drew Allar, Grunkemeyer, and Krtiza all lack that dynamic element.
Quarterback isn’t a position of desperate need, but if Grunkemeyer isn’t a fit for the system after Allar’s career is over, then Franklin could regret missing on a player like Washington who has drawn heavy interest from Maryland, Syracuse, UCF, and Virginia Tech.
Jahmir Joseph has good feet, long arms, and plays the ball well through the catch point. He’s exactly what Penn State typically prioritizes at the position, a position that was addressed through the transfer portal this offseason. For a program that doesn’t rely on the portal for roster building, adding two players at one position is akin to admitting a mistake in recruiting.
With both Johnny Dixon and Kalen King out for the Peach Bowl, Ole Miss torched Cam Miller, who got snaps as CB1. It wasn’t long after that Franklin signed Jalen Kimber from Florida and A.J. Harris from Georgia, who will both likely start over Miller in 2024.
While Harris is a long-term solution with multiple years of eligibility remaining, Kimber is a stop-gap, so unless a player like 2024 four-star Jon Mitchell shows promise this season, Allen’s defense will need more depth on the outside in 2025 and beyond. Penn State’s 2025 class already includes three-star corner Xxavier Thomas and the Nittany Lions are targeting multiple safeties, but a lock-down cornerback like Joseph is a necessity.
The 6-foot tall 172-pound defensive back is scheduled to visit Happy Valley on June 14 after an unofficial last fall. He’s also visiting Stanford, Auburn, and Notre Dame this summer.
New Jersey is a talent-rich state and Franklin needs to keep that pipeline flowing to Happy Valley. Joseph would be an important addition to the defense, but as the Nittany Lions struggle to develop an elite receiving threat, ensuring a commitment from Quincy Porter is imperative.
The 6-foot-3 190 190-pound receiver has received heavy interest from Michigan and Ohio State as well as Frankin’s staff. Oklahoma and Alabama are even in the mix for the four-star who is a top 15-rated wide receiver in the country. Penn State rarely has access to those types of talents, especially once Ohio State gets involved, but the proximity to New Jersey could give wide receiver coach Marques Hagans a leg up in recruiting.
Porter is a dominant physical threat on the outside who wins most every 50/50 ball, but even with his long legs, he’s twitched up enough to evade tacklers after the catch and regularly turns a 5-yard completion into a 50-yard touchdown. He has impressive contact balance, which not only helps him win at the top of routes against physical receivers but makes him difficult to bring down once he gets the ball in his hands.
Penn State hasn’t had a true No. 1 wide receiver who could create space on the outside since Jahan Dotson’s final season in 2021. That type of player won’t be on this first edition of Kotelnicki’s offense, but if the Nittany Lions can land Porter, Allar, or whoever takes over at quarterback, will have a top target to build the passing game around.