NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Penn State head coach James Franklin made it verbally clear from the moment he stepped in front of a microphone in Happy Valley that the Nittany Lions would dominate the state in football recruiting. Franklin went so far as to suggest Penn State would dominate neighboring states like New Jersey and Maryland, suggesting those are Penn State’s home states for recruiting as well. And for the most part, Franklin and his staff have typically done well in keeping some of the state’s top recruits close to home.
Players like Saquon Barkley (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2015), Micah Parsons (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2018), and Nick Singleton (no. 1 in Pennsylvania in 2022) all decided to play for Penn State instead of leaving the state for other opportunities. Landing the state’s top recruit is always a goal for Penn State, but that does not always happen. But landing a good share of the state’s top 10, 15, or 20 players is always a realistic possibility for Penn State.
In the recent Class of 2024, Penn State signed eight of the state’s top 15 players, including no. 2 overall Cooper Cousins and no. 3 overall running back Quinton Martin Jr. That is not a bad ratio for Penn State in terms of keeping some of the state’s top talent from leaving.
So what is going on with the Class of 2025?
All seven of the top-rated players in Pennsylvania have already committed to programs outside of the state. The highest-ranked Pennsylvania recruit committed to Penn State is linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (no. 8 according to 247Sports), and tight end Brady O’Hara (no. 9) is also committed to Penn State. Penn State has four other commits from the top 20 players in Pennsylvania, but the Nittany Lions have swung and missed on some key recruiting targets from within the Commonwealth.
Penn State probably thought it had the inside track to…
Source link : https://nittanylionswire.usatoday.com/2024/07/20/penn-state-recruiting-dominating-the-state-class-of-2025/
Author : Nittany Lions Wire
Publish date : 2024-07-20 12:32:49
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
