Mailbag: Where will Penn State's 2022 class finish come Signing Day?

Fresh off three commitments in three weeks, Penn State fans couldn't ask for much more on the recruiting trail.

Currently, the Nittany Lions rank second-overall in the Class of 2022, and next year's class is also off to a fantastic start, with three players who not only hold a four-star rating, but also rank within the Rivals250.

With just one home game this month in two weeks against Illinois, on-campus recruiting is set to slow down a bit compared to the past four weeks, but there will still be plenty to follow. Now that we've reached the halfway point for high school in most states, we're see James Franklin and his staff extend quite a few scholarship offers to players who have impressed on film. The staff is also expected to go out and scout many of its top prospects next week.

But for today's mailbag, there was a good mix between the 2022 and 2023 class. I picked the four best questions and answer them below.

We'll talk about that below, but first, please be sure to check out our sponsor, JFQ Lending, for all of your lending needs, including great refinancing rates.

At the moment, I'd say probably just outside the top five.

If you look at the top 10 currently, you'll notice that Texas and Oregon sit third and fourth, respectively, with 22 and 21 commitments. The totals for each school are important to note because Rivals' rankings only count the top 20 players in each class.

So, while both schools can still surpass Penn State, Texas would have to add a four-star prospect, because the points they currently have for their lowest ranked player would be deducted from the current total. Oregon would likely require a highly-ranked four-star or maybe even two to move above Penn State. So, my point here is that PSU can realistically end up ranked higher than both of those teams.

But when you look further down and see Alabama with just 15 commits, Georgia with 17 and Ohio State with just 14, all of those schools are on pace to finish ahead of the Nittany Lions. Ohio State should reach 21 or 22 this year, while Georgia is planning to have a full class. LSU is also on pace to surpass Penn State, but with Ed Oregeron maybe on the hotseat, that could impact some things.

So, I think somewhere just outside the top five makes the most sense. Maybe sixth or seventh, something like that. If Penn State can add linebacker Jaishawn Barham from St. Frances, it will move their total points up a bit, but when you subtract the 60 points from the lowest ranked player who would drop out, it wouldn't move them up a substantial amount. As presently ranked, Barham's commitment would be worth 156 points, so it would add 96 to Penn State's total.

As for potential decommitments, so far, so good. There are a few schools pushing for some of PSU's commits to take a visit, and I was told that cornerback Jordan Allen visited LSU last week, although the Tigers have yet to offer.

With that said, I haven't heard of anything currently that makes me think Allen or someone else is seriously considering a change. History says that someone will probably sign elsewhere, but the class is holding pretty strong as of early-October.

Skill positions are usually the best place to start for questions like this, as its hard for players to be physically ready for Big Ten play coming out of high school. That's why I wouldn't pick someone like Dani Dennis-Sutton currently. He's going to be a great player, but it's hard to make an impact along the defensive line a few months removed from graduation. He's also not expected to enroll early. When you add in last year's cancelled season and his injury this year, I think some time working with John Scott would be good. However, physically, he's certainly ahead of most defensive ends nationally. There's no doubt about that.

I always feel like wide receiver is the safe pick, and this class is loaded with some really good ones. We've seen both Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington make serious contributions as freshmen, so why can't one of the current commits do the same? Fundamentally, Kaden Saunders is the most advanced from that group, so I'll go with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of the other receivers impresses early.

I'll also note that Alex Bacchetta could absolutely be Penn State's punter next season. I know a lot of people think Drew Allar could potentially start at quarterback, but I think that's a big ask.

I don't get the impression that there are one or two guys to truly focus in on at the moment. With Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen both committed, Ja'Juan Seider and the staff can take their time at this position in 2023.

From the offers they've extended so far, North Carolina native Daylan Smothers makes the most sense after he visited in June. He spoke highly of the visit this summer, but he's really in no rush at all and needs to see other schools. I believe he visited Tennessee for the Pitt game last month, while South Carolina has also hosted him previously.

But Smothers was the only 2023 running back to take an unofficial visit Penn State in June or July, so there's a lot that has to get sorted out still at this position. Penn State has offered Bishop McDevitt running back Marquese Williams, and he did attend the game against Auburn a few weeks ago. I'm still trying to get a feel for his interest.

Aside from those two, they've offered 11 other running backs, most of whom are national prospects who live outside the region, so only time will tell if one of them emerges as a serious option. Penn State has hosted a few regional running backs like Marques Hicks (Cherry Hill, N.J.), Eryck Moore-Watkins (Pittsburgh) and Jaheim White (York, Pa.) for visits so far this season, but it's clear that more offers will go out at some point once they've seen enough on film from this season.

Just like at running back, there isn't really one player that's truly standing out in regards to Penn State being a clear favorite. I do feel confident that Dante Moore from Detroit is the staff's top target, but he won't be easy to land. Michigan and Notre Dame feel like 1A and 1B at the moment, although Penn State does feel good about the progress they've made with him since he first visited in July.

If I had to pick the most realistic option though, I would probably lean towards Jaden Rashada from Pittsburg, Calif. Back in July, Rashada paid his way to travel across the country to take an unofficial visit to Penn State, which at the time caught my attention, simply because we don't see that often. Penn State hosts players from the West Coast, but the majority of those visits are paid for by the school.

So, when Rashada returned for the Auburn game a few weeks ago, you can't help but think that Mike Yurcich is clearly doing a great job here. From asking around, I get the impression that Ole Miss is currently the Penn State's top competitor.

As for a true prediction, there's just too much that has to get worked out still. But I am confident that those two are the players fans need to focus on the most.

One other player I'll note is Cam Edge from Smyrna, Del. Edge visited both in the summer and also attended the game against Ball State. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back to State College for another game this season, as he appears to also have serious interest in the Nittany Lions.

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