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Published Aug 4, 2021
Penn State Football Recruiting: Five things we learned in July
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Ryan Snyder  •  Happy Valley Insider
BWI Recruiting Analyst
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@RivalsSnyder

June was expected to be one of the craziest months we've ever seen on the recruiting trail, but July may have been even busier when we look back at the Class of 2022.

When offensive lineman JB Nelson announced his commitment on July 2, it was clear that the dominos were about to fall, but what we didn't know at the time was that Penn State was about to put a bow on its latest class.

What were some of the biggest takeaways from July? BWI's Ryan Snyder looks back on some of the key themes that stood out to him.

1) July 22 was a special day

This is the 12th Penn State recruiting class that I've covered, and I can't think of too many commitments that were as exciting for Nittany Lion fans as Dani Dennis-Sutton's announcement on July 22.

Even with FutureCasts and Crystal Balls all leaning heavily towards PSU in the days leading up to his decision, the excitement and suspense that surrounded that announcement was something I'll never forget.

The social media reactions I saw in the hours after he announced were truly unlike anything I've ever seen before, and that includes Micah Parsons, the last five-star to commit to the Nittany Lions back in 2018.

Of course, there were a lot of reasons for that. Missing out on two of Pennsylvania's best prospects in the past decade in 2020 and 2021 played a part. But also, coming off a 4-5 season, no one knew what to expect this year in recruiting. We thought it would improve with visits opening up, but this good? I'm not so sure.

Knowing that, it's easier to understand why that commitment will truly go down as one of those moments that just felt different.

2) Momentum matters

Twelve Class of 2022 commitments in 30 days. What a run.

After a 15-month dead period, then four weeks of official visits in June, July was always going to be heavy with commitments. I wrote on July 2 that my over/under for July was 9.5 commitments. It ended up actually being 15 if you include Harvard transfer Spencer Rolland.

Of course, one of those players, end Tyreese Fearbry, has since backed out, but I think you can absolutely make the case that Penn State landed some prospects when it did mainly because of the momentum they had.

Sure, a great visit was important, too, but a few of these guys didn't really plan on deciding in July. But, when you're on a roll, and everyone is talking about how great you're doing, players don't want to miss out on that. I've had one or two recent commits flat out admit that now. They would've likely still ended up here, but additional visits were the original plan.

It also helps that this class is easily one of the best I've ever seen in regards to peer recruiting. Players like Kaden Saunders, Ken Talley, Jerry Cross, and Drew Shelton get a lot of the credit because of how active they are on social media, and it's well-deserved, but behind the scenes, there are many others actively communicating with prospects on a weekly basis, if not more.

3) Dominate the state

For the past few years, there have been plenty of fans questioning whether James Franklin could ever truly dominate Pennsylvania the way he had in previous classes, most notably his first full class in 2015, which featured 12 total Keystone State signees, five of whom earned a four-star rating.

In recent years, the state has truly been down on talent, but when you miss out on those highly coveted guys who stand out from the rest, that's all fans remember.

This year, however, Pennsylvania is absolutely stacked and the Nittany Lions took full advantage of it. Yes, the top-ranked player in the state, end Enai White, will get away again, but everyone else the program truly wanted, aside from maybe Fearbry, is expected to end up in blue and white.

Currently, six of the top 11 players in Pennsylvania are committed to the Nittany Lions. The staff also cooled on a few of the players they didn't land among that top 11, so they got basically everyone they wanted once Nick Singleton and Abdul Carter jumped on board.

It's not often that Pennsylvania is this deep. Currently, 13 players in the Class of 2022 hold a four-star rating. The only time we've seen more was back in 2006, when 17 players earned a four-star rating. That year, only four of them ended up at Penn State.

If you go back to 2010, that's the last time Penn State signed seven Pennsylvania prospects who were as highly rated as the ones they currently have committed. That makes this class, at the very least, the second-best haul of in-state prospects since Rivals started in 2002.

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4) But recruit nationally, too

The work Penn State did in Pennsylvania this year is the main reason this class will finish among the top 10, but it also showed that it can recruit nationally when needed. Aside from Cross and specialist Alex Bacchetta, the first half of this class was made up of players who can all drive to State College.

The second half was strong throughout the region, too, but it also featured three prospects who play in Florida in back Kaytron Allen, defensive tackle Zane Durant, and cornerback Cam Miller. Yes, Allen grew up around Norfolk, Va., but he's ranked in the state of Florida since he plays at IMG Academy.

After missing out on their top targets in the Sunshine State last year - it's hard to get players from Florida if they can't visit, so I don't look down on the staff for that - it's a positive sign to see them come through with some very good players, especially Durant. They need to keep him committed for another couple of months, and it won't be easy, as schools are still recruiting him hard, but he's not someone I was expecting PSU to get at the beginning of the summer. Even in the weeks leading up to his commitment I had him headed elsewhere.

Penn State also went into Louisiana to land cornerback Jordan Allen, who totaled 42 scholarship offers. Noah Cain sort of counts as a Louisiana prospect - his dad lives in Baton Rouge - although he played his high school ball in Texas and Florida. Because of that, I look at Allen as the first true high school prospect to commit to Penn State from the Bayou State since Michael Mauti. We've seen players from Florida, Alabama, and Georgia commit over the years, but Louisiana is a state Penn State doesn't have much traction in.

Of course, they all but finished off the class this past week with three more players, one of whom is Cristian Driver from outside Dallas. Driver is unique because of his dad's friendship with Franklin, but the staff still had to get the job done and they did exactly that.

Landing the players in your region is incredibly important. Everyone reading this knows that, but when you can go outside of the Mid-Atlantic to land five players who earned over 150 scholarship offers combined, that's how you build a next-level class.

5) Where does PSU go from here?

Well, that's a good question and one I'm still working to figure out. Ideally, I think Penn State would sign 24 players this year and move on because it is basically at the limit now, but in the world of recruiting, you can't pass on elite talent, even if that means you'll have to make difficult decisions regarding your current roster in the months to come.

In the eyes of the staff, there are still a handful of very good players that they'd love to join them. At wide receiver, Taylor Stubblefield would love to add a player like Darrius Clemons. You won't find many players who run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3 and more than 200 pounds. Also, don't forget about Texas prospect Omari Evans. He doesn't bring the size that Clemons does, but he put together a very impressive workout at Penn State this summer, running a 4.3-second 40-yard dash and a 4.2-second shuttle.

Both Aamil Wagner and Andre Roye are high on Phil Trautwein's big board along the offensive line. Most believe that Wagner is leaning towards Notre Dame, but he and his family enjoyed his official visit in June, and now that Ohio State doesn't appear to be in the mix as much, Penn State believes they can challenge the Irish. Of course, Roye will make a decision sooner, and he's believed to be leaning towards Penn State or Maryland.

Defensive end feels like the other position that could realistically see an addition. Fearbry returned to campus just two days after decommitting, so he clearly still has a real interest in the Nittany Lions. Add in players like DJ Wesolak, who's planning to take an official visit in September, and there are simply too many good players remaining for Penn State to put all of its focus towards 2023.

I think there's a good chance this class could see two more additions. Whether Penn State reaches 26 commitments total though will likely depend on a few current commits not looking elsewhere once the season starts.

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