What Drew Shelton's commitment means for Penn State

James Franklin and his assistant coaches picked up another big commitment Friday afternoon in Class of 2022 offensive lineman Drew Shelton. A Rivals250 player, Shelton is the third-ranked player in Pennsylvania and the 14th-ranked offensive tackle nationally. He earned over 20 scholarship offers from notable schools like Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

BWI's Ryan Snyder gives his take on what Shelton's commitment means moving forward:

If you follow Penn State recruiting closely, you should know by now how important Pennsylvania is to James Franklin and his staff for the 2022 class. Following a few down years in 2019 and 2020 - Penn State offered just 12 Pennsylvania prospects in those two classes, and only four finished in the Rivals250 - the staff lost much of the momentum it built in previous years, especially in Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

Throughout this year's class, the Class of 2021, the staff has pushed even harder with some of the state's top players, but even they would tell you that there's been a few disappointments, especially in the City of Brotherly Love. Losing the St. Joseph's Prep duo of QB Kyle McCord and WR Marvin Harrison Jr. to Ohio State hurt. They were then followed by DE Elijah Jeudy (Georgia) and CB Tyreek Chappell (Texas A&M).

Now, Shelton isn't a true Philadelphia prospect, but he is one of a handful of players from that region that have made it clear for months now that the Nittany Lions have a real chance, so landing an early commitment from one of those players is a major coup. Both Notre Dame and Michigan were pushing very hard for Shelton. He also has family ties to Michigan, so this is a big development.

The staff's efforts should become even more noticeable early next week when another Rivals250 prospect, LB Ken Talley, announces his commitment. He announced earlier this week that he's down to Penn State, Arizona State and Tennessee, and the Nittany Lions are considered a heavy favorite.

But regardless of what town or city these players live, Penn State is happy to gain momentum with its in-state players. That's a major goal for 2022, but when you add in the fact that DE Enai White, CB Keenan Nelson Jr., LB Anthony Johnson and others from Philadelphia are still seriously considering Penn State, it's a positive sign that the staff is adding one of southeastern Pennsylvania's top overall players this early in the cycle. It shouldn't take long for that number to double with Talley set to announce in just four days.

I had a talk with a source earlier this summer about the staff's 2022 offensive line board and my biggest takeaway from that discussion was just how high Shelton is on the board. Going into that discussion, I assumed he was well within the top 10, but I left that talk realizing that he was absolutely in the top five and probably more like top three.

We know the two Virginia prospects, Zach Rice and Gunner Givens, are also very high on the staff's board. Out of those two, Givens has given me the impression that he has real interest. Rice camped with the staff before, although I think it's going to be tough for the Lions to crack his top five when the time comes. There's a long way to go until this class can sign, but there's a real chance that Shelton ends up being the top offensive line prospect in this class.

As for what stands out, multiple people have suggested that the staff is excited about his frame. He's currently pretty lean up top with a strong base at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds. The staff thinks he has plenty of room to pack on muscle. When you add in his athleticism, this is a big addition for Franklin and his staff. Versatility is also important. For now, we're projecting him as an offensive tackle, but he could develop into a guard. Again, his lower-body is already well-developed. If that continues to thicken up in the coming years, a move inside is possible.

Also, for those wondering, his commitment has no impact on the top remaining 2021 prospects, Nolan Rucci and Diego Pounds. Both are still coveted by the staff.

It's still early, but man, it's hard for fans to not get excited right now, as things are looking very positive for Penn State's Class of 2022. With five players already committed and a sixth likely on the way next week, the Nittany Lion coaching staff is among the hottest in the country right now. All five of these commitments have come in the past six weeks, and with September now here, Penn State is allowed to initiate conversations with its top overall prospects.

That makes this a perfect time for the staff to go on this run. While other schools are preaching to juniors about becoming their first commitment in the class, Penn State can point to its five commitments as reason to believe they're putting something special together.

It's hard to predict who could be next in this class with so much uncertainty surrounding the dead period. We know it's going to get extended through October, and a ton of top 2022 players haven't seen any schools yet, but once they are finally able to hit the road, Penn State's success so far should make State College one of their first stops. It's a great situation to be in considering the circumstances that surround this class.

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