Penn State Balances Recruiting and Development to Remain Among Top Programs in Changing College Football Landscape

College football isn’t the same as it was 10, five or even one year ago. Between an expanding College Football Playoff, the implementation and refinement of NIL, the exponential growth of transfer portal usage, conference realignment, revenue sharing and rule changes, even those who follow the sport closely struggle keeping up with its ever-changing landscape.

Teams have been forced to adapt to the new reality of the sport or risk fading into irrelevance. Penn State has embraced the former.

“I believe we are positioned as good as anyone else in the country because of our power,” athletics director Pat Kraft said last week. “That Penn State power is real … I am excited about this new world because it’s built for us. It’s built for a powerful brand like Penn State.”

Teams that have traditionally relied on development — turning three-star recruits into major contributors by their senior season — have been raided constantly by schools with more NIL money. Rampant tampering and two transfer portal windows allow bigger fish to take homegrown talent from schools with fewer resources.

It’s an unfortunate reality for universities like Oklahoma State, Utah, Iowa and Virginia Tech, which in recent years have seen a decline in wins ranging from subtle to stark.

For the Nittany Lions, development remains a core principle of the program, but they must also be willing to pony up when necessary to recruit and retain talents. The teams poised for the most success in the modern era require both recruitment and development.

“College enterprise has changed. When I first was here, the NIL debate was going on hot,” Kraft said. “Our base has really opened up and understood where we need to be. I am really optimistic about where we’re at.”

James Franklin has consistently produced top-20 recruiting class since arriving in Happy Valley, but his program hasn’t been able to crack the top five. While Penn State hauls in a fair share of blue chip recruits, development can close the gap with the best of the best.

Entering his sixth year as a Nittany Lion and second as a starter, center Nick Dawkins is an example of the team’s development.

“I remember when I was in high school, like I was a three-star,” Dawkins said on Tuesday. “I was probably one of the bottom five recruits in Penn State’s class, and all I wanted to do was show everybody that I could play.”

Dawkins has carved out a role anchoring a unit that finds itself in contention for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to college football’s top offensive line.

On the other side of the rock, defensive tackle Zane Durant is another player who’s turned from a three-star recruit by 247Sports into a starter with All-American potential.

“He’s definitely grown a lot from a maturity standpoint,” Dawkins said of his teammate. “That’s not to say he wasn’t one of the most mature guys when he came in … The growth is honestly crazy to see that he could even be more mature.”

Entering his senior season after some thought he would declare for the NFL Draft, Durant was named a team captain and is expected to play a major role this season.

“It was never a goal of mine (to be a captain),” Durant said. “I just want to do whatever I can to just develop this team as men and players, and just get on the same page … I mean, I’ve been doing that since my sophomore year, so it’s not really nothing new to me. It’s a great privilege, but it was never my goal.”

But to succeed in 2025 and beyond, Penn State can’t rely solely on development. It’s not a guarantee recruits will improve, and if they do, other schools will swoop in with offers. The program needs to recruit at a high level, and also be willing to play the NIL game.

This combination is apparent across the roster — five-stars Drew Allar and Nick Singleton line the backfield, and On3 estimates they’ll make $3.1 and $1.8 million, respectively, this season. Cornerback A.J. Harris, tackle Nolan Rucci and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton — projected starters — were also ranked as five-stars by at least one recruiting service.

But for every highly rated starter, there’s a Dawkins, Durant or Dom DeLuca, a former walk-on who battled up from relative recruiting obscurity.

Being able to consistently identify and develop players will allow Penn State to remain competitive at the highest level when paired with solid recruiting classes and NIL efforts, a rare combination not many schools possess.