During last week’s National Letter of Intent Day, Penn State football head coach James Franklin again brought in a highly ranked class. Lions247 editor Sean Fitz shares his opinion on the class and looks ahead to what the Lions will be trying to land for next year’s recruiting class.
T&G: Who are some of the star players Penn State got with this recruiting class?
Fitz: A few of Penn State’s top-rated recruits joined the program this spring as January enrollees. Pennsylvania cornerback Lamont Wade was the highest-rated player in the class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The four-star prospect could compete right away as a nickel back this spring. Wide receiver KJ Hamler will spend the spring and summer rehabbing a knee injury that happened this season, but when healthy, he was one of the best slot guys in the country. Offensive lineman CJ Thorpe — son of former Nittany Lion Chris Thorpe — is inside the top 100 rankings nationally. The Nittany Lions’ first commitment in the class was four-star quarterback Sean Clifford, and Penn State signed a pair of four-star defensive ends in Yetur Matos and Damion Barber. Linebacker Ellis Brooks was an Under Armour All-American. Defensive tackle Fred Hansard and defensive backs Tariq Castro-Fields and Donovan Johnson also graded out as four-star prospects this cycle.
T&G: How did the team do overall compared to the rest of the Big Ten and nation?
Fitz: Penn State finished 15th in our team rankings nationally and third in the Big Ten. Ohio State and Michigan both had dynamic cycles, and the Nittany Lions came in behind the pair. Overall it’s a very good finish when you take into account back-to-back 7-6 seasons prior to 2016.
T&G: What difference did last season make? Did they get players they might not have gotten if they went, say, 7-6 again?
Fitz: Penn State had filled two-thirds of its 2017 class by the time they took the field in September, so the run didn’t make a huge difference. It may have put Penn State over the top with a few guys like Lamont Wade and Tariq Castro-Fields, but the Nittany Lions will see the benefits in the 2018 and 2019 class more so than right away.
T&G: Are there players or positional needs they didn’t get or do as well in?
Fitz: Penn State is pretty well-balanced across the board. The Nittany Lions did a good job of not overloading at one position at the expense of another. They went without a tight end in the Class of 2017 but already have two good ones in the fold in 2018. The crop in the region didn’t lend itself to reaching for one while giving up an athlete at another position. Overall the class makeup is pretty basic — one quarterback, a running back, three receivers, four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, three linebackers, and five defensive backs — it’s not going to get much more balanced than that.
T&G: Who are the star recruits for the 2018 class that Penn State is looking to land? What will be there greatest needs for next year’s class?
Fitz: As of National Signing Day the Nittany Lions’ had the top-ranked class in the country in the next cycle. Penn State holds a commitment from five-star defensive end Micah Parsons from Harrisburg, five-star running back Ricky Slade from Virginia, one of the top quarterbacks in the country in Justin Fields from Georgia, two top tight ends in Zack Kuntz and Patrick Freiermuth as well as one of the nation’s top wideouts in Justin Shorter from New Jersey. That’s a hot start. The crop of linebackers in-state is a good one with Erie product Jesse Luketa, Harrisburg-area commit Charlie Katshir, and Perkasie, PA, standout Nick Tarburton leading the way. The Nittany Lions would love to lock down a pair of in-state four-star safeties in Isheem Young from Philadelphia and Kwantel Raines from Aliquippa.
