Recruiting Snapshot: Penn State Nittany Lions
While most of college football has been put on hold, recruiting marches on. The class of 2021 has seen a wave of commitments since the start of April, and the team rankings have adjusted to reflect growing classes. We are taking a snapshot of each class in the Rivals Team Rankings and continue with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
PENN STATE
Current rank: 12
Number of commits: 12
Top commits: Four-star OL Landon Tengwall (No. 27 overall), four-star QB Christian Veilleux (No. 189), four-star DB Jaylen Reed (No. 233), four-star DB Zakee Wheatley (No. 237)
Top targets: Four-star OL Nolan Rucci (No. 34), Dont’e Thornton (No. 52), Derrick Davis (No. 78)
LOCAL REACTION
“The Nittany Lions have been hot on the recruiting trail over the past month, adding nine prospects since April 9, but the momentum really started a few weeks earlier when Landon Tengwall committed at the end of March. The addition of Christian Veilleux, who chose Penn State over Clemson and Duke, was another big win. As of now, Veilleux would be the highest-ranked quarterback to commit to the Lions since Sean Clifford in 2017. I think fans should feel good about the class currently, but there are some very big fish still available. Everyone knows how important players like Nolan Rucci, Derrick Davis and Dont’e Thornton are, but I think the addition of guys like Kaden Prather and Maliki Matavao would also go a long way in the eyes of James Franklin and his assistants. Penn State is also expected to sign a smaller class this year, so spots are already becoming limited. This class could crack the top 10, but in order to do that, the Nittany Lions have to finish strong.” - Ryan Snyder, BlueWhiteIllustrated.com
NATIONAL REACTION
“Penn State did not burst out of the gates in this recruiting cycle but they are turning heads with their efforts since the end of March when Tengwall went public with his commitment. In the month and a half since his announcement, Penn State has quickly climbed the team rankings, pulling in commitments from four other four-star prospects and a few more that have very bright futures in front of them.
“The really exciting thing for Penn State fans is combining what the Nittany Lions have already done on the recruiting trail with the potential of what could happen in the next few months. Many highly-rated prospects have the Nittany Lions at or very near the top of their lists and that could put this recruiting haul at an elite level. Players like Rucci, Thornton and Davis are seriously considering taking their talents to Happy Valley and other impressive prospects like five-star Tony Grimes and four-stars Tristan Leigh, Tywone Malone, Drew Kendall and Kelvin Gilliam hold Penn State in high regard.” - Adam Friedman, East Coast analyst