Reviewing Penn State's top recruiting classes in the Rivals era

Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.

While it’s early, the Penn State Nittany Lions have the No. 1 class in the 2018 recruiting year. That got us thinking – what are the best classes PSU has reeled in over the years in Rivals.com history?

With this class expected to be among the nation's most highly-ranked, here are the Nittany Lions' top four to date.

MORE: Top 2018 recruiting classes | 2018 Penn State commitment list

This class was loaded, and a lot of it was because of the work assistant coach Larry Johnson did raiding the state of Maryland. Call it the Derrick Williams effect, as this was the year after PSU pulled in the nation’s No. 1 prospect from Maryland.

Highest Rated: 5-star DB A.J. Wallace

Wallace took official visits to Penn State, Florida State, Nebraska and Ohio State before committing to the Nittany Lions in early January. Wallace’s versatility earned him playing time as a true freshman, as he saw time on offense, defense and special teams. He continued to be a jack-of-all-trades during his four years in Happy Valley. After going undrafted in 2010, he had an unsuccessful attempt with the Miami Dolphins before playing in both the CFL and Arena League.

Biggest Success: 4-star LB Navorro Bowman

Bowman took official visits to Penn State, Ohio State and Virginia Tech before committing to the Nittany Lions in early December and then enrolling for the spring semester. At Penn State, he redshirted in 2006 and saw minimal playing time in 2007 before having two fantastic seasons in 2008 and 2009. Selected in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by San Francisco, Bowman has played in three Pro Bowls and earned four first-team All-Pro honors during his time with the 49ers.

Biggest Disappointment: 4-star OL Antonio Logan-El

Logan-El is most remembered for a chaotic public announcement where he was already committed to Maryland but instead jilted all of the home-state fans and flipped to Penn State on ESPN. His career at Penn State was far less memorable, as he transferred to Towson after only one year in Happy Valley and eventually gave up the game of football.

Biggest Surprise: 3-star RB Evan Royster

Royster also seriously considered Nebraska, Maryland and Virginia, but after an official visit to Penn State and an ensuing home visit from Joe Paterno, committed to the Nittany Lions. Royster enjoyed four productive seasons at Penn State, totaling 3,932 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground plus 562 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Royster played three seasons with the Redskins after being selected in the sixth round of the 2011 draft, rushing for 416 yards and two touchdowns.

Since this class hasn’t played a down of football, the categories are shuffled a bit. But this was a huge class for James Franklin following 2016 when he lost commits down the stretch. Winning the Big Ten will do that for you.

Highest Rated: 5-star ATH Lamont Wade

While the competition was fierce for Wade, he was Penn State's top target in 2017. The work that the coaching staff put in with the five-star paid off as he committed to the Nittany Lions in December. Wade was recruited as a cornerback, but there is the possibility that Penn State may try him at safety first in order to get him on the field as soon as possible.

Surprise Commitment: 4-star DT Fred Hansard

Hansard originally committed to Florida in late August, but surprised some by keeping his process relatively open. After scheduling and taking an official visit to Penn State, he flipped to the Nittany Lions in late November. Penn State has done a very good job in recent years with recruiting aggressive defensive tackles who can get after the ball. Hansard fits this mold and has the potential to contribute as a freshman this fall.

Possible Sleeper: 3-star DT Corey Bolds

Bolds’ process was a unique one, as he seemed destined to sign with Rutgers until Penn State decided to offer him in the hours leading up to Signing Day. He quickly jumped at the opportunity and committed. Similar to Hansard, Bolds is another defensive tackle with a high motor. However, he needs to use it more consistently, so it will be interesting to see if he can reach his potential in Happy Valley.

This class was obviously a key one when it comes to the impact certain players are having and for Franklin establishing himself as an elite recruiter in the Big Ten. He won some huge battles head-to-head against conference foes.

Highest Rated: 4-star CB Garrett Taylor

After decommitting from Michigan, Taylor took late-November official visits to both Ohio State and Penn State. At the conclusion of his visit in Happy Valley, he committed to the Nittany Lions. Taylor missed his senior season in high school due to a torn ACL and then was redshirted in 2015. Finally back on the field in 2016, Taylor saw minimal playing time and has now been moved from cornerback to safety, where he will battle for playing time this spring and summer.

Biggest Success: 4-star RB Saquon Barkley

Barkley originally committed to Rutgers, but soon after re-opened his process and flipped to Penn State. During his first two seasons at the collegiate level, Barkley has established himself as one of the top running backs in the country. Barkley, who has totaled 3,135 yards and 30 touchdowns from the line of scrimmage to this point, is already being mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate for the 2017 season.

Biggest Disappointment: 4-star ATH Daiquan Kelly

Kelly committed to Syracuse in June but then flipped to Penn State in September. The four-star’s collegiate career never took off in Happy Valley, and in fact it has yet to take off anywhere else. Kelly was dismissed from Penn State before the 2015 season for a violation of team rules, which led to him signing with Massachusetts. However, after not playing for the Minutemen in 2015, he left the program in early 2016 and has yet to see the playing field at any FBS program.

Biggest Surprise: 3-star DE Shareef Miller

Miller took official visits to Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Arizona State before committing to Penn State during his January trip to Happy Valley. After redshirting in 2015, Miller showed great potential last fall despite only playing in seven games. After accumulating 22 tackles, five tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 2016, Miller has positioned himself for more playing time in 2017.

This was a big-time class for Joe Paterno that came with some late drama with the flip of Anthony Morelli from Pitt on Signing Day. However, this was also a class that had a few stars but quite a few flops.

Highest Rated: 5-star QB Anthony Morelli

Unlike most top quarterback recruits nowadays, Morelli didn’t actually make his final decision until Signing Day. Despite committing to Pittsburgh in August, he still took an official visit to Penn State in January, which eventually led to his flip. Morelli saw extensive action during his junior and senior seasons with the Nittany Lions but did not get drafted in 2008. After bouncing around the NFL, UFL and Arena Leagues, his playing career ended in 2011.

Biggest Success: 5-star LB Dan Connor

This is a close one between Connor and four-star offensive center A.Q. Shipley, who was also a standout at Penn State and had a longer NFL career. But Connor, who committed to Penn State in the summer before his senior year, was a two-time All American and won the Bednarik Award in 2007 as the best defender in the country. He left Penn State as the all-time leading tackler.

Biggest Disappointment: 4-star OL Greg Harrison

While this class produced several key offensive linemen, one that did not pan out was Harrison. It’s actually difficult to truly define Harrison as a disappointment, since injuries were the factor that ultimately caused him to end his playing career. However, when you’re the No. 100 ranked player in the Class of 2004 and hardly see the playing field, your playing career did not meet expectations.

Biggest Surprise: 2-star OL Rich Ohrnberger

As a two-star with only two other P5 offers, his accomplishments at Penn State and then the NFL were impressive. His final two seasons in Happy Valley saw him earn second-team Big Ten honors in 2007 and then third-team All-American honors in 2008. He followed that up by being drafted by New England in 2009 and played with the Patriots, Arizona and San Diego during a six-year NFL career.