From last-minute recruit to preseason All-American, Penn State happy to have Vega Ioane

Penn State’s 2022 recruiting class was among the best in the country. Abdul Carter developed into a top-five NFL draft pick. Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen and Dani Dennis-Sutton are big reasons why Penn State is a national title contender this year. All were blue-chip prospects, expected to take James Franklin’s program to new heights.

Vega Ioane, meanwhile, came out of nowhere. The final member of Penn State’s 2022 class wasn’t on the coaches’ radar until the 11th hour. Ioane — an overlooked prospect from Graham, Wash., 2,600 miles from State College — was a surprise commitment on the recruiting cycle’s second signing day, well after Allar and others enrolled.

Now, it’s hard to fathom this championship-caliber roster without Ioane, a preseason All-American and the offensive line’s anchor. But, on Feb. 2, 2022, Penn State fans didn’t know much about Ioane — and Ioane didn’t even know if he was making the right choice.

“It was very stressful. Everything was last-second,” Ioane told PennLive. “I didn’t make a decision until an hour before signing day. We were signing in the gym, and I’m like, ‘Dude, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what to do.’ But I took a long shot.”

Ioane’s shot paid off. The 6-foot-4, 330-pound guard is entering his fourth season at Penn State and his second as a starter. Ioane, a Sporting News first-team preseason All-American, is one of the top interior offensive linemen in college football and a top NFL draft prospect.

Ioane called it a “blessing” to be held in such high regard. But Ioane wouldn’t be where he is today, a key player in Penn State’s 2025 national championship charge, without a confluence of events, positive and negative.

Ioane’s recruitment started only after Penn State was hit with a gut punch. On Dec. 15, 2021, offensive lineman Andre Roye Jr. went back on his months-long verbal commitment to Penn State and flipped to the Terrapins on early signing day. Penn State signed three other linemen, including starting left tackle Drew Shelton. But the Nittany Lions were left to find a replacement for Roye ahead of the second signing window in February.

“It was kind of crazy,” offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. “We got flipped, which ended up being kind of a great thing. In life, bad things happen, you know? But sometimes you don’t know if it’s actually going to be a bad thing or a good thing. … (Ioane) wasn’t even on my radar because we were full. Then all of a sudden, that happened.”

Trautwein and the rest of the staff started scouring the country for offensive line prospects. Stacy Collins, Penn State’s special teams coordinator at the time, spent most of his life living and coaching in the Pacific Northwest. Collins had a connection in the Seattle area. That connection led to Collins reaching out to Ioane, who was without a school.

Ioane was a late-bloomer. His parents wanted him to focus on academics, so he didn’t play football as a freshman at Graham-Kapowsin High School. Ioane signed up as a sophomore without his parents knowing. They eventually found out when Friday nights in the fall rolled around and Ioane wasn’t home.

After standing out during a covid-shortened junior season, Ioane committed to staying home and playing at Washington in June 2021. Then, head coach Jimmy Lake and the rest of his staff were let go five months later, and Ioane reopened his recruitment.

“As a kid growing up in Washington, you want to stay home. It’s hard to leave home,” Ioane said. “But the whole staff changed. … Things were uncertain.”

Trautwein pointed out Lake’s dismissal wasn’t the only coaching movement in that area of the country. Mario Cristobal left Oregon to become Miami’s head coach. Clay Helton and Nick Rolovich were fired at USC and Washington State, respectively.

“Everyone in the region lost track of Vega,” Trautwein said.

Penn State’s staff saw an opportunity. Franklin and Trautwein went out to Washington to meet with Ioane and his family. They hosted Ioane and his brother for a visit in late January. Penn State was under the impression that Ioane would sign on Feb. 2, 2022.

But signing day was “scary,” Trautwein said. Kalen DeBoer and Washington’s new staff were “all over him,” trying to get Ioane to stay local and recommit to the Huskies.

“The night before signing day, he texted me,” Trautwein recalled. “It was like 3 a.m. because of the time change. He said, ‘Am I ever going to play there?’ I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’”

DeBoer and Washington tried their best until the very end to nab Ioane. But when signing day came, Ioane walked into the Graham-Kapowsin gymnasium and put on a Penn State hat, choosing the Nittany Lions over Washington.

It didn’t take long for Ioane to impress. During his first week of training camp as a freshman, Trautwein told his fellow assistants: “This kid is going to be special.” Met with skepticism, Trautwein — a two-time national champion lineman at Florida — persisted. He knew what he was talking about, and he was adamant Ioane would be a star.

Ioane proved him right. After redshirting his first year, Ioane earned five starts in 2023. Last year, Ioane took over as Penn State’s full-time left guard, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors. Ioane went viral on social media for splitting out wide in Andy Kotelnicki’s unique formations and delivering punishing blocks in motion. But down in, down out, Ioane was a force on the interior, protecting Allar and opening holes for Singleton and Allen.

Ioane enters the 2025 season as a crucial piece to Penn State’s championship puzzle. Trautwein’s group is a strength, talented enough to contend for the Joe Moore Award, given to college football’s top offensive line. Without Ioane, that wouldn’t be a realistic goal.

And without losing a recruit to Maryland at the last second, Ioane wouldn’t be at Penn State in the first place to help make all of Penn State’s lofty goals come true.

“There were a lot of times I doubted and questioned myself,” Ioane said. “But we’re here now.”