Penn State pleased with recruiting class; James Franklin might not be done

UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State did not land all of its top targets in this recruiting cycle, and it suffered some turbulent moments and prolific periods of success along the way.

Add it up, and you have the 27-member Class of 2020 that officially became Nittany Lions on Wednesday during Day 1 of the early signing period.

It’s a group that fills needs and has a handful of nationally respected recruits who were wanted by top Power-5 programs to go along with some potential diamonds in the rough. It has fewer four-stars (11) than three-stars (16), and for the first time since 2017, it does not include a five-star.

All told, the Lions are still bringing in a top-15 class nationally that is behind only Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports’ composite team rankings.

Coach James Franklin and his staff spent the morning FaceTiming with the newest members of the roster. Collectively, they hail from all over the place: 12 U.S. states, plus Washington, D.C., and Windsor, Ontario, are represented in the class.

Fifteen of the seniors who signed are ticketed for a career on offense, and 12 will play defense. The highest-ranked recruit is four-star linebacker Curtis Jacobs, who is the No. 44 player nationally and from Maryland, and the top-rated recruit on offense is four-star tight end Theo Johnson, who is the latest Canadian to sign with the Lions after linebacker Jesse Luketa, safety Jonathan Sutherland and end Daniel Joseph did in previous years.

The class does not come without a tinge of disappointment, though. The mega-class many expected at this time last year never materialized since five-star Southern Columbia receiver Julian Fleming picked Ohio State, and the nation’s No. 1 player, Maryland end Bryan Bresee, visited the Lions often but ended up at Clemson.

“I think overall we were able to really sign a complete class,” coach James Franklin said. “We like to sign a player at each position every single year so you don’t get out of whack in terms of your scholarship numbers and your distribution by position as well as by year. I think we did a good job of that.

“I think you guys all know I’ve been scarred in my past about O-line and D-line depth, and we’ve continued to make that a focus, and we’re in a pretty healthy spot right now after we first got here and the situation we walked into. So I’m pleased with that.”

Penn State signed five offensive linemen, seven defensive linemen, and four Pennsylvania natives in linebacker Tyler Elsdon, offensive lineman Nick Dawkins, defensive tackle Fatorma Mulbah and defensive end/linebacker Zuriah Fisher. Maryland and Virginia were the other most-represented state with four signees apiece.

As for whether there is more work to do, that depends on how many players leave the team after the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 28 matchup against Memphis.

“We’re still waiting to hear on some NFL guys, what their plans are,” Franklin said. “A lot of them have communicated. We probably have more guys coming back than maybe we anticipated before the year started, which is great, which is great. We’ve got guys that had NFL grades that could have left early, and they’re staying, and I think that’s a tremendous statement because they like what’s going on. They’re happy. And we have unfinished business.

“On top of that, they’re going to be able to hopefully better their situation as well. So it’s really a win-win for everybody when handled the right way. But I do. I think it’s probably more challenging than it’s ever been, not just at Penn State, but anywhere, and being aggressive and trying to get to that 85. That’s where I said I think there’s going to be some rule changes and things like that.”