C
oming out of spring practice at the
end of April, it was clear that the
only way Penn State would have an
opportunity to win the Big Ten East Di-
vision title was if the recruiting classes
of 2017 and '18 played major roles both
on and o: the 9eld.
Those two classes were rated among
the top dozen in the country.
Rivals.com ranked Penn State's Class
of 2017 third in the Big Ten behind
Ohio State and Michigan and 12th na-
tionally. The class was headlined by
five-star defensive back Lamont Wade
of Clairton, Pa., and included 10 four-
star players and 10 additional
prospects who had earned three-star
recognition. It was James Franklin's
most highly rated recruiting class to
that point in his head coaching career
at Penn State.
The following year, Franklin and sta:
took another major step forward, land-
ing a class that Rivals rated second in the
Big Ten behind only Ohio State and 9
