Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1340947
HITSVILLE U.S.A. Penn State signed four standout de- fensive play- ers from the greater De- troit area in its 2021 recruit- ing class. CONTENTS 21 >> RECRUITING NOTEBOOK James Franklin assesses Penn State's latest recruiting effort now that the Class of 2021 is complete. 32 >> PROSPECT BIOS Meet the 16 members of the Nittany Lions' class. BWI looks at their high school accomplishments and recruit- ing journeys, while analyst Thomas Frank Carr breaks down their video highlights. 34, 42, 46 >> UP CLOSE & PERSONAL BWI's Ryan Snyder and David Eckert profile three standout members of the Nittany Lions' class: defensive back Kalen King, place kicker Sander Sa- haydak and offensive lineman Landon Tengwall. 58 >> BIG TEN/NATIONAL REPORTS Publisher Phil Grosz takes a look around the conference and the nation to spotlight the winners and losers as the 2021 recruiting cycle draws to a close. 60 >> THE CLASS OF 2022 While Penn State was putting the fin- ishing touches on its 2021 recruiting class, it was also continuing to work on the class's successor. The Nittany Lions are off to a hot start in 2022, with seven four-star prospects already committed. from fleeing over the border to other schools. The Spartans' impending visit to Beaver Stadium was seemingly a golden opportunity to advance that cause – not just because it held out the hope of regaining the Land Grant Tro- phy, an object so heavy it could con- ceivably attract players simply by warping the gravitational field around the Duffy Daugherty Building, but be- cause Penn State was one of those other schools that was swiping tal- ented players out from under Michi- gan State and Michigan. What better way to show the relative merits of the two programs than by beating PSU on its home field? Tucker wasn't having it, though. He downplayed the importance of any particular game, noting that recruiting wins are "really about relationships and trust." Those relationships, when nurtured over time, transcend the ups and downs of a typical Saturday after- noon, he said. But Tucker also acknowledged that the Nittany Lions had built relation- ships in his state and was using them to land some of its better players. "Obviously, Penn State, they have a good program," he said. "One coach in particular on their staff is from the Detroit area and played in the public school league there and has connec- ZAKEE WHEATLEY Rivals.com