F O O T B A L L
R E C R U I T I N G
THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
PSU is chasing some of the nation's top defensive prospects in the 2022 cycle
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I
t's now been more than a year since the
pandemic upended college football's
recruiting calendar. While the initial
focus was on the way in which COVID
impacted the 2021 class, the restrictions
that were imposed last spring
have lingered into the 2022
cycle, with in-person visits
still on hold.
Despite the limitations,
James Franklin and his sta/
couldn't have asked for a bet-
ter start to the current cycle. As of early
April, seven of Penn State's eight com-
mitted prospects held four-star ratings,
and three of those prospects ranked in the
Rivals250. Six of the eight players in the
class are expected to .t in
on o/ense, while Mehki
Flowers could play either
wide receiver or safety.
But if the 2022 class is
going to reach the levels of
the Nittany Lions' .1h-
ranked 2018 class, the coaching sta/ will
have to land at least a few of the players
listed here. The NCAA recently extended
the dead period to June 1, so visits won't
be taking place until the summer, but
there are hopes that uno0cial and o0cial
visits will resume in June or July.
In the previous edition of Blue White Il-
lustrated, we looked at the Nittany Lions'
most important uncommitted prospects
on o/ense in the 2022 cycle. This month,
we're examining their top remaining tar-
TOP PROSPECT
Penn State will be
looking to get
Murphy on cam-
pus for a visit this
summer. Photo
courtesy of Ri-
vals.com
