Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
5 0 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State enjoyed another largely drama-free December signing pe- riod. Of the 25 verbally committed players in the Nittany Lions' 2022 recruiting class, all but two signed on Dec. 15. Those 23 signed players, who collectively are listed seventh in the nation and second in the Big Ten in the On3.com team rankings, figure to help Penn State in any num- ber of ways in the years to come. James Franklin and his staff signed a five-star quarterback in Drew Allar, a five-star running back in Nick Singleton, an elite pass rusher in Dani Dennis-Sutton and numerous other four- and three-star prospects who make up one of the most highly rated classes of Franklin's tenure. "Obviously, we're pleased with the class," the Lions' eighth-year head coach said. "It's pretty balanced between of- fense and defense. A lot of hard work, a lot of hours, went into this, a lot of building significant relationships with the recruits as well as their parents and high school coaches. "We're pretty proud. We've had, for the most part, very little drama on sign- ing day. [Because of] the relationships that we've developed and the process we have, it's been pretty smooth from that perspective, so I'm pleased with that." Of the two prospects who didn't sign, only one has left the class, with offensive lineman Andre Roye opting to sign with Maryland. The Lions' other unsigned prospect, three-star safety Tyrece Mills, remains verbally committed and is ex- pected to ink his letter of intent on the traditional signing day in February. Here's a look at the 23 players who officially joined the Nittany Lions in De- cember: OFFENSE QUARTERBACK DREW ALLAR 6-5 | 230 | Medina, Ohio Allar's rise through the ranks has been extraor- dinary. At the beginning of 2021, he held just over a dozen offers and was considered a mid- tier three-star prospect. But by the time the De- cember signing period arrived, he was the na- tion's No. 2 quarterback according to On3. Once Penn State offered back in January, his re- cruitment took off, with Michigan, Texas A&M, Ole Miss and Notre Dame all offering within a span of weeks. His decision ultimately came down to the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, with Allar commit- ting to Penn State back in March. During his senior season, he threw for 4,443 yards and 48 touchdowns. Named Mr. Football in Ohio, Allar led Medina High to its first outright Greater Cleveland Conference championship. He'll participate in the All-American Bowl and then en- roll at Penn State to begin classes on Jan. 10. BEAU PRIBULA 6-2 | 205 | York, Pa. Pribula picked up an offer from the Nittany Lions back in March 2020. A Penn State fan growing up, he didn't struggle with his decision. Both Rutgers and Wake Forest got him on campus right before the NCAA shut down in-person recruiting, but nei- ther of those schools really pushed Penn State. He ended up committing in August 2020. With recruiting behind him, Pribula led Central FOOTBALL RECRUITING Running back Nick Singleton was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year after wrapping up a high school career in which he rushed for more than 6,400 yards. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED PSU lands one of the most highly regarded classes of the James Franklin era RYA N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M Rk. School Commits 1. Texas A&M 27 2. Alabama 24 3. Georgia 26 4. Ohio State 18 5. Texas 27 Rk. School Commits 6. Notre Dame 21 7. Penn State 24 8. Michigan 23 9. North Carolina 17 10. Oklahoma 15 ON3'S 2022 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 28