Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 10 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Sean Clifford was a four-star quarterback in the Lions' 2017 recruiting class and has since gone on to start 33 games, with another full season still ahead of him. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Seemingly ready to take the next step a few years ago, PSU's program has lost some of its momentum the past two seasons — in part because of the attrition that diminished its heralded 2017 recruiting class G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G. P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M Edge of '17 P enn State had high hopes for its 2017 recruiting class. The group was ranked in the top 20 nationally and was applauded by recruiting pundits even though it was four players short of the 25-man maximum. But the real assessment of any recruiting class comes at the end of its tenure, not at the beginning, and the evaluations of Penn State's 2017 group look very different now than they did five years ago. There were a handful of success stories, notably defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and wide receiver KJ Hamler, both of whom were drafted in 2020. What's more, the class isn't entirely done. Thanks to the bonus year the NCAA granted to COVID-affected classes, two members of the 2017 group will be suiting up for Penn State this fall: quarterback Sean Clifford and linebacker Jona- than Sutherland. But looking back at the class as a whole, with its many outgoing transfers, its early NFL exits and the health-related retirement of a key player, it was less productive than anyone expected when it signed its letters of in- tent. Here's a look back at the high- lights this class produced and a full rundown of what each m e m b e r a c c o m - plished at Penn State.