Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
M A R C H 2 0 2 4 19 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E B I G P I C T U R E / / / / / / / "The ability to overcome adversity in college athletics is important, and I think we've lost some of that. It's the path of least resistance." NIL Has An Impact Franklin recently inked his 11th batch of newcomers since arriving at Penn State in 2014. It includes 25 freshmen, 16 of whom are already on campus taking classes, and one of whom — interior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins of Erie (Pa.) McDowell — comes with a five-star grade from On3. T h e c l a s s a l s o features six trans- fers, including a pair of former five-star Pennsylvania pros- pects — offensive lineman Nolan Rucci of Warwick and re- ceiver Julian Fleming of Southern Colum- bia — who were heavily recruited by the Nittany Lions coming out of high school. Franklin might not like the current rules. He might believe they're an overcorrec- tion. But he's not going to unilaterally dis- arm, either. "The reality is that the college football that we've all known, the college athletics that we've all known, that's not coming back," Franklin said. "You're going to have to embrace the current model that we're in." Penn State's freshman class finished 16th nationally in the On3 Industry Team Ranking. Three Big Ten foes fared better, with Ohio State third, Or- egon fourth and Michigan 15th. It was Penn State's second-lowest ranking since its turnaround season in 2016, and that, too, was a sign of how the game has changed in recent years. The Nittany Lions finished 11 spots below Miami, a program that has been open about its efforts to woo prospects using NIL money. They also finished eight spots below Auburn, a program that shot up in the rankings this year after finishing no higher than 16th in the three years preceding the 2024 recruiting cycle. That NIL money has distorted the rankings is a given among college re- cruiters. For example, neither Auburn nor Miami has been to a New Year's Six bowl game since the 2017 season, yet there they were at No. 5 and No. 8, respec- tively, in the 2024 rankings coming out of the traditional February signing day. Not far below the Hurricanes and Tigers was Florida. The Gators' coach, Billy Napier, is currently listed third on CoachesHotSeat.com, yet his team man- aged to finish 10th in the On3 Industry Team Ranking. Not coincidently, a few weeks after signing day, four-star de- fensive tackle signee D'Antre Robinson tweeted a video of the house he bought his mother with his NIL windfall. As opaque as recruiting can be, it's also becoming a world of conspicuous con- sumption, and Penn State knows what it's up against. Andy Frank, PSU's gen- eral manager of personnel and recruit- ment, told BWI in December that the Lions "have made strides in the NIL de- partment," but they're not content with how they're positioned in the market and probably never will be. "It's the new realm of how you have to compete," Frank said. "It will never stop. We will have to continue to advance. Wherever we get to tomorrow, we'll have to be somewhere else five days from then." Excited About The Future Even with Penn State playing catch-up on the NIL front, it still managed to score some major victories during the 2024 cy- cle — wins that figure to have both short- and long-term impacts on the program. In the short term, the Lions could get a lift from four- star running back Quinton Martin Jr. of Belle Vernon, Pa. Penn State's back- field is deep, with juniors Kaytron Al- len and Nicholas Singleton both returning, but Martin also excelled as a pass catcher at Belle Ver- non High, totaling nearly 1,500 receiving yards. The Lions have been exploring all their options when it comes to strengthen- ing the downfield passing game, and the 6-foot-1, 194-pound Martin could have an impact in that area, especially since he's already on campus. Franklin also likes the pass-catching potential of three-star running back recruit Corey Smith, but the Lions won't get a look at him till later this year when the Wisconsin prospect arrives at Penn State. "In today's college football or the NFL, the more ways you can use run- ning backs, the better," Franklin said. "We made a huge investment this past offseason and during the season to use our running backs in different ways, and we want to continue to grow in that area. I think both Quinton and Corey could play wide receiver for us." Others who could see early action in- clude tight end Luke Reynolds, receiver Tyseer Denmark, and cornerbacks Jon Mitchell and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter. Cousins, too, could earn snaps next fall. While most offensive linemen redshirt as true freshmen, the 6-6, 319-pounder already has a Big Ten-ready physique. He will be taking part in spring practice and could be a nice fit anywhere from 2024 ON3 INDUSTRY TEAM RANKINGS Rk. Team 5-star 4-star 3-star Total 1. Georgia 5 18 5 28 2. Alabama 4 16 6 26 3. Ohio State 2 14 6 22 4. Oregon 1 18 8 27 5. Miami 3 10 14 27 6. Texas 1 16 5 22 7. LSU 2 17 10 29 8. Auburn 1 11 8 21 9. Oklahoma 1 15 11 27 10. Florida 2 12 6 20 11. Notre Dame 0 13 10 23 12. Florida State 0 14 9 23 13. Tennessee 2 10 9 21 14. Clemson 2 10 9 21 15. Michigan 0 14 12 26 16. Penn State 0 12 13 25 17. Texas A&M 1 12 4 17 18. USC 0 12 10 22 19. Ole Miss 0 10 12 23 20. South Carolina 1 9 6 16 "The reality is that the college football that we've all known, the college athletics that we've all known, that's not coming back. You're going to have to embrace the current model that we're in." J A M E S F R A N K L I N