Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 10 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State signed its smallest re- cruiting class of the James Frank- lin era in 2021. Davon Townley, a Rivals Industry Ranking four-star defensive end from Minnesota, came aboard on the tra- ditional signing day in February, and the Nittany Lions added a junior col- lege player, Iowa Western defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg, before preseason camp started. But even with those latecomers, the class numbered only 16 prospects. It was an abnormal recruiting year by any definition. The COVID-19 pan- demic had eliminated all official visits in the fall, and the NCAA's decision to grant current ath- letes an extra year of eligi- bility limited the number of players schools could sign. Penn State's class finished No. 18 in the Rivals Industry Team Ranking, but it included more three- star than four-star players, and the overall production the Lions got from the group was in keeping with that middling assessment. H e r e ' s a l o o k b a c k a t Penn State's class of 2021, including individual su- perlatives and a final class grade. The Chosen Few James Franklin's smallest class included only a handful of difference-makers 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 Kobe King outperformed his three-star recruiting ranking, winning All-Big Ten notice in both of his seasons as Penn State's starting middle linebacker. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT