Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787374
I f you were excited about the way Penn State 8nished its Class of 2017, then you may want to sit down before you read this. Actually, who am I kidding? Most of you already know that the Nittany Lions have the nation's No. 1 recruiting class for 2018. But if you have been living in a cave since the Rose Bowl, let me catch you up. As of mid-February, Penn State had al- ready earned 11 verbal commitments for the 2018 class. As you might expect, that's by far the biggest total that PSU has ever had at this stage in a recruiting cycle. In the four previous classes that James Franklin and his sta9 were a part of, Penn State earned a combined total of only 8ve commitments before hosting their top targets for their annual late- February junior day. Up until now, their best start was in 2015 when they re- ceived early commitments from Miles Sanders, Jake Zembiec and Shane Sim- mons to get the Class of 2016 started. This year, junior day will take place on Feb. 25. We're expecting the attendees to include about two dozen prospects who have already earned an o9er from the sta9. And they aren't the only players who will be on hand, so there's a very real chance that this class will grow even more before the start of spring practice in March. Of course, there's also a real chance that not all of these players will ulti- mately sign with Penn State. For exam- ple, 8ve-star defensive end Micah Parsons has already visited Ohio State a few times since committing, while of- fensive lineman Chris Bleich recently said that he intends to visit Florida, LSU, Michigan State, Pitt and Rutgers before the end of spring practice. Other players will likely look around, too. That's just the way it works nowadays. But even if the staff does end up los- ing a few of the players who have al- ready committed, the momentum and the attention that the program has earned with its fast start could prove to be invaluable. As of mid-February, Penn State was not only in first place, but had built a substantial lead over second-place Florida State, amassing 1,461 points in Rivals.com's team rank- ings to the Seminoles' 818. That per- formance definitely grabbed the attention of players all across the coun- try. In fact, it's a major reason why the staff has handed out about 50 scholar- ship offers to prospects in states such as Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas. Following a Big Ten championship and one of the most watched Rose Bowls in recent history, the time is now for Penn State to take its recruiting to a national level. If the program is going to take that next step, just as Urban Meyer and Jim Harbaugh have done at Ohio State and Michigan, respectively, Franklin and his assistants must make sure that the sec- ond half of this recruiting class is much like the 8rst. If they're able to do that, then the Class of 2018 could go down as the best in nearly 20 years for the Nit- tany Lions. ■ T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 1 8 >> NAME POS HT WT RATING HOME SCHOOL Shaquon Anderson-Butts WR 5-9 195 ★★★★ Harrisburg, Pa. Harrisburg Nana Asiedu OL 6-6 270 ★★★★ Stafford, Va. North Stafford Iverson Clement RB 5-11 190 ★★★★ Mount Holly, N.J. Rancocas Valley Jaelyn Duncan OL 6-6 301 ★★★ Baltimore, Md. St. Frances Austin Fontaine DT 6-3 280 ★★★★ Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha Dallas Gant LB 6-3 208 ★★★★ Toledo, Ohio St. John's Daniel George WR 6-1 197 ★★★★ Oxon Hill, Md. Oxon Hill Kalon Gervin CB 6-0 172 ★★★★ Detroit, Mich. Cass Tech Dorian Hardy DE 6-4 232 ★★★★ Montvale, N.J. St. Joseph's Aeneas Hawkins DE 6-3 260 ★★★★ Cincinnati, Ohio Moeller Matthew Jones DT 6-4 300 ★★★★ Brooklyn, N.Y. Erasmus Hall A.J. Lytton DB 5-11 170 ★★★★ Upper Marlboro, Md. Wise Jornell Manns DB 6-0 185 ★★★ Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield John Morgan DE 6-3 235 ★★★ Hyattsville, Md. DeMatha PJ Mustipher DT 6-5 275 ★★★★ Owings Mills, Md. McDonogh Devin O'Rourke DE 6-6 230 ★★★★ Frankfort, Ill. Lincoln Way East Kyle Pitts Ath. 6-4 224 ★★★ Warminster, Pa. Archbishop Wood Kwantel Raines DB 6-3 190 ★★★★ Aliquippa, Pa. Aliquippa Blaine Scott OL 6-4 299 ★★★ Portsmouth, Ohio Sciotoville East Juice Scruggs OL 6-3 270 ★★★★ Erie, Pa. Cathedral Prep Shayne Simon Ath. 6-2 195 ★★★ Jersey City, N.J. St. Peter's Prep Tyreke Smith DE 6-4 250 ★★★★ Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights Rasheed Walker OL 6-5 265 ★★★★ Waldorf, Md. North Point Payton Wilson OL 6-4 220 ★★★ Hillsborough, N.C. Orange County Isheem Young DB 5-10 180 ★★★★ Philadelphia, Pa. Imhotep Charter * As of Feb. 12 2 0 1 8 H O T L I S T * Nittany Lions' fast start has made a big impression