Blue White Illustrated

T he most highly rated recruiting class in Penn State football history is the one the Nittany Lions signed in 1991. That group, which predated the emer- gence of recruiting-focused websites by more than a decade, was the consensus No. 1 class in the country. It included 9ve prep All-America running backs (Mike Archie, Ki-Jana Carter, Brian King, J.T. Morris and Stephen Pitts), plus All-America wide receiver Bobby Engram. A native of Camden, S.C., En- gram went on to win the 9rst Biletniko; Award as the best receiver in college football. He later enjoyed an illustrious 14-year NFL career, and he was far from the only player in that group to reach the game's highest level. Thirteen of En- gram's classmates also got an opportu- nity to play in the NFL. But more important than any of the in- dividual awards they accrued during their football careers was the foundation the Class of 1991 laid for Penn State's success during the early years of the Big Ten era. In 1994, only their second season of conference membership, the Nittany Lions went 12-0 and defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, 9nishing No. 2 in the polls behind Nebraska. The Lions 9elded one of college football's all-time best o;enses that season, one that averaged more than 47 points and 500 yards per game. In some respects, Penn State's most recent recruiting class is reminiscent of its celebrated predecessor. For example, there are some striking geographic simi- larities. The Class of 1991 included play- ers from eight states, while the Class of 2018 has players from 10. The Mid-At- lantic and Southeast regions were well- represented in the earlier class, and also in the new one, as Penn State was able to sign players from states that are o

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