Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1492675
M A R C H 2 0 2 3 2 3 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 / / / / / / / more than a year due to a knee injury, and the 195-pound Rojas will need time to put on weight, so I'm hesitant to say we'll see them making a major impact right away. However, there's some serious potential here. 3. Another Top-15 Class It was always going to be dif- ficult for Penn State to follow up last year's seventh-ranked class with a similar one in 2023. There just wasn't enough five-star tal- ent in its traditional recruiting territory. Yes, the Nittany Lions have gotten better at recruiting nationally, but they're still pri- marily based in the region. According to the On3 Consen- sus team rankings, Penn State has had three top-10 classes since Franklin took over the program: 2018, '19 and '22. All three classes had at least one five-star player. Now, you can also get there by sign- ing an abundance of top-150 talent, but the Mid-Atlantic region just isn't deep enough for that to happen with regularity. Penn State signed 14 players who received a four-star designation in the On3 Consensus, but only six rank in the top 150. For comparison, Georgia has a dozen who rank in the top half of the On300, while Miami and Ohio State have nine apiece. With that all said, let's appreciate that the Nittany Lions finished a few spots outside of the top 10. Sure, fans will always expect more, but when you con- sider the impact NIL had on this class, it's a positive to see PSU land a strong group. 4. NIL Has Changed The Game Name, image and likeness consider- ations had an impact on last year's class, sure, but this was the first recruiting cycle in which they truly dominated. If I've learned anything from talking to different people, it's that Franklin doesn't want freshmen coming in and instantly earning more than players who were on the field for 400 or more snaps last year. Guys will end up signing individual deals that move them up, but for the most part, the collectives are in place to provide a baseline for everyone. That approach is being used at many schools, but not everywhere. There were a handful of players that Penn State pur- sued and missed out on mainly because of money. Those same players were told they could expect anywhere from $200,000 to $500,000 a year at their re- spective schools. Whether that actually happens or not, only time will tell. Franklin is determined to create a merit-based NIL infrastructure at Penn State. All Nittany Lion players will be "taken care of," but the splashy spend- ing on unproven prospects that has created locker room toxicity in other programs is being avoided. 5. Musical Chairs At Tight End With Mike Gesicki and Pat Freier- muth both enjoying successful NFL careers, it's not hard to sell this position. Tight ends coach Ty Howle certainly used that to his advantage this year, al- though at one point, he found himself in a difficult spot. With Joey Schlaffer and Mega Barn- well already committed by the end of 2021, Howle was still pushing hard for Neeo Avery and Andrew Rappleyea. Both players were firmly lean- ing toward Penn State at the time, so Avery made a quick decision, committing to the Nit- tany Lions on New Year's Eve. That left Rappleyea on the outside looking in when he called the staff four days later to try to commit. He ended up committing to Michigan in mid- January but deep down still pre- ferred Penn State. Rappleyea would get his chance in the spring after Av- ery decommitted. Add in some position changes at Michigan, and it made for an easy decision to flip. Looking back, Penn State is certainly happy with how it all played out. Rappleyea put together an impressive senior season and now is ranked No. 2 in the country by On3. Schlaffer isn't too far behind at No. 10. Howle's room will have no shortage of talent in the years to come. 6. VA 2 PA Remember a few years back when the Nittany Lions dominated the state of Virginia? Well, they're back to doing that again. Following the pandemic, Penn State lost its momentum in Virginia; it signed just one prospect from the talent-rich state — three-star receiver Tyler John- son of Martinsville — during the 2021 and '22 cycles combined. But after North Carolina signed five of the top seven players in the state last year, Penn State came back with a vengeance in 2023, landing four of the top six and six of the top 11. Birchmeier leads the group at No. 1, with Rojas just behind him at No. 2 The addition of Keys, who ranks fourth in the state, really gave this group a lift. Next is wide receiver Carmelo Taylor — who made a massive jump to sixth once his film was released — followed by Barnwell (No. 8) and Donkoh (No. 11). Penn State has gotten the top players from Virginia in the past, but never to this extent. ■ Anthony Donkoh, a four-star prospect from Virginia, is part of a four-man contin- gent that ranks among the top offensive line classes in the country this year. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER