James Franklin candidly admitted that Penn State has not recruited well during the coronavirus pandemic for the class of 2021.
“I want to be clear on this: This class is not done,” Franklin said on a Zoom call Thursday afternoon. “But up to this point, we haven’t gotten it done. We haven’t recruited up to the standard we normally have.”
There are a lot of factors that go into it, noted Franklin, who said the pandemic has had an impact on recruiting.
Penn State currently ranks 33rd in the 247Sports recruiting rankings for 2021, one spot behind Pitt.
Here’s where some other Big Ten teams rank on the list:
- Ohio State – 2
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Michigan – 8
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Wisconsin – 16
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Maryland – 20
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Iowa – 21
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Nebraska – 22
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Minnesota – 27
Penn State has only 13 commits thus far, tied for the fewest of any team in the top 50. Auburn, at No. 19 in the rankings, also has 13 commits.
“If you’re comparing it to normal circumstances, normal situation, no,” Franklin said when asked about the state of recruiting. “But again, nothing about this is normal.”
Franklin said recruiting gets complicated because players and their families can’t visit campus — the NCAA has extended the recruiting dead period until Jan. 1 — and the coach noted most of the players PSU is recruiting don’t live anywhere close to State College.
Franklin said he would take a recruit even if the young man and his family have not visited campus.
