A notable idiom many use is โwhen it rains, it poursโ meaning when something bad happens usually more bad things happen.ย
That idiom is apropos when considering that in the last week Penn State has missed on some big time targets, the biggest one being Pennsylvania No. 1 recruit Joey OโBrien from LaSalle, the same school that produced Abdul Carter. OโBrienโs teammate at LaSalle, four-star offensive tackle and No. 5 rated Pennsylvania prospect by On3 Grayson McKeogh also committed to Notre Dame.ย
Many thought four-star defensive back Khary Adams was going to be a Nittany Lion. Adams visited Penn State six times and was prioritized by associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith and co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Anthony Poindexter.
Per Adams, Penn State wasnโt the measuring stick all along.ย
โThis whole process, Notre Dame has been that one school everyone was up against,โ Adams said. โIt was Notre Dame vs. Penn State, then Notre Dame vs. Oregon, so Notre Dame was up there for me from the beginning.โ
Adams committed to Notre Dame, leading Notre Dame recruiting analyst for Blue Gold Tim Hyde to sum it up ,
โI think it is an upset. This is Penn State territory. Notre Dame hasnโt gotten a national kid like Adams out of that area in a long time. Cam Hart was a three-star wide receiver when the Irish got him six years ago.โ
Even Notre Dameโs arch nemesis USC got into adding to Penn Stateโs misery by luring the nationโs No. 6 EDGE Luke Wafle out west. Wafleโs brother Owen transferred to Penn State this winter but that connection wasnโt enough to lead to Lukeโs commitment. ย Wafle coming from The Hun School (Princeton, NJ) continues Penn Stateโs struggle to lock down it as a strategic pipeline. Outside of Fred Hansard and Caeden Wallace, Penn State has struggled to lure top prospects from the prep school.ย
If that isnโt a clear example from the definition of โit poursโ from the idiom, I donโt know what would be.
But Iโm here to say thereโs no need to hit the proverbial panic button.ย
Depending which recruiting service rankings you subscribe to, Penn State is either in the thick of the Top 10 (No. 7 by 247Sports) or just outside it (No. 11 by On3). That has been par for the course in the James Franklin era.ย
To put it into perspective, according to 247Sports, the only tim Franklin had a class not finish in its Top 20 was 2014. This was the year Franklin came in relief of Bill OโBrien, who left for the Houston Texans.
In half of Franklinโs 10 full recruiting cycles, the ratings by 247Sports have ranked Penn State No. 14 (three times) or No. 15 (two times). Add into that with two Top 10 classes in 2018 and 2022, along with never finishing below No. 20, Franklin has yielded exceptional classes.ย
Think of the major wins just in this recruiting class alone.ย
While Penn State missed on LaSalle teammates, it picked up Harrisburg teammates in running back Messiah Mickens and offensive tackle Kevin Brown.ย
Both Mickens and Brown were some of the earliest Penn State commitments for the Class of 2026, with Mickens coming in August 2023.
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Messiah Mickens
When JaโJuan Seider moved on to Notre Dame, Mickens became a priority poaching target.
But Mickens remained locked in. Brown is regarded by On3 and Rivals as the No. 1 overall rated recruit in Pennsylvania (On3 Industry is a composite ranking that has OโBrien No. 1).ย
Penn State fans may be aware of the name Brad Maendler, the quarterback coach who has worked and developed Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemyer.
Maendler said of quarterback Peyton Falzone, who is rated No. 5 recruit in Pennsylvania from Nazareth (Nazareth, PA), best athlete he has ever worked with.ย
If that doesnโt satisfy fans in the quarterback room for this class, four-star quarterback Troy Huhn from Mission Hills (San Marcos, CA) reached the Elite 11 Finals Friday, completing 12 of 22 passes for five touchdowns and an interception, turning all the scouts heads.
If Pennsylvania recruiting is what one prioritizes, Penn State still has commitments from six of the Top 11 per the On3 Industry composite. Itโs hard to complain about those results considering this cycle Pennsylvania is talent heavy.ย
If missing out on OโBrien still has one worried, the last two Pennsylvania No. 1โs that left Penn State initially missed on were Nolan Rucci and Julian Fleming. Both ended up back at Penn State. This isnโt to say OโBrien will be back and Penn State is due to have one of those major misses, similar to that of (in the Franklin era) DeAndre Swift, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Kyle Pitts.ย
There are many recruiting wins that are still in this class, there simply isnโt a time to write and my editor doesnโt want to edit a tome. That panic button should be far from your view. Anyone who suggests there is a recruiting crisis from Penn State is a worn out trope and out of touch.
