Five reasons Penn State fans should be excited about the Class of 2024: Dominate The State

The past two weeks have been quieter than expected for Penn State on the recruiting trail.

Following the busiest month of the year, the Nittany Lions had hoped to earn a few more commitments by now. With some top prospects already committed elsewhere or expected to get away, things haven’t exactly gone to plan since the bulk of official visits concluded back on June 18.

However, it’s also important for fans to keep things in perspective. Sure, it’s not fun when players like Jamonta Waller go elsewhere, but with 21 commitments and counting, Penn State also has a lot going in its favor at the moment.

Over the next five days, I’ll give my thoughts on why Nittany Lion fans should feel good about this year’s recruiting staff. We’ll start with PSU’s success in-state this year, which, if all goes to plan this weekend, should end up being another excellent in-state haul.

1) Penn State continues to ‘Dominate The State’

Coming into the year, we expected the 2024 class to be one of the best in Pennsylvania that we’ve seen over the past decade. With 34 players already committed to Power Five programs, it’s on pace to be the deepest we’ve seen since 2015, which saw over 40 players go to schools that currently play at the Power Five level. The only other class in recent years that came close to that 35-40 range was the 2018 class.

This year’s class will come close to that 40 number, as a handful of talented players are yet to decide. One of them is Philadelphia defensive end Mylachi Williams, who we expect to join the Nittany Lions on Saturday.

When you consider the overall depth this year, it was inevitable that a few got away. Penn State technically “offered” over two dozen players in the class, but when you really look at who they pushed all out for, you can pretty much narrow that down to 10 players.

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Offensive lineman Kevin Heywood and wide receiver Rico Scott should both be considered losses. If they called up Penn State today and wanted to join the class, James Franklin would absolutely say yes.

But outside of those two, Penn State has landed everyone else they’ve seriously pursued as long as Williams doesn’t shock the world Saturday. That includes the top three players in the state according to the On3 Industry Rankings in Quinton Martin, Cooper Cousins and Tyseer Denmark. The addition of Martin also means that PSU has landed the No. 1 ranked player in the state the past three years. The other two were both five-star players in running back Nick Singleton and offensive lineman J’ven Williams.

But even beyond those three, Penn State is very happy with the group of Keystone State prospects they’ve added so far. Kenny Woseley has been one of Terry Smith’s top cornerback targets for over a year now. Manny Diaz told linebacker Anthony Speca he would’ve taken him in last year’s class if he was eligible. Lineman Caleb Brewer just tested beyond everyone’s expectations at the White Out Camp and wide receiver Peter Gonzalez’s rise was one of the biggest storylines in June.

Add in Williams – knock on wood Nittany Lion fans so I don’t jinx it – and Penn State should bat .800 with in-state prospects this year. That includes four of the top seven in the Industry Rankings. That’s pretty good.

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