College recruiting is very similar to a baseball team, when you’re going good, no one can stop you, but when you’re in a slump, everyone can beat you.
Right now, James Franklin and his program are coming out of a slump on the recruiting trail, and headed in the right direction. Let’s take a look at what’s happened over the past two months.
The Downs
Franklin had a big day back in April during the Blue and White game when he reeled in a big time commitment from 4 star OL C.J. Thorpe. Moments later, Franklin again bolstered his offensive line with a commitment from 3 star Robert Martin.
Soon after this successful day for Franklin, things started to trend downward. Things had been heading that way when on April 8th, one of the most sought after defensive tackles in the class, Cam Spence committed to Maryland.
Only a few day after the Blue and White game, one of Penn State’s top linebacker targets Avery Roberts committed to Nebraska over the Nittany Lions, despite the recruiting efforts of Brent Pry and quarterback commit Sean Clifford.
The defensive situation got more grim on the 30th of April when the top defensive end Josh Kaindoh joined his teammate Spence at Maryland. Kaindoh had put out a top 4 of Penn State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan just days before his commitment, but many soon realized it may have been a decoy, which it was. Penn State was long believed to be the favorites to land the 5 star.
Penn State also found itself in a tough spot with the top receiver in the state and the top running back in the state and the country. WR Mark Webb had long been a Penn State lean, but since teaming up with his cousin D’Andre Swift as a package deal, Webb and Swift have become Georgia leans, because that’s where the feel they will fit best together.
Also on the offensive side, Penn State lost out on the top 2018 QB Phil Jurkovec who committed to Notre Dame last week.
The Ups
Despite some recent misfortunes, Franklin and his staff are starting to rebound.
In late April, Penn State received a verbal from 3 star safety D.J Brown from Fairburn, Georgia. This continues Franklin’s pipeline from Georgia after he reeled in top punter Blake Gillikin from the state last year. Brown had racked up an impressive 23 offers at the time of his commitment, and has added 4 since then.
Penn State also got some good news a couple days ago when the top cornerback in state Lamont Wade announced his top 10 and the Nittany Lions were at the top of the list. It’s unclear if the list was in order or not, but the Lions have definitely made a move on the 4 star. At this time I still believe Ohio State holds a slight, but closing edge over the Nittany Lions, with Tennessee not far behind. I expect this one to drag out for sometime, which may go in Penn State’s favor.
The biggest news from this weekend comes from 4 star TE Matt Dotson. Penn State was not looked at as a major player for the Ohio prospect before this weekend, but thanks to commit and fellow Ohioan Sean Clifford, that has changed. Dotson joined Clifford for a visit of Happy Valley this weekend and came away very impressed. Over the past two days or so, Penn State is now being looked at as the leader to land the 6’5 235lbs tight end. Dotson said he would like to get back to State College this up coming weekend, if that does happen, I do believe there is a real possibility he pulls the trigger and commits. This would be a huge get for Franklin over rivals Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. It would also help fill a position of need on the roster.
Franklin and company are headed in the right direction again, and at a perfect time with Summer approaching. Stay tuned as things continue to heat up on the recruiting trail.
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