News and Notes From Penn State Football’s Early Signing Day Press Conferences
Another year, another top-25 recruiting class at Penn State.
James Franklin and the Nittany Lions welcomed a new crop of prospects to the team on Wednesday, when 25 commits signed letters of intent to play football for Penn State.
Following the signing day festivities, Franklin and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft grabbed the podium to discuss Penn State’s recruiting class as well as the overall state of Penn State Athletics.
Regarding the recruiting class as a whole
Franklin stated that he was comfortable with the class he brought in this year. Penn State recruited a class ranked 14th in the country by the 247Sports Composite. Penn State has concluded with top-20 recruiting classes for the third year in a row, after finishing 14th last year and sixth the previous year.
The Nittany Lions nearly completed with enough guys, and the appropriate players, to produce a complete football squad. Penn State may compete with 11 starting offensive and 10 starting defensive players from this recruiting class (the program only signed two linebackers). Franklin filled a major hole at wide receiver with two top running backs and another top Ohio QB prospect.
“I think if you look at our class, it’s pretty well-rounded,” he added. “We were able to satisfy demands in every position while also signing to continue our development across the board. I believed our length in this class was better than it usually is.”
Penn State also completed the recruiting calendar with a few surprises. The majority of the class had committed to Penn State over the summer, with the final addition coming in October. No one flipped on signing day, which is more than can be said for many college football programs.
“I’d like to thank the workers. In 2023, there’s a lot to be said about a stress-free signing day,” Franklin said. “Again, I believe we take it for granted. I believe it speaks much about the staff’s thoroughness and detail. I believe it speaks volumes about our methodology because we do not put pressure on guys to commit.
On In-State Recruitment
Franklin once again brought in Pennsylvania’s top-rated player. It follows a promise he made when he first arrived at Penn State: he would “dominate the state” in recruiting. Soon later, Saquon Barkley left Rutgers.
This year, Franklin signed Quinton Martin Jr., a Belle Vernon running back. Franklin described Martin as a low-maintenance recruit. When Martin committed to Penn State, he stopped considering other institutions and became immersed in high school football, eventually playing for the Nittany Lions.
“As you know, from my very first press conference, we are going to make Pennsylvania a priority. “I think we did a really good job of that over the last couple years,” Franklin said. “That remains a priority for us. We want the finest players in Pennsylvania to stay there, particularly at Penn State.”
“The best players in Pennsylvania need to stay in Pennsylvania, and they need to come to Penn State,” Franklin remarked at the time.
Regarding Tampering and NIL in College Football
One of the most memorable elements of the news conference was Kraft’s candid discussion of college football tampering.
“Let me give you a fantastic example. “We were in Las Vegas for Olu’s award,” Kraft explained. “On our way there, we got an e-mail of eight athletes, one of which was our own, who was not in the portal, and an agent was saying, ‘Hey, are you interested in him?'”
“I was not very happy that was happening and went to the NCAA officials there and shared it with them,” Kraft said. “We are trying to communicate everything we see but it’s hard because some people are showing it to you, some people aren’t, and it’s just a really difficult spot to be in.”
Tampering has long existed in college football, but discussions concerning it have only grown in relevance since the introduction of the NIL and the transfer site. According to Kraft, it has been a common topic of discussion among the coaches and athletic directors who oversee so much of college football.
Regarding quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer
Since committing to Penn State, Ethan Grunkemeyer’s status has skyrocketed. Grunkemeyer, who was previously a three-star commit, had his stock skyrocket after his performance in the Elite Eight event. Still, Penn State was one of his more serious offers until other institutions jumped on board, and the youngster who grew up only minutes from Ohio State’s campus will become a Nittany Lion.
Grunkemeyer, Franklin stated, will have the opportunity to contend for the starting job at Penn State his freshman year, albeit this statement applies to all players in the program. Grunkemeyer will most likely sit behind Drew Allar, as Allar did with Sean Clifford, as he learns his position in the program.
“Again, these are the types of conversations we have had as well and he understands,” Franklin said. “I think he and Drew have a relationship, and that helps, too. But that position, as we all know, is the most important position, probably in all of sports, and specifically in college football, in terms of competing for championships, conference and national.” Still, after Allar leaves for the NFL — whenever that will be — Grunkemeyer will have to fight with Beau Pribula and freshman Jaxon Smolik for the starting role. Still, Franklin seemed to give Grunkemeyer his endorsement as Penn State’s quarterback of the future after Allar’s time is up. On Renovations To Athletic Buildings Sitting in the background of Penn State’s goals for the future have been
