Clemson football: The best recruiting classes in the 2023 cycle
By John Chancey
#8: Penn State Nittany Lions
- Verbal Commitments: 19
- 247 Composite Rank: #3
- 247 Composite Score: 262.41
- 247 Composite Average Rating: 91.53
Recruit rankings:
- 1-50: 1
- 51-100: 2
- 101-200: 4
- 201-400: 6
- 400+: 6
- Quarterback commitments: 0
I’m not a Nittany Lion hater. I assure you I have a reason for ranking a class at #8 that 247 says is the 3rd best. It relates back to what I said in the introduction: often the quality of a class is more important than the quantity in a class. 247 has them ranked higher because of their quantity, and I tend to respect quality.
Penn State has 19 commitments, but most of their class ranks outside the Top 200. They have the ‘depth’ component that top-tier classes need, but they are lacking the difference makers that a lot of Top 10 programs have at this point. They are a step ahead of Tennessee, Oklahoma & USC, but the quality is a step behind some others.
Specifically, they are lacking a difference maker at quarterback. Clemson’s 2018 Class wasn’t very large, but it did have a 6’-6” 5-star quarterback named Trevor Lawrence that made a major impact on the program. If Penn State had landed a signal caller like that, they would be much higher on my list. My suspicion is that we will see the Nittany Lions slip down 247’s ranking as some other high-profile programs that already have better quality start to add more depth to their classes.