SIGNING DAY
West Mifflin’s Nahki Johnson was part of a recruiting motherlode landed by Pitt. INSIDE: A breakdown of Penn State’s Class of 2021,
Penn State welcomed 15 new players to its ranks during national signing day Wednesday. Let’s take a look at how the Nittany Lions fared with the Class of 2021:
• Best chance to play right away?
Lonnie White Jr. of Malvern Prep in Philadelphia is probably the best athlete of the 15 players in the 2021 class. Classified as an athlete by recruiters, White is 6 feet 2, 210 pounds with elite jumping ability. He will play baseball and football for the Nittany Lions. Even if receiver Jahan Dotson returns, there will be opportunities for White to have an immediate impact. Dotson and Parker Washington would be the starters at wideout, but offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca might have an easier time running fade patterns with a taller player such as White. Franklin heaped high praise on White, saying that he’s the Nittany Lions’ version of Deion Sanders or Bo Jackson. Landon Tengwall, a 6- 6, 300- pound offensive tackle, has the body of a college football lineman right now. But offensive linemen tend to develop a little slower.
• Biggest hole left unfilled?
The Nittany Lions didn’t sign a running back in the 2021 class. Injuries to Journey Brown, Noah Cain and Devyn Ford caused the Nittany Lions to use their fourthand fifth- string running backs this season. Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes got valuable experience as true freshmen. Ford could return for his junior season. Brown had to retire from football with a heart condition. Cain also could return, assuming he’ll be healthy in 2021. Maybe the Nittany Lions will have a rotation of Cain, Ford, Lee and Holmes. But 2020 teaches that injuries could happen. It would be nice for the Nittany Lions to find another tailback.
• The one that got away? It would be easy to say Nolan Rucci here. The 6-8, 295- pound lineman from Lititz grew up attending games at Beaver Stadium. His father, Todd, played at Penn State. His brother Hayden is on the Wisconsin roster now, though, and Rucci felt more familiar with the Badgers. But the most significant loss is safety Derrick Davis Jr. Losing a kid from Gateway to LSU is a severe blow. Davis could have been an instant contributor at Penn State.
• Hidden upside?
Wide receiver Harrison Wallace flipped to Penn State last week after committing to Duke earlier. Wallace only started playing football two years ago after mostly playing basketball and baseball. His athletic ability is similar to White’s. Don’t be surprised if the receiver from Alabama gets some plays as a freshman.
“Wallace and Lonnie could have a dunk contest against each other,” Franklin said. “That would be really exciting to watch. One of the things that got us excited about Wallace is his dunks. His basketball tapes are incredible.”
• Hidden gem?
It’s probably unfair to call a four-star recruit a hidden gem. But Kobe King might be an exception. The 6-3, 233pound linebacker from Detroit could play immediately. The Nittany Lions never recovered from Micah Parsons opting out. It’s hard to be “Linebacker U” when your linebackers struggle to make tackles. Perhaps King can change that in 2021.
• Quote of the day
“The class of wide receivers, I really like,” Franklin said when asked about Wallace, White and Liam Clifford. “They’ve all got good size. They’re all 6-1 or taller and are put together already. So we are very excited about those three.”