STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State won't have to wait long to get their 2018 signees on campus with six of Wednesday's signees slated to early enroll and thus begin their college careers in just a little more than two weeks.
While Penn State can still have more movement as the 72-hour early signing period window rolls on -- and can still add players again in February on what used to be the signing day -- getting the newest Nittany Lions a head start on college football could prove beneficial next season. Penn State early enrollees include safety Isaiah Humphries, cornerback Trent Gordon, defensive end/linebacker Micah Parsons, tight end Zack Kuntz, linebacker Jesse Luketa and linebacker Nick Tarburton.
"They're going to have an opportunity to compete," James Franklin said. "I do think the chances and the likelihood increase, obviously, the longer that they're here and in this system. So that will be interesting."
Well, first they'll be humbled by the upperclassmen who will likely beat them during the dog days of winter workouts. But after that we'll see where the early enrollees could slot in.
Penn State hasn't shied away from playing freshmen and when it comes to elite talents that were the top players in the state like Miles Sanders and Lamont Wade, both saw the field as true freshmen. That will likely be a path that Parsons, the No. 4 overall player in the 2018 recruiting cycle looks to follow, but his first crack at seeing the field will come in spring ball where he'll get reps at middle linebacker. Getting a jump on learning the defense and getting acclimated to the strength and conditioning program will give Parsons and the other five pledges an inside track to see the field.
So what else is there to know about this class, or at least the 21 players who signed on Wednesday?
BEST CHANCE TO PLAY RIGHT AWAY
The obvious choice is Parsons and he will be an important part of this team moving forward. Getting a player that highly touted means he is a candidate to be an instant-impact player. Penn State hasn't had one of those in a long time. Yes, they've gotten impressive freshman seasons from players, including ones this year like Tariq Castro-Fields, Lamont Wade and Yetur Gross-Matos, but the different between landing a top-5 player and someone in the top-100 is different. It's like the difference in the NFL Draft where picking between Nos. 1 and 5 usually yields a much more sure-fire result than picking in the late 20s to early 30s.
While there aren't any guarantees in recruiting rankings, Parsons' first chance to make an impact will me at the Mike linebacker spot, which isn't too surprising given that he projected more as a linebacker than a defensive end, but I think it also speaks to how Penn State views him as a cornerstone of this team moving forward. The Mike linebacker is the quarterback of the defense, the player making the calls and usually one of the team's leaders. He'll get a crack there in spring ball, which then means rising redshirt freshman Ellis Brooks could have a little more position flexibility or the Lions could be much deeper at the Mike spot should Parsons work out there. Maybe they'll give Parsons a shot at outside linebacker as well?
And, if he doesn't take well to the middle linebacker spot in the offseason? It's a low-risk move. They know he can play defensive end and if they need to bulk him up to play there and think he can maintain his speed they can go that route, too. Parsons' signing day magnet on the team's big board listed him as an athlete. That was a key part about his recruitment.
"What helps him is you watch him play running back," Franklin said. "I always think the best linebackers played high school running back as well. There are really a lot of similarities in terms of our running back hitting the hole, and the instincts of knowing what hole to hit, and a linebacker knowing how to fit. It's very similar. Micah's a guy that's going to be 245 pounds, running the 4.5 (40-yard dash). There is no doubt in my mind he could play defensive end. We have a challenge that we need to solve some linebacker depth issues that we have. We think with him graduating early, he's got a chance to kind of learn it and have a chance to truly compete for the job come the fall."
AREAS OF NEED THAT REMAIN
Franklin's voice rose as he nearly shouted what needs remain for this 2018 class. That, of course, was done on purpose.
"I'm always going to put an emphasis up front on the O-line and D-line," he said. "I think we've made progress there. We still have a major need at defensive end. We still have a major need at defensive end. We still have a need at offensive tackle. So there is still a need there. But overall I think we've helped ourselves in those areas up front on both sides of the ball."
Penn State is still in the running for defensive end Jayson Oweh, defensive end Tyreke Smith and offensive tackle Rasheed Walker. That's why Franklin said what he did and should the Lions add more depth to the trenches here in the coming hours or even months as Oweh and Smith aren't set to announce until Jan. 4, this class and these fans will likely be over the moon. With Parsons slated to get a shot at linebacker Franklin made it a point to say the Nittany Lions don't have any defensive ends in this recruiting class -- for now at least.
ONE THAT GOT AWAY?
Okay, so I'll pick a few. Penn State will have to wait this one out to see if they get any of the players listed above. Perhaps Solomon Enis is on the outside looking in at this point given the addition of wide receiver Jahan Dotson on Wednesday, but we'll have to see. I think the Lions would be hard pressed to pass on him and could load up on a heavy run of wide receivers this class and then go thin at the position in the next group.
Once a Penn State verbal pledge, offensive tackle Antwan Reed signed with Western Michigan. Quarterback Justin Fields, who was once a Penn State verbal pledge, signed with Georgia. Fields' progress for the Bulldogs will make for an interesting story down the road should he end up being as good of a college quarterback as projected.
HOW’D THEY DO IN THE FOOTPRINT?
Another year, another top-ranked player in the state signed with the Nittany Lions making it three years in a row where Franklin and staff made such a haul. There's no denying that Franklin has made good on his dominate the state vow. But, they've also done well in the region again this year, landing wide receiver Justin Shorter from New Jersey and luring in highly-touted tight end Zack Kuntz in state from Camp Hill.
Penn State's footprint continues to expand and while last year it was the Detroit area where they made inroads, this year it was Texas with Trent Gordon and Isaiah Humphries both signing with Penn State.
"It will never be the life blood of our program," Franklin said of the talent-rich state of Texas. "It will be this region. But I think next year is a good example. We have not offered as many players as we normally have offered in this region, and that's not because we have changed our philosophies, it's just for whatever reason the numbers are a little down. I think the more you're able to spread your neck in places like that when you're able to go to Florida, Texas, and even California and Georgia and that category and be able to get some guys that are high-level players and other players see that, there is a lot of value."
There's also value in already landing players on your roster from those areas because it's easier to recruit a kid from one of those two big high schools in Texas after already having two on the roster. That's the value in getting players outside of the footprint as it helps keep the Lions in the running for national prospects. While the areas that have direct flights from State College and Harrisburg will always be heavily hit on the recruiting trail, Penn State will continue challenging nationally for prospects. That's been the philosophy since Day 1 and it's not changing.
"I think for us to continue growing and evolving the way we want to grow and evolve, we're going to have to spread our wings a little bit," he said.
SLEEPER PICK
The days of finding an under-the-radar talent are a thing of the past, Franklin said.
"I think for the most part the sleeper doesn't exist anymore because of the Internet, because of the amount of people that are covering the sport," he said. "The kid in the small town of Pennsylvania or West Virginia or Delaware that no one has really seen or heard of, that's just not happening as much anymore. People are aware of that guy. So the world is shrunk in a lot of different ways with the internet and flights and travel. It's just changed a lot of things."
It's true. Everyone has Hudl highlights and as Franklin has pointed out in the past anyone can string together a few highlights to make them look really, really good. That's why Penn State places value on getting out and recording their own measurement and logging their own times at camps because there's no substitute for an in-person workout.
While this is a highly-touted class that's ranked No. 4 in the nation per 247Sports, here are two players who I think could have highly productive careers at Penn State not named Parsons or Ricky Slade.
Offense: WR Justin Shorter
Franklin said there wasn't any drama involved with Shorter's pledge and for what they're getting on the investment it looks like he could be someone in line to contribute early on should the Nittany Lions need him.
Defense: DT PJ Mustipher
His dad played football at West Virginia and his brother is an offensive lineman at Notre Dame. That's a pretty good talent pool to draw from and given the Lions' need for more run stuffers they could have themselves one in Mustipher.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Franklin on recruiting Parsons: "You're going to have to wait until the book comes out. I've been coaching 23 years, and the book will probably be five chapters on my career and then 15 chapters on the ups and downs and twists and turns, and the journey of Micah Parsons and the commitments. The second-guessing, and all the people that felt like they had an opinion in this and what he should do or shouldn't do."
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