Penn State inks 15 to 2021 recruiting class

ALTOONA, Pa. -- It was a busy morning inside the Lasch Football Complex Wednesday as the early-signing period for Division 1 football began amidst preparations for Penn State's game against Illinois. The fax machines were buzzing from the crack of dawn, as the Nittany Lions signed 15 players to their 2021 recruiting class.

"We've had very little drama on signing day," head coach James Franklin said. "Guys that are supposed to sign have typically signed. We usually have them all in by 7:30 in the morning. That's been good and I think that's been based on transparency and really good conversations with the families and our coaching staff."

It was a so-so recruiting cycle for Penn State, as the Nittany Lions struggled within the state of Pennsylvania, landing only four recruits among the top-40 in the commonwealth. Those four, according to 247Sports, were Lonnie White Jr. (No. 7), Nate Bruce (No. 14), Khalil Dinkins (No. 17) and Sander Sahaydak (No. 36). 

"We have not offered a large number of players in the state of Pennsylvania over the last five or six years, the number continues to go down," Franklin said. "That makes the guys we do offer, critical that we get and when you don't get them, it magnifies it."

The Nittany Lions landed four players from the state of Michigan: Kobe King, Kalen King, Jamari Buddin and Jaylen Reed. Penn State's signed three recruits from Maryland, with Landon Tengwall and Zakee Wheatley coming in rated with four stars from ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. The third was quarterback prospect Christian Veilleux, who is originally from Canada.

Connecticut, Indiana, Ohio and Alabama were represented by one recruit each in Jeffrey Davis Jr., Rodney McGraw, Liam Clifford and Harrison Wallace, respectively. 

"We also went to some non-traditional places for us to get some guys, to find some guys, which i thought that went well," Franklin said. "We had a number of guys that committed to us without ever seeing the place."

Even with the early signings, Penn State has not quite put the finishing touches on the 2021 class, although Wednesday's showing was a good start. The Nittany Lions will look to improve on a class that ranks fourth in the Big 10, according to 247Sports, and 20th nationally.

"We also still have the second signing day to go with, so there's still some prospects we're involved with," Franklin said. "We have typically signed a full class to try to get to our 85, where a lot of programs have saved scholarships for the transfer market and we're also going to be involved in that."

KOBE AND KALEN KING

The Nittany Lions landed twin brothers from Detroit, Mich. at 7 am by former Penn State and current Chicago Bears receiver Allen Robinson. 

Kobe is a 6-foot, 237-pound linebacker with a four-star rating from Rivals and a three star rating from both 247Sports and ESPN. His brother Kalen is a 5-foot-11, 176-pound defensive back who has a four-star rating from Rivals and 247Sports and a three-star rating from ESPN. 

RODNEY MCGRAW

Following the twins was defensive end prospect Rodney McGraw out of Elkhart, Ind. McGraw is the only defensive line recruit in this class for the time being and holds a four-star rating from ESPN and three-star rating from Rivals and 247Sports. Listed at 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, McGraw has some room to grow on his impressive frame as he added weight each of his four years in high school, including a 30-pound jump between his junior and senior years, when he went from 225 to 255 pounds.

JAMARI BUDDIN

Jamari Buddin was one of four Michigan natives to sign with Penn State. The linebacker prospect out of Ypsilanti, Mich. has a big, long frame at 6-foot-4, much like current linebacker Brandon Smith, who is 6-foot-3. If his ceiling is anywhere near that of Smith, the Nittany Lions are in good shape. 

Buddin picked Penn State over Arkansas, Cincinnati, Florida State and Indiana and has a three-star rating from 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals.

ZAKEE WHEATLEY

Wheatley, a four-star prospect, had offers from Maryland, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Virginia before committing to Penn State. The defensive back hauled in two touchdowns and two interceptions in two games as a senior in high school. At 6-foot-2, he's got the length to be a factor in the secondary early for the Nittany Lions. 

JEFFREY DAVIS JR.

Davis comes to Penn State as a three-star rated defensive back, according to ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports. Listed at 6-foot and 170 pounds, it looks like Davis will be adding some muscle when he enrolls at Penn State. Davis was a three-sport athlete in Connecticut,  and was a four-time letterman in track and three-time letterman in basketball.

He chose Penn State over Boston College, Harvard, Michigan, Rutgers, Tennessee and Wake Forest.

HARRISON WALLACE

Wallace enters an already strong receivers group with the Nittany Lions and with the talent there, looks to be a quality redshirt candidate next season. At 6-foot-1, Wallace was a two-way starter in high school, catching 27 passes for 696 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior.

Wallace chose Penn State over Duke, Houston, Maryland and South Carolina.

SANDER SAHAYDAK

The lone kicker in the recruiting cycle, he's the third to commit to Penn State since 2016. Sahaydak is the second-ranked kicker recruit in the country and hails from Bethlehem, Pa. 

Sahaydak chose Penn State over Rutgers and Army.

JAYLEN REED

Reed rounds out the Michigan quartet for the class and is projected as a safety when he arrives on campus. The 6-foot Reed has put up some impressive numbers in the weight room with a 300-pound bench, 425-pound squat and a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Reed got the KJ Hamler treatment when he faxed in his letter of intent.

He selected Penn State over Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia and Michigan State. 

LIAM CLIFFORD

Clifford is the younger brother of Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford and has been pledged to the Nittany Lions since 2019. His stock rose dramatically because of a spectacular senior season at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. Chemistry will seemingly not be an issue once he arrives at Penn State and he should expect to see an early look in the spring at cracking the lineup.

Clifford chose Penn State over Cincinnati, Duke, Kentucky and Michigan.

LONNIE WHITE JR.

White is the only top-10 player from Pennsylvania who signed with Penn State and will be a dual-sport athlete, as he plans to also play baseball. The four-star prospect had a multitude of offers, from the likes of Pitt, Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. 

He was a four-year letter-winner at Malvern Prep and his father was an All-American basketball player at East Stroudsburg University while Franklin was a football player there.

KHALIL DINKINS

Dinkins is another of the Pennsylvania natives in this recruiting class. He was a high school teammate of current Nittany Lion Joey Porter Jr. at North Allegheny. His father, Darnell, played nine years in the NFL and three years at Pitt. 

Dinkins, the lone tight end in the class, chose Penn State over Boston College and Georgia Tech.

LANDON TENGWALL

Tengwall has the best rating of anyone in the class and the best chance to compete right away. He's 6-foot-5, 300-pounds, and should convert most of that weight to muscle when he arrives on campus. He already looks the part of a starting offensive lineman; how long it takes him to get there is another story.

He chose Penn State over Alabama, Auburn, Duke and Florida

NATE BRUCE

Bruce rounds out the Pennsylvania contingent. The Harrisburg native played at Harrisburg High School, the same school that produced Micah Parsons. Bruce was a force in the Mid-Penn as a three-year letterman and has a solid chance to get on the field early in his career with the Nittany Lions.

He chose Penn State over Iowa State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

CHRISTIAN VEILLEUX

Veilleux comes to Penn State by way of the state of Maryland, but hails from Ottawa. A pro-style quarterback prospect, Veilleux is the only quarterback in the class and the only pro-style quarterback in the program. He was ranked a four-star prospect ESPN and three-star by Rivals and 247Sports.

Veilleux picked Penn State over Arizona State, Boston College and Clemson.

The early signing period ends Friday and the next signing day is February 3, 2021.