Recruiting Q&A on the Penn State Nittany Lions with Rivals analyst Ryan Snyder
The first day of the early signing period, the first time high school recruits can make their verbal commitments official, will kick off Wednesday. So we turned to an expert to help us make sense of it all.
Recruiting analyst Ryan Snyder, who works for Rivals’ Blue White Illustrated, recently joined us to discuss what Penn State fans can expect Wednesday and throughout the early signing period — including what’s unique about this class, instant-impact players, and a whole lot more.
Take a look:
Centre Daily Times: For Penn State fans who don’t follow recruiting every day, what should they know about this class? What’s unique or different about this 2020 group?
Ryan Snyder: It’s definitely one of the bigger classes. We’re at 27 (commits), and there is room potentially for one more, especially now that (three-star OL) Devin Willock decommitted the other day. That came as a bit of a surprise to Penn State. So we could see a class up to 28. And if there’s a bunch of transfers, up to maybe even 29. So that would be the biggest class since (James) Franklin joined here and I think one of the biggest in the past couple decades.
Aside from that, it’s pretty much what we’ve seen over the past couple years. Half the class is pretty quality four-stars and no five-stars — but top-250, top-100 guys. And then there’s a bunch of players who are lesser ranked but have extremely high ceilings, guys who maybe haven’t played as long or haven’t gone to all the camps and gotten the exposure, but a school like Penn State has the resources to find those players. Just off the top of my head, guys that fit that description are Fatorma Mulbah from Susquehannah Township and tight end Tyler Warren out of the Richmond area. The former hasn’t played long and then Warren just didn’t really get out there much, but they’re still two guys that I know the staff is very high on. If those guys were a little more involved in the recruiting process, they’d be higher ranked.
So there’s a good mix of top guys who should be able to contribute early, but also a good mix of some players who have all the potential in the world and they just need that elite coaching or elite training to take that next step.
CDT: Let’s go straight to the source here: What is the difference between a three-star prospect and a four-star prospect? Because, on paper, it sounds like a three-star prospect — and, thus, a class full of three-star prospects — would likely be a little lesser. What’s your perspective on the stars in relation to Penn State’s class, which has 14 three-stars and 13 four-stars?
RS: Definitely not lesser. Fans always need to remember that a three-star player is still like the top 85th percentile for top prospects in high school. So I still think this is a very good class that’s going to finish right around the top 15. If you’re pulling in top-15 classes every year at minimum and adding a top 10-or-so class here and there, things are great.
And, based off what they’ve done this year and how they’ve started 2021, next year’s class could be a very special class. But back to your question about the stars: I see a lot of guys here who maybe they haven’t been playing as long or maybe they haven’t gotten as much exposure because they don’t play in big-time leagues or go to 7-on-7s. Like (three-star LB) Tyler Elsdon, for example, who just plays in a smaller league and hasn’t gone up against some of those big powerhouse Catholic schools who get a lot of exposure. And then there’s also players like (three-star WR) Malick Meiga, who’s from Canada but has gone to these camps and has put up incredible numbers. Before he went to The Opening, I think he had three MAC-level offers and then he goes to two Opening camps, blows up and gets a handful of quality offers.
So it’s a good mix of guys who just really haven’t had that exposure, and that doesn’t mean they’re lesser players. There’s only so many people who work for Rivals and 247 who can scout all these players.
I think there’s a lot of quality and a lot of guys that, if they can just get that training, can really prove how high their ceilings are. Three-star ratings or not.
CDT: You’ve talked to a lot of these future Nittany Lions. You knew Saquon Barkley was a good guy before everyone else, and you knew what kind of leader Sean Clifford was early on. Who are the fan favorites in waiting here, Ryan, and who’s the leader of this class?
RS: When it comes to being outspoken, when it comes to recruiting other players, (OL) Nick Dawkins from Allentown definitely is at the top of that list. He recruited fairly early because he was kind of a bit of a Penn State guy from the start and, since the start, he recruited just as hard as anyone else.
(LB) Curtis Jacobs from Baltimore, I think he’s another guy fans are going to really like. He’s a little quieter compared to Nick but, when you do get to know him, he stands for all the right things. Really quality individual. And I think he could be a very special player; from Rivals’ perspective, he’s the highest-ranked guy in this class. So those two immediately come to mind. There are a few others who aren’t quite as outspoken but, behind the scenes have been pretty active, like Tyler Elsdon and (DB) Enzo Jennings. He’s helped get in touch with guys. And Micah Bowens, the quarterback out of Las Vegas, he’s talked to a ton of these wide receivers who ended up committing — so there’s a good mix of guys who have shown leadership qualities.
CDT: I think Bowens segues into the next question pretty well because Penn State is clearly in need of receivers. And Franklin went and got himself five wideout commits in this class. So, from that group, who has the best chance to become that No. 3 wideout this season?
RS: Parker Washington would be my pick right now, and it’s just because of what he’s done over the last year and a half. Size-wise, he’s a little bit smaller. I don’t want to say he’s similar to KJ Hamler — KJ had such a great year — but he showed signs he can play that position, and he had an incredible senior year. If you watch his highlight tape, you will see a player who has all the signs of being something pretty special.
I think KeAndre Lambert will be that bigger receiver for Penn State. He has all the talent in the world; he just needs to add some weight. And I think Norval Black, the junior-college wide receiver, is similar. They have incredible speed and can stretch the field — especially Black. That’s all he did at Lackawanna: Send him on a 40-yard fade and stretch out the safeties and, if he gets open, bomb it to him. And, if not, he’ll create so much space down low to feed the other receivers. So I think Penn State would love to get Black involved as early as they can because of his speed, but he’s going to have to put on weight. Black will also have to stay on at Lackawanna in the spring semester, so he won’t be able to join the team until the summer.
So I really see Parker Washington as the best bet for that. Jaden Dottin and Malick Meiga are both high-ceiling guys, but I think they would redshirt first.
CDT: Let’s move past receiver, where the opportunity is obvious. What player in this class could have an immediate impact on the 2020 Nittany Lions?
CDT: Let me just first say: I love Caziah Holmes, the running back from Florida. But, obviously, running back is so stacked. Holmes just brings a little bit of everything: He’s great out of the backfield with his hands, his vision is incredible, his elusiveness is incredible — there’s a lot to like there. I like him a lot. But, again, there’s a lot of depth there.
So let me talk this out. I like Curtis Jacobs a lot, but they’re much deeper at linebacker than they were. And (rising sophomore LB) Brandon Smith hasn’t even played much yet. And I already mentioned Parker Washington. So, aside from them, I think this class will likely need a little bit more time.
(Pauses) But safety Ji’Ayir Brown would be another guy that I haven’t talked about yet. He’s a junior-college safety and, depending on who steps up, Brown would make sense possibly with rotating, maybe playing the role Jaquan Brisker played last season.
But it’s a tough question because there’s more depth now than the last couple years. That’s why I think this group might take a little longer to find the field.
CDT: Let’s switch gears a little bit. Offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne left to become Old Dominion’s coach a week ago and, well, it didn’t seem to have much of an impact from my perspective — but I’m not the expert. So let me ask you: Has Rahne’s departure changed anything for Penn State’s 2020 class?
RS: No. Not really. If there’s ever such a thing as coming out at a perfect time, it did — just because it came before the official visit weekend, which was just this past weekend. So all but four or five guys were here this past weekend so, if you had questions or worries or whatnot, I think the staff was able to do a pretty good job explaining how they’ll bring someone in that won’t change their role.
So, from what I’ve seen so far, Willock and (three-star safety) Elijah Gaines have departed for different reasons. Gaines was a defensive player anyway, so all signs point to all 27 of those guys signing. There’s always a surprise. I’d hate to think there won’t be any drama (laughs). But, so far, there’s nothing that would make me think that something’s going to change.
CDT: That brings me into my next question, Ryan. Last year we had RB Noah Cain commit on the first day of the early signing period — so you’re not expecting anything quite that dramatic this year? We’ve got nothing to look forward to?
RS: (Laughs) I don’t expect any additions. If anything, from what I’ve gathered, the class is — I don’t want to say maxed out because they’ve had two players depart in the last week, so I think they might have one scholarship that could be available.
But, from everything I’ve gathered, they’re in the mode where it’s like, let’s just get these 27 guys signed and then let’s see what’s around in January to potentially add another player. That being said, Willock’s departure was definitely a surprise to everyone that I’ve talked to. So if there were to be a player to pop up in the next 24 hours, you can never rule that out — but I’d say it’s a slim chance. I think it’s more realistic we don’t see any movement until after the bowl game.
CDT: Looking ahead to 2021, what position do you see Penn State targeting heavily? And who are 1-2 guys who could commit next, guys that fans should be aware of?
RS: Penn State has really done a great job balancing out their scholarship chart, so there really aren’t too many spots that I’m really like, “Man this is a sore spot.” Because the roster is pretty balanced.
As far as players, there are so many top guys out there. Let’s start out with two elite offensive linemen — Landon Tengwall and Nolan Rucci. Rucci is the son of Todd Rucci, who played for Penn State back in the day and played for the New England Patriots. So those are both top-30 prospects; they are elite offensive tackles. And they’re both high on Penn State.
Rucci is a legacy prospect, and Tengwall has Penn State in his top-three and we believe Tengwall is leaning forward Penn State. So these are two guys they really need to get. They have depth on the offensive line but, whenever you can get elite offensive linemen, that’s pretty important.
As far as other positions, getting a quality quarterback would be great. Christian Veilleux out of The Bullis School, he’s their most realistic quarterback target right now. He’s a top-250 guy, and he’d be a great get. Caleb Williams, he’s the elite five-star quarterback out of Gonzaga. He’s the Hail Mary shot. Right now, I think he’s probably leaning toward LSU, but Penn State is still in the mix there. Offensively, those are some of the bigger needs.
Defensively, there’s one guy — Zakee Wheatley — he’s listed as an athlete. I think he’ll play safety, maybe wide receiver. But he’s a guy I think is leaning toward Penn State, and he’s a Rivals 250 guy. He actually just joined the Rivals 250 last week, and he’s been to Penn State more than any other school. I think he’s had four or five visits already. I think it’s just a matter of time; fans should definitely keep an eye on him.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 10:39 AM.
