Recruiting Q&A on the Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2021 class with Rivals analyst Ryan Snyder
The first day of the early signing period — the first time high school recruits can make their commitments official — will kick off Wednesday and run through Saturday. So, we turned to an expert for some additional insight.
Recruiting analyst Ryan Snyder, who works for Rivals’ Blue White Illustrated, recently spoke to us about what Penn State fans can expect with the Nittany Lions’ 2021 class (ranked No. 26 nationally, according to Rivals) — including if this class is as underwhelming as many say it is, immediate-impact players, and a whole lot more.
Take a look:
Centre Daily Times: For Penn State fans who don’t really keep an eye on recruiting, what are some things that they should know about this class?
Ryan Snyder: I would say, if there’s one thing that people need to know about this class, I would call it a safe class. And the reason I say that is because the core of this class — I believe it’s all but just a couple guys, I think maybe all but three — have camped with the staff. … We haven’t had any camps, basically, since 2019. In a year where you can’t get out and evaluate guys — there were no camps to pull information from — to have a class where you did get to test them and put them through 40 times and see them throw in person or whatever it may be, that’s so important. There are a lot of other classes out there who have more stars, but they’re taking guys that they don’t know anything about. They’re taking guys that look good on film, but they haven’t ever even seen them in person. And I think that’s just so important to keep in mind.
Because, again, yes, they didn’t have these guys on campus for a year, but just knowing that (quarterback) Christian Veilleux is this size and runs this 40 and knowing he’s going to only get stronger and faster is encouraging. Knowing that (offensive lineman) Nate Bruce was this size in June 2019 and seeing his progress since then, it’s so important.
So, a safe class is really the best way to sum it up. And I really think that when we get down the road, there’s gonna be a lot of schools who — yes, they had an awesome class this year — but they’re gonna miss on more guys. Just because … they’re obviously evaluating film, but they just don’t know how chubby this guy has gotten, how fast this guy runs. They just don’t have accurate information. And that’s the thing that Penn State has really prioritized.
CDT: Just going through Penn State’s last five classes, this is its lowest ranked class since 2016 (ranked No. 21 nationally, according to Rivals). But, really, is this class as underwhelming as people have made it out to be?
RS: No, definitely not. And I’m holding the flag hard on this one, because I’ve been pushing this for a while now. I think people need to know how the rankings work. And, basically, the first thing I’ll stress is that if you don’t have 20 committed guys, then you can’t accurately compare your class to Ohio State or Michigan or whomever. The way that the system works is it’s a point system, and it only counts up to your top 20 guys in the class. So, if you get 24 or whatever, the bottom four guys in the rankings, they don’t count and it’s just the top 20. So, if you don’t get to that 20 mark, you just have less points than everybody else. And that’s all it is.
So, for example, Ohio State two years ago, they had 17 commitments — they finished 20th. That class was stacked. You can go through it — their 2019 class had tons of talent. Michigan three years ago had, I believe it was, 18 or 19 commits, and they finished 24th. Even Clemson three years ago finished 22nd. And they had a smaller class, too. So, it’s so important to understand how the rankings work.
(The Nittany Lions) just don’t have the commitments everybody else has. And, you know, they’ll catch up. I don’t think they’ll get to 20 this year — they don’t have the scholarships for it, and I think also, if they do have some scholarships, it’s wise to maybe save one or two, looking in the transfer portal this year. They’re going to be ranked a little lower, because you’re not going to reach that 20 number.
CDT: People have really drilled home the fact that HC James Franklin keeps missing on the top guys in the state of Pennsylvania, whether it be OT Nolan Rucci (committed to Wisconsin) this class or WR Julian Fleming (committed to Ohio State) last class. Is that a fair criticism?
RS: It is. It is the one thing that I think is fair this year. And then Franklin kind of said as much earlier this year. His comments about the class not reaching its standard or whatnot, those comments all came about — I don’t know — maybe two weeks after (offensive tackle) Nolan Rucci committed to Wisconsin. And I don’t know if he says that comment if Rucci is still available there, (safety) Derrick Davis (Jr.) is still available … whomever it may be. So, that is the one thing that I do think is fair, and I think Franklin and his staff would admit it. They have to close on guys like that. And it has been a trend going in the wrong direction the last two years. But I think one other thing to keep in mind with that, too, is Pennsylvania as a whole was really kind of down the past three years. Now, there were some top guys. You know, obviously, you can go back to (receiver) Julian Fleming and whomever, and those are the guys they were really focused on. But they also just weren’t throwing a wide net — I guess you could say — either, if you just want to look at total Pennsylvania commits.
But when it comes to those elite guys, again, you don’t have to land all of them. It’s gonna be hard to beat out Ohio State, especially for guys who are out in Western Pa. But (LSU commit) Derrick Davis visited here, I think, 10 or 11 times. I mean, that’s somebody you got to lock down. I mean, obviously, everybody knows Nolan Rucci’s ties to here. And obviously with his brother being in Wisconsin, that brings in a whole different dynamic, but those are still two guys that you got to get. So, I understand that criticism. And I think Franklin and his staff would tell you that, too. So, that’s the one that I think is fair. It’s the fact that the whole class overall is down — that’s the one that I don’t think is fair.
CDT: When you look at the talent in this class, who do you think is the most overlooked prospect? Are there hidden gems here?
RS: A guy that I’ve always looked at as overlooked is Kobe King, the linebacker from Cass Tech (in Detroit, Michigan). He’s not as versatile as some other linebackers, and that’s always kind of kept his stock down a little bit. He’s a true middle linebacker — all about the A-gap all about the B-gap and is kind of a run-stuffer. But, boy, he’s really good at that. And we really saw that this season. I mean, he’s very physical and just a really smart player. And Penn State has kind of shown this year that they need smart middle linebacker play right now — not to take a shot at any of the current players, but that’s been a problem at some points.
So, I think he’s somebody who should excite fans, especially just the progress that he’s made, man. I mean, look, let’s be honest, a lot of schools just really kind of felt like they wanted (cornerback) Kalen (King) first, who’s his twin brother. And just over time, a lot of people were kind of proven wrong with that. … He fits the mold of somebody who has really been overlooked this whole class, like this whole last year, and then this year he’s really just kind of put everything together and been just a great player.
As far as maybe someone who’s kind of being overlooked now, ranking wise, I’ll go with (tight end) Khalil Jenkins. If you just look at our rankings, he’s one of the lower ranked guys. But to be honest, he’s someone that we’re also kind of still evaluating. And in January, I would expect him to move up a little bit. … We’re still kind of looking at film of him, but he had a really good year. He’s not used as a tight end much. He’s used to run the ball a lot. And just he’s not used as a true tight end. So, he’s a great athlete. And we’re kind of just trying to figure it out — the best way to rank him — whether it’s as an athlete or as a tight end. He’s a heck of a player, though.
CDT: Now who are some guys in this class — if there are any — that you think could come in and have an immediate impact?
RS: I’m looking at wide receivers right now, as far as not having a ton of depth. And obviously (freshman receiver) Parker Washington’s come in and played well, but behind him, they have guys there and talent there, but no one’s really emerged. So, (receiver) Lonnie White (Jr.) and then (receiver) Liam Clifford both make sense from just a positional perspective — especially Lonnie White. And, actually, I don’t want to overlook Liam either, because Liam just had an incredible season. So, both of them are guys who — if they come in and do the right things — can make an impact. Lonnie is just, I think, a little more athletic, can stretch the field a little bit better. But Liam is also just a heck of a possession receiver, as well. And I don’t want to overlook his athleticism, because he’s a great athlete, too. He never drops the ball, just very precise with his routes — he’s kind of a technician in some ways. So, wide receiver makes the most sense to me, as far as guys that could come in (and make an immediate impact). I would lean with Lonnie White a little bit, but either of those guys making an impact wouldn’t surprise me.
CDT: What makes OT Landon Tengwall (4-star prospect, ranked No. 38 nationally) so good? And is he a guy that can come in and play on that O-line right away?
RS: I think with Landon, there’s three things that really kind of stand out. And the first is that he’s a versatile player. I think most people have him listed as an offensive tackle, but he’ll probably come in and be a guard — or at least that’s where it’s a perfect fit, it feels like. But he could snap and he could be a right tackle, kind of like what (former Penn State offensive lineman) Ryan Bates was. Ryan Bates was not a taller guy, but athletic enough to play out there on the end. So, he’s a true versatile guy. And also, physically, he is definitely more established than most high school offensive linemen. It feels like he was bred to be an offensive lineman.
I think he was doing power-lifting competitions when he was young. I remember him talking to me when he was a freshman about some bench pressing record. So, this has been his goal since he was probably in junior high, maybe even before. And it shows, man. I mean, physically, he is more developed than just about any other offensive lineman that has come in here in recent years. And then on top of that, because this has been such a focus and such a determination for him, he has good fundamentals. He’s been working with outside trainers, and this has really just been a focus of his since probably he was a freshman in high school. So, all the little things there are really exciting for coaches. And then obviously, when you get them up on a level like this, they feel like they have a good base to work with.
So, can he come in and start right away? Listen, that is by far the hardest position to come in and make an impact on — offensive line — but everything there, as far as size and fundamental base, really excites (offensive line coach Phil) Trautwein. So, I could definitely see him probably making an impact maybe second year, something like that.
CDT: It seems like there’s a ton of hype surrounding QB Christian Veilleux. When I look at the rankings, he’s only a 3-star guy and isn’t even a top-300 player. Where does that hype kind of stem from?
RS: We had no camps, no seven-on-sevens this year. But there was one camp, and it was the Elite 11. And he didn’t have a great Elite 11 performance. And it hurt him on a couple sites — he was a 4-star on most sites (prior to that). It dropped him down a bit. And it all really just stems from Elite 11. And that’s the unfortunate thing about this year — most quarterbacks would have had multiple camps to show themselves this year, multiple seven-on-seven tournaments. And really, everything for these quarterbacks was based off of one three-day camp. So, that’s kind of unfair, I think. Now, granted, he didn’t have a great performance there.
But one thing I love about Christian is that he’s really athletic. I don’t think people realize how athletic he is. So, he came to Penn State two years ago and he ran a 4.65 40, which is pretty good. I don’t think most of the guys on campus came here and ran that as a (high school) junior. And when you run that as a junior, you’re only expected to get better going into your senior year and beyond. There’s a lot of hype and excitement about him athletically.
And I believe he ran a 4.4 shuttle, too, which also just backs out agility and whatnot. So, he tested really well. And the other thing, I think, that excites Penn State is he has a good, short, compact release. And that’s so important. You know, just having the fundamentals there and having a quick release, you can build off of that. There are a lot of guys that don’t have that, and it’s a serious problem when you get to the next level when you have elite defensive ends coming around the edge. So, I think those two things are what excites Penn State the most. And we’ll see what happens. Whether he’s the future quarterback or not, man, it’s so hard to tell.
