Penn State football’s incoming freshman class could have important impact on 2021 season
Penn State football hasn’t finished its 2020 season yet, but it has solidified most of its 2021 recruiting class. The program had 15 recruits sign their National Letter of Intent Wednesday, adding to a roster that features a small senior class and a number of holes that need to be filled.
The group includes seven players on offense, seven players on defense and one of the top kickers in the country, and ranks as the No. 21 class in the country.
There are several players who signed Wednesday who could potentially help the Nittany Lions in the near future. The newest recruiting class will need to produce playing time early for a roster that has plenty of holes heading into a 2021 season that could be vital to the program’s future.
The incoming talent features a diverse group of skill sets and a high enough level of talent to fill some of those gaps that have opened up through poor play this season, and could open up with departures this offseason.
Penn State’s offensive line, secondary and defensive line could lose as many as three starters each, and the team could lose its top wide receiver.
It’s unfair to expect the incoming freshmen to fill all — or even most — of those spots, but they could compete for openings on special teams and small roles fairly quickly, especially in the secondary, according to Penn State cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator Terry Smith.
“if you look at our history each year, there’s one or two guys that’s going to play as a freshman,” Smith said Thursday morning during a Zoom call with reporters. “Who they are they kind of determines that when they get on campus with their work ethic, their knowledge of the system, the weight room training, and just the overall maturity of stepping onto campus. Not sure who will be the immediate impact, but we’re looking for an immediate impact at safety and an immediate impact at corner, so hopefully it’s two guys, maybe it could be three guys.”
Two of the three groups with the biggest holes to fill — offensive and defensive line — are units that generally take time to develop, but the Nittany Lions have multiple prospects who could potentially help out early.
Four-star offensive lineman Landon Tengwall is physical and athletic with the size and strength to come in and compete right away for playing time along the offensive line with the potential departures of center Michal Menet, right guard Will Fries and left tackle Rasheed Walker. Menet and Fries can return next season even though they’re seniors thanks to the NCAA’s ruling that this season doesn’t affect a player’s eligibility clock.
But if they don’t — and if Walker decides to enter the 2021 NFL Draft — Tengwall and fellow incoming lineman Nate Bruce could have a chance at playing time as freshmen. Penn State co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach/offensive recruiting coordinator Tyler Bowen said both have the physical tools to come in and compete.
“You’re looking at two guys who, for high school prospects, they’re very physically ready to come in and play college football,” Bowen said Thursday morning. “Obviously, there’s going to be a little bit of a jump from speed of the game and things like that but when you look at their size their strength and their athleticism, we’re super excited about both of them from that standpoint. You start adding the mental makeup and how we feel about them as people, great kids, great young man.”
Like the offensive line, the defensive line is unlikely to see a major impact early on. Three-star defensive end Rodney McGraw is the only player committed along the defensive front and still needs more time to develop before he can make a major impact. That could be a problem for Penn State with defensive ends Shane Simmons, Shaka Toney and Jayson Oweh potentially departing, along with defensive tackle Antonio Shelton.
To mitigate the losses they could face, the Nittany Lions may have to dive into the NCAA transfer portal to fill those gaps.
“In the past, for us at Penn State, transfers were not a big part of our overall recruiting process,” Penn State director of player personnel Andy Frank said Wednesday. “That will change. We’re not going to make a full-time living in terms of all of our players are going to come to the transfer portal, by any stretch of the imagination. We’re still gonna do the majority of our recruiting from the high school ranks, but we’re going to be active in the transfer portal. And we’re going to be looking for guys that can help us fill gaps. And then also, in addition to filling gaps that we may have on our roster, create competition.”
But while the trenches are unlikely to see a big immediate impact from the freshman class, the secondary and wide receiver room could get some much-needed help.
Three starting defensive backs — Lamont Wade, Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields — are all seniors, and star wide receiver Jahan Dotson could potentially leave for the NFL draft.
Fortunately for Penn State, it will have multiple options already on its roster to replace Castro-Fields and Dotson, and four-star receiver Lonnie White Jr. and three-star receiver Liam Clifford could also help at receiver right away. But Brisker and Wade’s replacements could be a different story. There isn’t an abundance of depth at safety, meaning Penn State could be looking to the portal to fill those spots.
However, they may not need to if four-star safety Jaylen Reed can do what he’s capable of as a freshman.
“Jaylen Reed is another guy that’s a tremendous leader-type guy,” Smith said. “He’s a super-smart guy on the back end, he can get everyone lined up, he’s a playmaker, he’s physical. He’s an in-the-box guy that can come down. He’s physical, kind of like a (former Penn State safety) Marcus Allen-type guy.”
Reed and the other freshmen typically wouldn’t need to make an immediate impact, but Penn State’s roster situation next season makes it more of a necessity. If the Nittany Lions strike out in the transfer portal — or don’t make the right additions — this year’s incoming class could have a larger impact than expected on the 2021 season.
