Recruiting Q&A on the Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2022 class with On3 analyst Ryan Snyder
Penn State football is expected to add 25 players to its 2022 team when the early signing period begins Wednesday. The Nittany Lions have 23 high school players and two junior college players committed to the program and currently possess the No. 7 class in the country, according to the On3 consensus team rankings.
The group is led by two players who are ranked as five-star recruits in the On3 consensus player rankings in quarterback Drew Allar and RB Nicholas Singleton.
We spoke to recruiting analyst Ryan Snyder, who covers Penn State for On3, to break down the class, including what it means for the program, where its strengths lie and much more.
Centre Daily Times: What are the strengths of the class?
Snyder: I’d say the top of the class, that’s something that we haven’t always seen. On3 has two five star players going to Penn State, that’s not something we’ve seen over the years. They’ve had five stars, but it’s been hit and miss at times. When you look at the depth of the class, it’s pretty similar to what we’ve seen over the years, a good chunk of solid four star players, many who can contribute and some who probably won’t pan out. But when you have those guys at the top, the Drew Allars, the Nick Singletons, the Dani Dennis-Suttons, I’ll include Kaden Saunders in there, those are the guys that Penn State hasn’t always hit on. Making sure those guys reach their potential is sometimes the difference between what we saw this year at 7-5 and 10+ win seasons and New Year’s Six bowls.
I would add that they have two really good quarterbacks. Allar has all the accolades and then someone like Beau Pribula is still slept on a little bit but he’s such a winner, such a smart player. So when you have two really good quarterback prospects, who bring a little bit of something different between the two, you’re going to have quality competition moving forward and that’s important.
CDT: What are the weaknesses of the class?
Snyder: They definitely were hoping to get a few more quality offensive lineman. Drew Shelton is obviously a great player. JB Nelson is someone who can really make a difference right away. Maybe not quite right away, but he’s someone who has experience and has consistently shown improvement throughout this season, so I just know Penn State is really excited about him. I think Maleek McNeil and Andre Roye both have a ton of potential, but they still just need to be coached up a bit when it comes to technique and things like that.
Just the fact that they were continuously pursuing offensive linemen down the stretch when the class was pretty much filled tells me that (offensive line coach) Phil Trautwein and (head coach) James Franklin see a need there, especially at offensive tackle. That’s why they were pursuing guys like Aamil Wagner really hard down the stretch, so I lean toward the offensive line.
CDT: Where do you expect the class to finish in team rankings?
Snyder: They’re pretty much right where I am projecting them (sixth as of 4 p.m. Monday). When I look at On3’s rankings, a school like Oklahoma was ahead of them for a good amount of time and then they dropped down after losing a bunch of commitments with the coaching change. So I can see Oklahoma getting a few more quality players. And that could potentially bump Penn State down a bit. North Carolina only has 16 commitments, Clemson only has 12 and those are the schools right behind Penn State. Depending on how they finish, I can see them maybe jumping Penn State, but this should absolutely be a top 10 class.
Now, I always projected somewhere between six and eight. Could they maybe drop to eight? I can see that. I think that’s possible, especially when you add in the January period. Oklahoma, and some of those schools, are going to be really pushing hard there to fill out their class but it should absolutely be a top 10 class and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s seven, maybe dropping to eight in the On3 rankings.
CDT: What does a class like this do for the trajectory of the program?
Snyder: I think the quarterback aspect is incredibly important just because of how that’s been a position fans have had circled for so long. You can only go as far as your quarterback takes you sometimes. Having those two quality guys, knowing they’ll be here early and knowing they’ll be competing for the foreseeable future, I think that’s a major boost for for a team that already has quality players. Is Penn State as good as they were back in the Big Ten Championship years? Maybe not quite as deep but there’s a lot of talent there. If one play goes different against Illinois, a couple plays go different in Michigan, then we’re looking at this season a lot different than fans are.
I see a class that’s similar to previous years with that quality of depth. They have 16 four-star players out of 25. That’s really good. They’ve had a lot of those of those guys in that top 300 or so range, but when you add in those guys at the top, who really are expected to be difference makers, that’s where things change. Those are the kind of guys that Ohio State has been landing for a long time and looking back on some of their star players, that’s really been the big boost for them. Guys have got to pan out and we’ll see how they grow and develop, but this is definitely a major influx of talent that Penn State needed this year. And then also just with the momentum that this class brings, and the publicity that it brings, it should only help in 2023 as well.
CDT: Who can make an early impact for Penn State in this class?
Snyder: That’s always a tough one. I always lean toward the early enrollees, because they get that extra practice. Nick Singleton physically is absolutely ready to contribute and and I have no doubt in my mind that he will put in all the necessary work in the other ways, just when it comes to the playbook and keeping everything good academically, he’s great. I don’t see any reason why Nick Singleton wouldn’t come in here and really hit the ground running this spring and prove to everyone that he should be getting the ball a little bit next year.
I’ll add Kaden Saunders to that. We’ve seen multiple receivers over the years come in, step up and play right away. We saw Parker Washington do it the last couple years and Kaden, just like Singleton, he’ll do all the things off the field that. He also brings a level of explosion that can really help in playing right away. I like those two a lot.
JB Nelson, we didn’t get to watch him much as a freshman with with the JUCO season being slashed. This was really the first season we really got to watch him closely. He just showed steady improvement throughout the year. I just know he’s someone that Penn State is incredibly excited about. So I would lean toward those three.
I don’t know if Abdul Carter would start early or contribute early but they need help at linebacker, it’s clear. They’re pursuing linebackers in the transfer portal. We know Abdul Carter physically is an incredibly special player. He still has to grow a lot technically and, as far as the mental side of the game. But physically he’s someone who could definitely contribute and at a position where they don’t have a ton of depth.
CDT: What kind of impact can Allar really have?
Snyder: He’s a special prospect for reason. His arm is is on a different level than a lot of the guys we’ve seen. He’s an incredibly smart player that does the little things right. He’s shown steady improvement when it comes to all those little technical things over the years. He really improved sophomore year to junior year and then even improved so much more as a senior. He really makes all the tough throws that you’re looking for, and his offense challenges him. They throw the ball 40, sometimes 50, times a game. We really have a deep film reel of all the kind of throws he can make and of his decision making. I think that’s incredibly important.
He’s a very composed kind of guy, level-headed and smart player. Somebody who knows that there’s so much more that he can learn and improve on. I think when you have a quarterback that gets that right away and wants to learn and wants to be coached and wants to get better, that’s really just just a coach’s dream in so many ways.
