Notebook: Penn State coaches break down their 2022 recruiting class, needs moving forward and more
Penn State has recruited good quarterbacks under head coach James Franklin but it has yet to land an elite quarterback — until Wednesday.
The Nittany Lions brought in two quarterbacks who can lead the program moving forward in the 2022 recruiting class and that could make the group an important class for Franklin.
Five-star quarterback Drew Allar and four-star quarterback Beau Pribula signed Wednesday morning, with both having the upside of a starter down the line.
“Both have been big time leaders in the class as well,” Franklin said at his National Signing Day press conference. “... I think both of them have a lot of traits and skills that you look for and desire. And I love the fact that both of them are embracing the competition.”
Allar specifically is the type of game-changing talent that can change the trajectory of a program. He’s rated as the No. 1 quarterback in the country by On3 and is the highest-rated recruit Franklin has landed since he joined the program in 2014.
The high school senior will be getting a head start on his college career this winter by enrolling at Penn State in January. That added time on campus, and set of spring practices in March and April, will help him transition to Division I football and could be meaningful moving forward.
While there’s usually plenty of pressure on a player of his caliber, Allar will have the added benefit of learning behind a veteran now that redshirt senior starting quarterback Sean Clifford will return for a sixth season.
Franklin said his starter’s decision to come back for the extra year of eligibility — which was granted by the NCAA to all athletes playing in the COVID impacted 2020-2021 academic year — will be an added bonus to his two incoming quarterbacks.
“I think Sean is a big part of this,” Franklin said. “I think Sean does as good as any quarterback I’ve been around in college in terms of how to prepare, how to watch film, how he studies the game and studies defense. I think that’s going to be really valuable for these two quarterbacks. ... I think Sean coming back helps. Because I think we want to find that fine line of how do we get these guys ready and develop them, but also not put too much pressure on them that comes with the type of rankings and ratings that he has.”
That time behind Clifford should be of great use to Allar and the program because the outcomes are generally only positive for both parties. If Allar is better than Clifford from the jump, that means Penn State has a good quarterback at only 18 years old, but if he’s not, he’ll get a year to get ready and make a leap into a potential starting role as a redshirt freshman in 2023 with all of his eligibility intact.
The opportunity to bide that time could be good for the five-star quarterback, who is about to be the most highly anticipated Nittany Lion at the most important position in football.
“You look around college football and you look at the programs that have been able to compete at the highest level, they’ve had difference makers at the quarterback position,” Franklin said. “When you recruit quarterbacks in this class like we have and they’re highly regarded ... it’s a little bit different. ... What I want to try to do is support Drew as much as we possibly can, and Beau, throughout this entire process.”
Cornerstone offensive class
There are obvious on-field benefits to landing quarterbacks like Allar and Pribula who have the ability to start at Penn State, but the side benefits played a role in the Nittany Lions building a class that could be a cornerstone for the program.
In fact, Penn State wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator Taylor Stubblefield believes that could be the case with this group.
“I do (believe it’s a cornerstone class),” Stubblefield said during his National Signing Day Zoom call. “I actually really do. ... There are some special dudes in this class in terms of their ability and the great thing is a lot of them on the offensive side of the ball are early enrollees.”
While Allar didn’t commit until March 2021, Pribula committed in the summer of 2020. The presence of a quarterback can help steady a class and show recruits that players want to be there and especially with recruits on the offensive side of the ball.
Allar and Pribula may not have been in the class at the time of the commitments of potential weapons like four-star wide receiver Kaden Saunders and four-star tight end Jerry Cross, but their presence helped stabilize the group and prove they would have someone talented throwing them the ball.
Stubblefield, who went through the recruiting process as a player in the early 2000s as a wide receiver prospect, said that’s something offensive weapons search for when they’re recruited.
“Typically the quarterbacks are leaders,” he said. “... Beau had been committed for the longest time and he busted his tail in terms of recruiting. ... Then when we picked up Drew, it was like, ‘OK, wow.’ Wide receivers, and I know first hand on this, you want to go to a place, you want to be a part of programs, where there are really, really good quarterbacks. We believe that we have two really, really, really good quarterbacks.”
Repairing relationships in Philadelphia
Penn State had a good amount of success in the state of Pennsylvania in the 2022 class, landing five of the top seven players and eight of the top 14. Part of that success came in Philadelphia, where the Lions brought in Abdul Carter, Ken Talley and Keon Wylie.
That wasn’t the case in recent years, with the program struggling in the city. Cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator Terry Smith said that improvement came from their honesty with the coaches and people in the area.
“(We) went to the coaches themselves and really just confess that we had dropped the ball in Philadelphia,” Smith said on his National Signing Day Zoom call. “We had to do better in the city limits. So we made a conscious effort to own our mistakes and we made a conscious effort to be better. And we got better there.”
Franklin said the area has always been important in the team’s recruiting process, but credits moving Smith to that area in recruiting helped mend those fences.
That wasn’t the only decision that helped, however. The hire of Deion Barnes, who played for Penn State and played high school football in Philadelphia, as a graduate assistant helped continue the program’s push in the city. The growth of the talent there has increased the level of importance in recruiting the area and has made it more vital for the Nittany Lions to go into Philadelphia and earn commitments.
“We’re going to continue to pound the streets of Philadelphia and try to get the best kids to stay here in the state,” Smith said.
Quick Hitters
- Franklin listed needs at offensive line, wide receiver, defensive end, linebacker and possibly a defensive tackle. He said those additions could come via the transfer portal or the next signing period for high school recruits and junior college players in February.
- Smith said three-star linebacker Keon Wylie is an under the radar talent that could surprise at Penn State. “I kind of hone in on Keon Wylie. I think he’s going to be really talented for us. I think he just has something extra. I don’t think he gets the acclaim that he’s deserving
- Three-star wide receiver Tyler Johnson was someone that impressed Stubblefield and went under the radar when it comes to recruiting services. “He really didn’t go to any combines or Rivals Camps or any of the big things. So his name wasn’t out there. Going to his hometown, it’s a small place. He came (to camp) ran, I think, in the low 4.4s (in the 40-yard dash) and caught the heck out of the ball.”
- Stubblefield said the team is looking for a difference maker at wide receiver. “We’re not looking for somebody just to add depth. We’re going to look for somebody who can be dynamic. ... We’re gonna look for a difference maker and a dynamic player.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 6:00 PM.
