Highest ceiling? Hidden gem? Debating the Penn State Nittany Lions’ 2023 recruiting class
The early signing period began Wednesday, marking the first day high school football players in the 2023 recruiting class can sign with their respective universities.
That means Penn State head coach James Franklin has added a new group of Nittany Lions to his football program. With 22 players currently signed with the Lions, let’s take a look at the superlatives in the class, including the team’s biggest get and who will make the earliest impact on the team.
Best overall player
Jon Sauber: OT J’Ven Williams
Is there really another option? I mean, yes, but not really. Williams has a chance to be a cornerstone of Penn State’s offensive line for a few years. He’s an excellent athlete with good size and length to protect the quarterback’s blindside down the road. It’s hard to project out high school players, but Williams is going to contribute. Maybe he won’t be elite — I tend to think he will be — but if he’s not he’ll still project as a starting level player, whether that’s at guard or tackle.
Williams will have the benefit of learning from an elite offensive tackle in Olu Fashanu for a full season and there’s a chance he’s able to make a real impact in his second year on campus. That doesn’t happen often along the offensive line and is an indication of just how good he is right now.
Kyle J. Andrews: OT J’Ven Williams
It’s got to be Williams. He’s one of the best offensive line prospects that Penn State has hauled in during James Franklin’s tenure. Although he stands at 6-4, which isn’t the largest for a potential left tackle, former Northwestern and current Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater has a similar frame to Williams. Slater was second-team All-Pro selection for his rookie year in 2021, a Pro Bowl selection and was part of the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. How’s that for being an undersized left tackle?
It’s going to be interesting to see what Williams will learn from Fashanu, along with a pretty experienced offensive line in general. There would be no surprise to see him start in 2024, along with Alex Birchmeier on the left side of the offensive line.
Hidden gem
Jon Sauber: WR Carmelo Taylor
I tend to buy into the best athletes figuring it out when it comes to picking players that aren’t rated highly enough. And yes, Taylor is a four-star recruit — but so is most of this class so it’s tough to call anyone hidden at this point. But Taylor has the type of elite athleticism that could make him a big time playmaker in college.
He’s as fast as they come and should be dynamic in the open field — the kind of player that thrives in an offense like the one Mike Yurcich runs at Penn State. If Taylor can add some strength, he’s going to cause problems for defenses and rack up plenty of explosive plays in his college career.
Kyle J. Andrews: DL Mason Robinson
This shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise for those of us that watched him grow from a young defensive lineman into a dominant presence at McDonogh. Robinson has a high motor and attempts to outwork each player that he competes against. He would often race Dennis-Sutton to each station at McDonogh and that same level of competitiveness will continue at Penn State.
At 6-4, 230 pounds, he has the frame to continue adding weight and he could even slot at defensive tackle down the line. Expect to see him make some sort of mark with the Nittany Lions.
Highest ceiling
Jon Sauber: LB Tony Rojas
Rojas has enormous upside in large part because he’s barely played linebacker. The four-star recruit from Virginia has received most of his accolades for his work as a running back and as a versatile player on defense who lines up all over the place.
His instincts and athleticism should play well at the second level of the defense and he’ll be learning from one of the best defensive coordinators in the country in Manny Diaz — who also happens to coach his position.
Diaz should be able to tap into all of the upside, giving Rojas enormous potential but also a reasonably high likelihood of reaching it. It wouldn’t be a shock at all if he’s viewed as the next great linebacker to play at LBU.
Kyle J. Andrews: EDGE Ta’Mere Robinson
Robinson is the type of outside linebacker recruit that head coach James Franklin covets. At 6-4, 225 pounds, he can move from end-to-end of the field and is a former safety. He has the ability to line up at defensive end with his hand in the dirt and even played cornerback at times for Pittsburgh’s Brashear. Whatever defensive coordinator Manny Diaz needs him to do, there’s an expectation that he will answer the bell.
The rangy recruit is the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania, per 247Sports’ Composite. If things go well for the Nittany Lions, he’ll have a similar development to linebacker Abdul Carter, who has turned heads while wearing No. 11.
Quickest impact
Jon Sauber: TE Andrew Rappleyea
This would not have been my answer six months ago. Rappleyea has blown up this season and now looks like a tight end that can come in right away and contribute. He’s got ideal size and length for a tight end while also being a very good athlete who can run routes well to get open.
He’s an impact player in the passing game and should be able to find his way onto the field for the Nittany Lions, especially if Brenton Strange decides to go pro after this season and leaves a void at the position. While he may not have the same impact players like Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen did this year, he should be able to make some level of difference as a freshman.
Kyle J. Andrews: TE Matthias “Mega” Barnwell
Penn State has a number of recruits at the tight end position. As Jon mentioned, Andrew Rappleyea can be the guy to have an immediate impact with his natural fluidity at the tight end position. Barnwell has positional versatility and could also play at defensive end down the line. The key for Barnwell is his size — standing at 6-6, 250 pounds, he already has the length and weight to be a dynamic playmaker and bully at the position for years to come.
Despite having a stacked tight end room at Penn State with Theo Johnson, Brenton Strange, Ty Warren, Khalil Dinkins, Jerry Cross, Kolt Pearce and Rappleyea, Barnwell could provide a different look for the Nittany Lions at the tight end position in 2023.
Biggest get
Jon Sauber: LB Kaveion Keys
Keys’ recruitment came down to the wire and he finally made the decision to join the Nittany Lions in December after spending months committed to North Carolina. The four-star linebacker is the final piece of the puzzle in the class at the position after Rojas and Robinson both had already made the call for Penn State.
Yes, it would have been a successful cycle at the position without him thanks to those two, but Keys sets the class apart and gives the program to get an entire starting group in one fell swoop. His decision to back off his commitment to the Tar Heels and become a Nittany Lion took months of work for Franklin and his staff and that makes him the biggest get of the cycle.
Kyle J. Andrews: IOL Alex Birchmeier
Birchmeier is the definition of a mauler at the guard position. According to Franklin, Birchmeier is now 6-5.5 and has the opportunity to play one of the tackle positions. With his positional versatility and opportunity to make an immediate impact with a group that is a current strength for Penn State, the expectations are incredibly high for the incoming freshman.
He’s someone that is the highest ranked interior offensive line recruit and he’s Penn State’s earliest commitment of the 2023 class. He set the tone for the offensive line recruits and is a two-time state champion in wrestling. Former Iowa offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers) and Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens) come to mind as successful wrestlers and impact players. If Penn State can recreate that success with Birchmeier, the sky is the limit for him.
