What you need to know about Penn State’s 2024 class ahead of the early signing period
The early signing period begins Wednesday and Penn State football is set to add a slew of players to its 2024 roster, with 25 commits slated to sign as part of the recruiting class when the period opens.
Here’s everything you need to know about the class ahead of National Signing Day Wednesday.
Who are the biggest pickups?
I’ll go with two players here, one from each side of the ball. On offense, the choice is a bit obvious. Tight end Luke Reynolds is the highest-rated player of the class, according to 247Sports, which ranks him as a five-star player. He’s been a riser throughout the recruiting process, ranking as a three-star player on 247sports as recently as May. Reynolds was not highly touted when he committed in March but he has a chance to be the best player in this class in the long run. He’s a receiving tight end first, as most high school recruits at the position are, but he has the frame to get bigger and become a quality blocker at the next level.
The other player is defensive lineman Liam Andrews, who will likely end up as a defensive tackle. Andrews is a four-star recruit, but plays a position that the Nittany Lions haven’t recruited as well as others on the rosters. He has a chance to make an impact as soon as he adds the weight necessary to compete in the Big Ten. He may not be the best defensive player in the class down the road, but the positional value makes the difference here.
How good is QB Ethan Grunkemeyer?
The most visible player in most recruiting classes is the quarterback, and this year will likely be no different for Penn State. Ethan Grunkemeyer is a quality prospect who originally committed to the Nittany Lions when Mike Yurcich was the offensive coordinator and has stuck with his pledge since Andy Kotelnicki was hired in early December. Grunkemeyer is not as highly-rated as Drew Allar was when he was a prospect but there are several similarities.
The high school senior, who will enroll at Penn State in January and get a head start on his transition to college, trains with Brad Maendler, the same trainer Allar uses. That’s apparent in his throwing motion, with Grunkemeyer possessing the ability to get velocity on his throws from awkward positions like the current Nittany Lion does. He may not have the same spotlight as Allar, but Grunkemeyer has the upside to be a starter at Penn State once the current starter departs down the road.
Which position will dictate how good the class is?
Few position groups — quarterbacks excluded — can change the outcome of a season like the offensive line can. Penn State has continually built a strong group in the trenches and this year’s recruiting class is only going to add to that depth. The Nittany Lions have five players committed that should play in the trenches on offense and a few of them could kick out to offensive tackle — one of the hardest position groups to recruit because of the size needed to play it in the Big Ten compared to high school.
The group — Garrett Sexton, Eagan Boyer, Cooper Cousins, Donovan Harbour and Caleb Brewer — is unlikely to play early outside of maybe Cousins, who has the strength and physicality to compete as a rotation piece. But in the long run, no position unit will impact how much the 2024 class as much as this one will, especially if the majority of them work out and end up contributing at Penn State.
Will this group impact next season?
While this class will be important in the long run, there may not be some of the immediate returns that fans saw two years ago. In 2022, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton made massive impacts at running back in their first year and Abdul Carter did the same at linebacker. The Nittany Lions also had several players see the field in their first year, including the likes of Allar, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive tackle Drew Shelton, among others. Instead, this year’s group could be much more like the 2023 class that saw some players get snaps, but kept most of the group holding onto their redshirts.
Running back Quinton Martin is the most equipped to play early but Singleton and Allen have a firm hold on the top two spots on the depth chart. Cornerbacks Jon Mitchell and Antoine Belgrave-Shorter play a position where help is needed, but there are plenty of players from the 2023 group, like Zion Tracy, who will have the first crack at playing early and who are more advanced. Surely some players will step up by the time the 2024 season rolls around, but the immediate candidates to make an impact don’t jump off the page at this point.
