2021 Recruiting Class Thread

[Chris92]

100% agreed and what I was getting at, going back through people they didn't offer and throwing them a line. We did this with Hardy. These kind of players are nice but rarely make a difference.

Outside of the Top 100 recruits or so this season, almost everyone is a crap shoot with so few camps and combines. The recruiting services don't have much to go off of and are going to be way off in ratings once we look at this class again in a few years.

 

[Texas Lion]

Outside of the Top 100 recruits or so this season, almost everyone is a crap shoot with so few camps and combines. The recruiting services don't have much to go off of and are going to be way off in ratings once we look at this class again in a few years.

I hope you are right but look at the team we are always chasing in the B1G East......how many classes do they fill up with this type of player. What was the last team that ranked 34th in the rankings won a title? C'mon man, there is a positive outlook and then there is that outlook. Do you think the top 5 teams are there because the ratings are way off? There is a reason we were good the past 3 years and it has nothing to do with the services misjudging our talent.

Why this year? Because we lost Parsons, Brown, and Cain....not to mention all the other crap.

Spin it how you will...the 2021 class is not up to the standards, especially in state, as we have gotten used to.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Brian Dohn was a guest on the Lions247 podcast this week and I found his commentary to be pretty interesting - if not a bit confusing. He said people down on the '21 class have to realize that it's more a product of the recruiting cycle, not that CJF and the staff are doing a bad job. He also emphasized the inability to get kids on campus hurts a lot (we'll get back to this in a second...) as it is the single biggest attraction for recruits to Penn State (?). He also said unlike the '22 class, the '21 class has had more time (pre-covid) to visit schools and weigh their options. So, he seems to claim the '22 class (mostly PA kids) is trending up, but that the kids haven't had a chance to see a lot of other schools (and said most would take trips when they have the chance), and that being able to see/visit other schools was the main reason the '21 class wasn't up to snuff.

Dohn does seem to know his stuff and had a lot of good things to say about players like Lonnie White and Khalil Dinkins, but I don't get how one class is down because they were able to visit, the next is up because they can't visit, but will once they're able (I guess he feels more comfortable that they'll stay put?). Anyway, he also mentioned the QB running a lot in our system turning off some QB prospects in the past - any ideas as to who he was talking about?

 

[GregInPitt]

Brian Dohn was a guest on the Lions247 podcast this week and I found his commentary to be pretty interesting - if not a bit confusing. He said people down on the '21 class have to realize that it's more a product of the recruiting cycle, not that CJF and the staff are doing a bad job. He also emphasized the inability to get kids on campus hurts a lot (we'll get back to this in a second...) as it is the single biggest attraction for recruits to Penn State (?). He also said unlike the '22 class, the '21 class has had more time (pre-covid) to visit schools and weigh their options. So, he seems to claim the '22 class (mostly PA kids) is trending up, but that the kids haven't had a chance to see a lot of other schools (and said most would take trips when they have the chance), and that being able to see/visit other schools was the main reason the '21 class wasn't up to snuff.

Dohn does seem to know his stuff and had a lot of good things to say about players like Lonnie White and Khalil Dinkins, but I don't get how one class is down because they were able to visit, the next is up because they can't visit, but will once they're able (I guess he feels more comfortable that they'll stay put?). Anyway, he also mentioned the QB running a lot in our system turning off some QB prospects in the past - any ideas as to who he was talking about?

It seems that since PSU has the 31st ranked class the excuses for that are running rampant. But since PSU has fallen, other schools and coaches are actually outperforming their past norms. Wonder if Dohn could excuse those results away so when those schools win more games than they had been winning that those schools won't have to anti up for higher paying contracts for their coaches.....

 

[PSULionsDub]

Brian Dohn was a guest on the Lions247 podcast this week and I found his commentary to be pretty interesting - if not a bit confusing. He said people down on the '21 class have to realize that it's more a product of the recruiting cycle, not that CJF and the staff are doing a bad job. He also emphasized the inability to get kids on campus hurts a lot (we'll get back to this in a second...) as it is the single biggest attraction for recruits to Penn State (?). He also said unlike the '22 class, the '21 class has had more time (pre-covid) to visit schools and weigh their options. So, he seems to claim the '22 class (mostly PA kids) is trending up, but that the kids haven't had a chance to see a lot of other schools (and said most would take trips when they have the chance), and that being able to see/visit other schools was the main reason the '21 class wasn't up to snuff.

Dohn does seem to know his stuff and had a lot of good things to say about players like Lonnie White and Khalil Dinkins, but I don't get how one class is down because they were able to visit, the next is up because they can't visit, but will once they're able (I guess he feels more comfortable that they'll stay put?). Anyway, he also mentioned the QB running a lot in our system turning off some QB prospects in the past - any ideas as to who he was talking about?

I don’t understand Dohns comments on the 2021 class either, it just doesn’t make sense because all of the previous classes allowed recruits to take visits.

Most recently in the 2021 class, our offense turned off Caleb Williams and Kyle McCord. Both of them gave interviews in the past that said they want to air it out in a passing offense.

 

[ram2020]

I don’t understand Dohns comments on the 2021 class either, it just doesn’t make sense because all of the previous classes allowed recruits to take visits.

Most recently in the 2021 class, our offense turned off Caleb Williams and Kyle McCord. Both of them gave interviews in the past that said they want to air it out in a passing offense.

Oh weird, they don't want to run the ball more than RB's on the team? They don't want to sit behind a porous offensive line? Never a easy throw? Weird they wouldnt want to come here.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[PearlSUJam]

DE/LB Florida

 

[PearlSUJam]

 

[Texas Lion]

PSU Commit Jaylen Reed was reminiscing on his February visit to East Lansing on Instagram today.

 

[ST8FAN]

PSU Commit Jaylen Reed was reminiscing on his February visit to East Lansing on Instagram today.

Hope this isn’t too negative, Tom.

 

[PSULionsDub]

View embedded media

Hope this isn’t too negative, Tom.

I believe Jaylen Reed was the commit who came out late summer saying that he was NOT going to decommit ever. Let him live up to his word, or let him come out again and say he is NOT going to decommit. Either way, its a bad look and makes me wonder about his character.

 

[ChiTownLion]

 

[Texas Lion]

serious question.....Clifford is benched the rest of the season.....does little brother still sign?

 

[ram2020]

serious question.....Clifford is benched the rest of the season.....does little brother still sign?

Who cares, if it is determined that his brother doesn't give us the best shot to win at the most important position on the field and that means little bro goes somewhere else, so be it.

 

[grinagrin]

serious question.....Clifford is benched the rest of the season.....does little brother still sign?

Quite possibly. He got a fair shot and maybe more, that’s all you can ask for....there’s been a lot of Penn St family members (sons, brothers, cousins) whose predecessors didn’t play all that much or whose careers perhaps didn’t go as expected, and they still ended up here or were strongly considering it.

 

[Texas Lion]

Who cares, if it is determined that his brother doesn't give us the best shot to win at the most important position on the field and that means little bro goes somewhere else, so be it.

Did I ask if you cared? Was the question asked, do you care if Liam Clifford comes to Penn State? I believe some of you are Penn State Graduates.....I thought PSU was a school for smart people....didn't know you could get in without being able to read.....I thought that was Pitt.

 

[ram2020]

Did I ask if you cared? Was the question asked, do you care if Liam Clifford comes to Penn State? I believe some of you are Penn State Graduates.....I thought PSU was a school for smart people....didn't know you could get in without being able to read.....I thought that was Pitt.

No, you did not specifically ask whether anyone cared or not, apparently you are not looking for conversation on the topic, just simply "Yes or No?" Sounds fun....why don't you set up one those polls and give people the option? Since you brought the question to a blog, people may offer opinions and individual color to your question, I suppose that makes them unintelligent.

Here tough guy, I hope you get a lot out of this: Yes, Liam Clifford, I think, will still attend Penn State if his brother is on the roster. Cool?

 

[PearlSUJam]

No, you did not specifically ask whether anyone cared or not, apparently you are not looking for conversation on the topic, just simply "Yes or No?" Sounds fun....why don't you set up one those polls and give people the option? Since you brought the question to a blog, people may offer opinions and individual color to your question, I suppose that makes them unintelligent.

Here tough guy, I hope you get a lot out of this: Yes, Liam Clifford, I think, will still attend Penn State if his brother is on the roster. Cool?

Wait til he tells you you've never been punched in the mouth the fake blocks you. 🤣🤣🤣

 

[Thomas1945]

Did I ask if you cared? Was the question asked, do you care if Liam Clifford comes to Penn State? I believe some of you are Penn State Graduates.....I thought PSU was a school for smart people....didn't know you could get in without being able to read.....I thought that was Pitt.

Please allow me to answer your question in a different manner. If Franklin continues to play Clifford at QB it doesn’t matter if Liam comes or not. Because that will prove Franklin is more stupid than his most ardent detractors believe. Thus it doesn’t matter who comes because the program isn’t going anywhere special.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

View embedded media

Didn't Sean put up gaudy numbers at St. X too? Seems a school that is an annual powerhouse loaded with better players than other teams. Or is that not the case?

 

[Raffycorn]

Didn't Sean put up gaudy numbers at St. X too? Seems a school that is an annual powerhouse loaded with better players than other teams. Or is that not the case?

Depends on your definition of gaudy. He finished #4 on the St. X career passing yardage list, and broke their career rushing records for a quarterback. But on a year to year basis, here's the breakdown.

Senior - 1,426 yards passing yards, 9 TDs; 571 rushing yards, 12 TDs
Junior - 1,746 passing yards, 12 TDs; 225 rushing yards, 6 TDs
Sophomore - 832 passing yards, 9 TDs; 314 rushing yards, 2 TDs

I know he was hurt for a period of time as a senior, so his numbers are probably a little deflated. But those numbers don't strike me as particularly gaudy considering, as you said, St. X is typically one of the better teams in the Cincinnati area. My impression is that St. X, like most upper-level high school teams, is very content with pounding teams in the run game until their opponent stops them, which doesn't seem to happen all that often.

 

[Texas Lion]

Please allow me to answer your question in a different manner. If Franklin continues to play Clifford at QB it doesn’t matter if Liam comes or not. Because that will prove Franklin is more stupid than his most ardent detractors believe. Thus it doesn’t matter who comes because the program isn’t going anywhere special.

That may have been the meanest thing I have ever seen you post....I am still reading it looking for the "dad-joke ".

 

[ChiTownLion]

Wow.

Lonnie White shoots all the way up to No. 9 at WR and No. 71 overall in the country.

Nate Bruce earns his 4th star.

Dinkins goes from an 88 to a 90.

 

[PSULionsDub]

Wow.

Lonnie White shoots all the way up to No. 9 at WR and No. 71 overall in the country.

Nate Bruce earns his 4th star.

Dinkins goes from an 88 to a 90.

View embedded media

Kalen King and Jamari Buddin, recruits from Michigan, also moved up in the rankings too. 247 made mention that Penn State has more Top 20 Michigan recruits committed (4) than Michigan and Michigan State. Looks like the staff did a good job of identifying talent earlier than the evaluators, although some of the moves could have been based on solid senior seasons.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

 

[PearlSUJam]

View embedded media

Appears the tweet was removed Tom.

 

[ChiTownLion]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Appears the tweet was removed Tom.

should be good now

 

[Raffycorn]

Wow.

Lonnie White shoots all the way up to No. 9 at WR and No. 71 overall in the country.

Nate Bruce earns his 4th star.

Dinkins goes from an 88 to a 90.

View embedded media

Dohn has been super impressed with White for a while now. While it's not surprising he jumped up the rankings, #71 is definitely an impressive statement. I also think, reading between the lines, that Dinkins could be rated even higher if he decided to play linebacker.

 

[Raffycorn]

Kalen King and Jamari Buddin, recruits from Michigan, also moved up in the rankings too. 247 made mention that Penn State has more Top 20 Michigan recruits committed (4) than Michigan and Michigan State. Looks like the staff did a good job of identifying talent earlier than the evaluators, although some of the moves could have been based on solid senior seasons.

Michigan State is going to be a real concern with some of these Michigan kids. Mel Tucker has a whole lot more to sell than Harbaugh ever has.

 

[MacNit07]

Kalen King and Jamari Buddin, recruits from Michigan, also moved up in the rankings too. 247 made mention that Penn State has more Top 20 Michigan recruits committed (4) than Michigan and Michigan State. Looks like the staff did a good job of identifying talent earlier than the evaluators, although some of the moves could have been based on solid senior seasons.

Let’s hope we can hold them.

 

[19333lion]

View embedded media

The young man can scoot. Watch his highlights!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

an interesting offer

 

[psuno1]

So 11 of the 14 recruits are 4 stars on one of the services (Espn,Rivials,247) not to bad for 2021 for a down year.

 

[djr4rebs]

So 11 of the 14 recruits are 4 stars on one of the services (Espn,Rivials,247) not to bad for 2021 for a down year.

Just not enough of the 5*/almost 5-4* kids to be like Ohio State and Clemson. Re-ranking seems to be kind to us, though.

 

[NittanyIllinois]

Just not enough of the 5*/almost 5-4* kids to be like Ohio State and Clemson. Re-ranking seems to be kind to us, though.

Yeah, for those who put a lot of stock into recruiting rankings, it's really two things: (1) we lack the star power in this class that we've had in recent classes, and (2) most of our 4* commits are on that 4*/3* border rather than on the 4*/5* border.

Lonnie White's jump gives us a second commit in the top-250. But only 2 kids in the top-250 (composite) isn't very many. Ohio State, for example, has 16 in the top-250. Michigan has 8. Wisconsin has 6.

I'm not saying these rankings are gospel or that a kid outside the top-250 won't materialize. Not at all. But our recent classes have definitely been better represented in the mid- to high-level 4* ranks than this one.

 

[PSULionsDub]

Yeah, for those who put a lot of stock into recruiting rankings, it's really two things: (1) we lack the star power in this class that we've had in recent classes, and (2) most of our 4* commits are on that 4*/3* border rather than on the 4*/5* border.

Lonnie White's jump gives us a second commit in the top-250. But only 2 kids in the top-250 (composite) isn't very many. Ohio State, for example, has 16 in the top-250. Michigan has 8. Wisconsin has 6.

I'm not saying these rankings are gospel or that a kid outside the top-250 won't materialize. Not at all. But our recent classes have definitely been better represented in the mid- to high-level 4* ranks than this one.

I agree with the post above. The players we have committed in the 2021 recruiting class are good players, but the overall success of the 2021 recruiting class is questionable for two reasons: 1) We struck out big time in recruiting the key players in the state of Pennsylvania (ignoring White's rise up in the recent rankings), and 2) We do lack the star power, notoriety, in this class. If the 2022 recruiting class continues with its momentum, then we could put ourselves in a position where we are able to forget about the 2021 recruiting class. However, if the 2022 recruiting class loses its momentum, or players decommit, or we continue to strike out on key targets, the 2021 recruiting class could have an impact.

Since the NCAA mandated no visits or in-person contact through April 15th, 2021, the big question is how will that mandate impact the 2022 recruiting class? As we have seen, recruits are willing to make decisions based on never meeting the coaches in person or visiting the campus in person.

 

[ram2020]

Look, we are going to have to find a way to win with low 4* players. The best of the best are simply not coming to Penn State anymore, at least until we prove we can win with these players and develop them. It just is what it is. 5 Star receivers don't want to come to penn state right now, but 4* receivers should be really really productive, our coaches have to get it turned around.

 

[PearlSUJam]