We're following the same trend as everyone else on the 5th year guys which is if after 4 years in the program you are not a solid contributor, you will not be asked back. Academically you still have a full ride of course
Who will be our next recruit?
- Thread starter Norm Petersin
- Start date
Let's say we get 3 more and don't lose anybody. That would be 21 meaning that 7 would not come back on scholarship. Hack, A. Johnson, Wooten, Kiley. A. Smith, Walker?, and 1 other. Makes sense. I just hope nobody gets the boot before they have a chance to graduate.
Lynch will be interesting. I was surprised that he didn't see more action late this year, even if just to give Barkley a rest and to block. Sanders could possibly redshirt. Geno Lewis might be in a similar position. I think there's a home for Gaia & Dowrey. They could start, play 2nd team, or flip to DT. I'd be surprised to see them both go early. Who knows what's happening with Brenneman?
I wish we could get a JUCO DT in this class.
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I'm in the Hack and AJ come back camp. I may be the only person in that camp, but we will see. I think there will be at least one other underclassman who leaves the program besides any of the RS Jrs I've mentioned.
I watched Sherkel Hudl video. MilesK/21guns is wrong as usual. Kid's a really good high school player playing against no one. He could maybe join Bragalone at Lehigh. Here, see for yourselves:
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3535437/eric-sherkel
Question for you bmw. As the team improves in the next couple of years one would assume that the chances of getting immediate playing time will diminish. Do you think that not having that carrot to dangle anymore will significantly affect recruiting?
Probably the late 90s. I just checked Rivals back to 2002 and wow, I didn't realize how bad recruiting has been the last 10 years of Paterno. One Top 10 class in 10 years.
I'd be surprised but I hope you're right. I think A. Johnson would make a world of difference to the defense. Hack's return would give Zembiec a chance to compete with McSorely & Stevens in 2017 (no way will he be ready as a true freshman).
Yes and no. At key positions it will be harder, but look at John Reid. We had Williams, Haley, and Campbell all returning who all played well and Reid passed Campbell out of the gates. Something I thought was really surprising as I felt Campbell had a great true freshman season (little surprised they didn't try him at Safety). At a position like quarterback then yes, or at RB when we already have 3 studs, but then if you're that good a lot of guys leave early. So you sell the idea (and practice) to everyone that you will graduate in 3 years and if you are good enough leave to go pro. That keeps the revolving door spinning.
2006: 6th
2007: 24th
2008: 43rd
2009: 24th
2010: 12th
2011: 35th
Opponents were using Joe's age against him but the last 5 years only had 1 low rated class. The 2012 class would have probably been top 10 if not for the Sandusky mess. We had a lot of top kids that flipped to OSU, Pitt,ND, and Rutgers.
We seem excited with recent recruiting but is it really much better?
2014: 24th
2015: 15th
2016: 18th
Not better. But, the obstacles and stigma to overcome can't even be factored in If Joe's staff worked this hard(at recruiting), they'd have been Top 5 every year.
Considering 2012 and 2013 were 40th and 50th, yes, it is much better. It's also better than Joe's last year in 2011, and it is actually better than his next to last year, according to the other 3 services, other than Rivals.
Yes, recruiting is better. The reason it isn't translating to wins, is because the achilles heel of the on field product, offensive line, was such an abomination before Franklin got here, and that's the area that takes the longest to develop, by a mile.
Yes, this was my point. Then, of course, the sanctions made recruiting even more difficult. The trajectory of recruiting at Penn State is heading towards the top of college football. We may never be FSU, AL, USC with a top 5 class EVERY year, but I predict top ten every year and occasional visits to the top 5. It will take one really good season to reach that next step.
Recruiting is getting better but is not good enough yet if you want to win the East more than once every ten years. OSU and Mich have better classes and have a step up on 2017. We need a Top 5 class at least every 3-4 years. That's what Paterno had in the 70s 80s and 90s
No comment by ANYONE on this message board will have a scintilla of impact on whether or not anyone leaves/stays on the roster.
Will it?
Pretty much agree with everything you wrote. Like you, I think a decent quality JC DT would be nice - I know that kid Travis(?) had his name kicked around earlier, but I would assume, since most JCs come in in January, that if he were coming here we would know about it already.
Just wanted to comment on the Lynch and Lewis situations:
They will both be 5th year guys in 2016...and I am not sure about their graduation status....but they would/could be "Grad Transfer" targets. I'd like to see them both back, but the truth is that both of them saw their PT being diminished greatly with the emergence of some younger guys.
If they want to maximize their PT, they MAY be considering the transfer route.
Lynch had something like 5 carries after the month of September (after Barkley burst on to the scene), and even the other RS FR were getting more opportunities.
Lewis was probably about 4th or 5th in the pecking order at WR....and either of the two kids who red-shirted this year could also jump ahead by next fall.
Both of those guys DO (IMHO) have skills. Both of them COULD contribute (here or elsewhere). But they MAY have more of a chance to play somewhere else.
No inside "dope"....just looking at the situation.
Not sure why you're stuck on Rivals evaluations. Spend some time looking at video and reading other evaluations of Daniel Joseph and explain to me why he is ranked 3-stars by Rivals. It seems obvious that the 2015 and 2016 classes represent a significant step up on talent level.
Looking back, the Paterno classes of the later years were plagued by attrition, which can be for a number of reasons, but generally means the player and the school weren't a good fit. I see Franklin as spending a lot more time getting to know these kids than Joe did or cared to do as he got older. He's a terrific recruiter and it won't be long before we see major results on the field.;
I hope you're right. But I don't think there's any doubt that PSU was headed towards a top 10 class in 2012 before the Sandusky mess. The defectors are currently major contributors for OSU, Pitt, & ND.
Factually incorrect: Joe met with each player individually, and gave them his advice, which was different with every single kid he met with: Some of them left, but most of them came back.
I can agree with that. Despite the bad publicity of the Sandusky case and the PSU Board of Trustees negligent handling of the whole thing, the football program was headed in a good direction with O'Brien and recruiting momentum.
Then Mark Emmert jumped on the pile.
I believe Campbell has been injured most of the season which is how Reid got his start.
Pretty much a top 10 in 3 other services with a few more spots to fill. If you have to ask and include sanction years, you're being a bit foolish. I don't know anyone who doesn't think PSU isn't recruiting better right now. Are you trying to say it's the same right now?
There is no doubt that recruiting suffered during Paterno's later years. He stopped making in home visits and opposing coaches used his age against him. That said, PSU still had some decent recruiting classes. In fact, Paterno's 2012 class was easily rated in the top 10 until the Sandusky mess resuled in a lot of flips. Can you imagine the difference if this year's team had players like OConnor, Reeves, Schutt, Williams, J. Jones, D. Johnson, and Holtz?
Franklin has certainly done a good job getting recruiting back on track. It looks like we're going to have back to back classes ranked in the mid teens (last year was ranked 15th by Rivals and 13th by Scout). This year looks similar. I realize that Scout currently has us ranked 8th but I think we could drop a bit as other schools still have more top talent to add (maybe not if PSU gets Ferns & Hamlin).
Bottom line is recruiting had fallen during Paterno's later years but it wasn't as horrible as some are suggesting. After all, we did win the B1G in 2009. CJF has done a great job recruiting but it's not quite as great as some people say. I personally think we have to do a little better in NJ and OH. I sure wouldn't want to be in Nebraska's shoes but it's not like we're beating OSU or pulling away from UM & MSU.
I have to agree. I am a big Franklin supporter but for all the noise about him being a great recruiter I will be a bit disappointed if he does not land a couple more top recruits. If we fall back into the mid teens again that will be two years in a row we started in the top 3 and slowly fell as other schools closed out the class stronger.
Yes, I believe we all pretty much expect CJF to get a few more top recruits and I'll be disappointed as well if he should strike out on all of the 5 or 6 kids we believe he is still actively going after. But as far as the rankings go I'm more than pleased as long as the class ends up with an average star rating of over 3.5 meaning he is getting more 4 star kids than 3 star kids. And most of the 3 star kids are recognized as being really solid players, unlike pitt, MD, VT and others that seem to be taking a good many 3 star kids that are lower rated and have a modest list of offers.
Look at Joseph for example. His offer list is very solid. All the top programs he was interested in offered him. CJF is doing a great job recruiting and as he wins more he will win more battles against oh-high-ya and UM in NJ and the other eastern states that he focuses on. Our game day atmosphere is second to none. It's a pretty easy sell.
I suppose you could say "slightly disappointed" but remember, before Franklin, we were 40th, and 50th, and it's a long, long walk from 40th to 20th. I prefer 20th. Franklin has really only had two classes here, his first was a desperation hail mary heave that actually worked and got us to 23rd. After that, 13th, and now what looks to be, at worst, 20th.
Not "fantastic", but a major, major upgrade and if we can put one more top 20 class on the board next year, we will eventually be back in the top 25.
Gotta walk before you can run. The last time we had a top tier team was 2009 folks, that was a long time ago. Baby steps.
Not "fantastic", but a major, major upgrade and if we can put one more top 20 class on the board next year, we will eventually be back in the top 25.
Gotta walk before you can run. The last time we had a top tier team was 2009 folks, that was a long time ago. Baby steps.
Just think if we would have had Redd, Fera, Brown, & Fortt in 2012. These kids all left for Freeh agency. I think it's fair to think we would have won 10 or 11 games.
Just think if we would have had O'Connor, Reeves, Schutt, Williams, Jones, Johnson, & Holtz in 2014 & 2015. These kids were all committed to PSU until the Sandusly mess. I think it's fair to think we would have won 9 or 10 games with those kids.
We're doing great considering the last few years. If you feel this class isn't closing the gap that is fine, but I'll disagree. This class has the top RB in the nation or top 3 according to most services. OL and DL classes are great. QB that has all the tools. LB could end up good with Ferns coming on the 22nd. PSU is still in it for Nixon, Hamlin, and Hudson. Huge need filled at punter that has hit multiple 50+ yard FG's.
If you though PSU would out recruit OSU after a MNC and a decade where PSU has had one top 5 finish, you're crazy. This class is a strong class and could be right around a top 10 class if things go well. The base of this class is pretty damn good. Whine to whine I guess, but things are much better in recruiting now than the last 6-7 years. Anyone belly aching right now is pretty naive IMO.
And it wasn't just those kids, it was also the kids who for whatever freak occurrence did not pan out or quit the game entirely because of freak injury(Harrison), or odd reasons(Logan El and his struggle to come out), stupidity(Alosi insisting on fighting on campus like a fool) or whiffs like Stanko, or legacies who never played(Warner) and on and on...it was literally a perfect storm of bad breaks. It didn't actually end until last year. We STILL won't have the full scholie allotment on our roster until August 2016.
It is a very good class and I didn't really think we would out recruit OSU. What is more concerning is Michigan, pulling the #1 class if they land Gary which looks likely. MSU class is similar to ours.
I am happy with the progress. Just realistic that unless the staff starts pulling in Peppers type players every couple years it will be difficult to win the East.
I am happy with the progress. Just realistic that unless the staff starts pulling in Peppers type players every couple years it will be difficult to win the East.
Well if that is your concern then you'd probably feel better knowing that pretty much the only way Michigan lands the #1 class is if a good handful of our recruits get a bump in the final rankings. One of our mods did an article on this recently and even if you include Gary and a couple/few of the other highly ranked kids we currently lead for there are a few schools behind us that are almost for certain going to pass us because of where they stand on numbers (e.g. they will be adding more at the end than Michigan will)...and when you are talking about schools like Alabama and tOSU it is safe to assume they will not be finishing off their classes with a bunch of 2*s.
PSU will never out-recruit OSU or UM on a regular basis. On some years, perhaps, and we could be overall even with them, but over the long haul we aren't going to do better than them. Outside of the SEC schools, nobody does.
If I'm not mistaken, starting next year all scholarships are 4 year scholarships. Therefore, this is the last year we'll have to cut any dead weight on the roster.
Why are you obsessed with a team that you handled 28-16?
Get off our board and go over to Ohio State, they're the ones who manhandled you, and you need to be worrying about.
There is no way Sanders redshirts. He like Barkley is likely a 3 year player and isn't going to spend 1 of them on the bench.
