Penn State on Wednesday pulled off one of James Franklins favorite events each year: a drama-free national signing day.
The Nittany Lions officially signed all 26 of their commitments heading into the opening of the early signing period , which technically closes Friday.
This years group is sitting at 17th in the country and fifth in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite .
Theres almost certainly more news to come with this class before Penn State takes the field in 2025, especially with the Lions staff keeping its eyes on a few names that could still sign later this week or by Februarys regular signing period .
But the focus should be on whos already officially coming to Happy Valley.
Theres a lot to like in the class and a lot to still learn.
There was potentially some meat left on the bone, though.
If Penn State finishes at No.
17, it would be Franklins lowest-rated class since coming in at No.
21 in 2021, a year heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Penn State director of player personnel Andy Frank, recruiting coordinator Alan Zemaitis and fellow director of player personnel Kenny Sanders each spoke about the class for roughly 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon.
Theres tons to discuss about this group, but after parsing through their comments, here are some of the top things I think weve learned about Penn States class of 2025 so far.
The early enrollees First things first, whos going to be in State College in January? Early enrolling has become the norm over the past few years, as it serves as a fast track to playing time as a freshman.
Those who can do it almost always will.
This year, 14 of Penn States 26 signees intend to enroll early.
Heres the list: Three-star DL Randy Adirika (Florida), four-star OL Owen Aliciene (Connecticut), four-star LB LaVar Arrington II (California), four-star DL Dayshaun Burnett (Pennsylvania), four-star DB Daryus Dixson (California), three-star RB Tikey Hayes (Pennsylvania), four-star WR Koby Howard (Florida), four-star DL Yvan Kemajou (Maryland), three-star TE Brian Kortovich (Ohio), three-star QB Bekkem Kritza (Florida), four-star WR Matt Outten (Virginia), four-star WR Lyrick Samuel (New York), four-star LB Alex Tatsch (Pennsylvania) and three-star DB Braz Thomas (New Jersey).
Best win on the recruiting trail Honorable mention goes to Dixson, Penn States top-rated prospect this year who comes from national powerhouse Mater Dei.
Thats a school the Lions havent hit before in a state outside the typical recruiting footprint.
But Malachi Goodman of Paramus Catholic in New Jersey , a 6-6 and 310-pound lineman, has a college-ready body and was a tough victory over big-time programs.
The No.
121 player nationally, Goodman took other official visits to Auburn, Georgia, Alabama and USC and was seriously considering some of those schools.
But Penn State got on him early and stayed steadfast through a recruitment that lingered all the way into September.
The staff sees Goodman as a tackle with great power and athleticism in a body that may only need some toning rather than a huge weight gain or loss.
Hes going to have the chance to get on the field early because he can do some other stuff [positionally].
But just the way he plays and his power and his athleticism and his bend all those things that matter to play in that position, Sanders said.
He already has really good size.
So were fired up about him as well, obviously, and we think hes going to be really able to contribute at a high level pretty early in his career.
The steal of the class Penn State has absolutely fallen in love with four-star edge rusher Chaz Coleman , who hails from Warren G Harding High School in Ohio.
He couldve gone in the above section, as the Lions held off a late push from Ohio State to win his services.
Colemans basketball tapes are ridiculous, with huge leaping ability at the rim.
He played all over the place in high school, even as the quarterback this past season.
Penn State didnt offer until mid-September, but after getting Coleman on campus for the White Out, he made a quick commitment.
He wound up being one of the nations faster-rising prospects and is one to watch in the near future.
Hes as dynamic an athlete as weve had in a while.
You watch his basketball clips, the way that he can flush the basketball is special, Zemaitis said.
And then, I think were just scratching the surface from a football aspect, and hes pretty natural at that.
His ability to bend, make plays on defense, you feel like the skys the limit for a kid like that, he added.
I think when he gets with [defensive line coach Deion Barnes], and he really starts to get polished, I think hes going to be as good as anybody in the country when its all said and done.
Most interesting prospect to watch Kritza had a winding journey to get to this point , transferring schools from Florida to Colorado and back.
He started this season as the starter at Miami Central but lost the job, transferring once again to Chaminade-Madonna Prep to eventually become the starter and lead his team to a state semifinal game this week.
Hes got half of the measurables at 6-5 but will need to add to his 195-pound body.
Theres not a lot to brag about with his ability to run, but the staff is high on his raw ability to throw the football.
The three-star and the nations No.
37 QB will be a true project that could pay dividends down the road.
What he is really good at is, in the pocket, having a good feel for things, making his way around, escaping pressure and still keeping his eyes downfield to make plays with his arm, Frank said.
We had him in camp, we liked him in camp.
He had really good film as a junior.
You turned on his film as a junior...
the ball doesnt hit the ground very often.
I think those are some of the things that we were really impressed with and you know why we were excited about him.
Sanders, specifically, had high praise for the lone Penn State quarterback in this class thus far.
He thinks quarterbacks coach Danny OBrien, the QB Whisperer, will be able to help Kritza immensely.
I think that kid is unbelievable, Sanders said.
When you look at what he can do with the football with not a ton of training he doesnt have a QB guy or anything like that I think I told somebody once, he might have the best raw arm talent Ive ever seen coming out of high school.
He is such an unpolished gem, in my opinion.
Players who could contribute early Defensive backs will always be the top candidates to get early run time at Penn State.
Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith has done a fantastic job in his time in Happy Valley, and hes never afraid to get first-year guys in the mix especially on special teams.
According to what the trio of recruiting staffers said Wednesday, Dixson is a polished product that could play at corner or safety, four-star Jahmir Joseph of New Jersey has the mentality and skills of a lockdown corner, Thomas is a late-rising playmaker and three-star Josh Johnson from Ohio is extremely physical.
Wide receiver, though, seems to be the likely choice for early playing time in some capacity.
Penn State signed four players at the position because of the past few years struggles, hoping at least one or two experiments pay off.
Samuel, Howard, Outten and four-star Jeff Exinor Jr.
will each get the chance to earn snaps this coming offseason.
Exinor, who will enroll in the summer, may have the most college-ready body, but Samuel stands 6-4 and could be dangerous if he quickly improves his 170-pound stature.
Howard has dealt with injuries through high school but has a lot of after-the-catch ability.
Outten, though, was a guy Zemaitis said he pushed hard for in the process .
The I.C.
Norcom product committed to local Virginia Tech briefly before flipping to Penn State.
At 6-1 and 205 pounds, hes a speedster.
I remember watching [his film], we watched it as a staff, and it was almost like everybody in the room was singing the same praises, Zemaitis said.
I dont really hear his name brought up a lot, but hes a dynamic talent, and hes going to be somebody that I feel like [offensive coordinator] Andy Kotelnicki will be able to use in a variety of different ways.
But hes going to bring a lot of value to the offense and to our ball club, in many ways.
Hes just a dynamic athlete, and he brings a lot to the table.
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