Penn State Nittany Lions climb in On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings

Penn State landed two big wins on the recruiting trail Friday night by earning commitments from Hicksville (N.Y.) Holy Trinity Diocesan four-star athlete Josiah Brown and Pittsburgh (Penn.) Central Catholic three-star wide receiver Peter Gonzalez. Their decisions provided a big boost to the Nittany Lions’ 2024 recruiting class.

Penn State’s group now ranks No. 10 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Nittany Lions, who also rank No. 4 in the Big Ten, rose two spots from No. 12.

Head coach James Franklin and his staff now have pledges from 11 four-stars and nine three-stars. Penn State’s highest-ranked commit is Belle Vernon (Penn.) four-star athlete Quinton Martin, the No. 43 overall prospect in the country.

Brown is the No. 251 overall prospect and No. 11 athlete in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 1 player in New York. 

On3 rates Brown higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Per the 2024 On300, he is the No. 9 athlete in the country.

“Everything was great,” Brown told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated on June 19 about his official visit to State College. “What I would say is that they have a really strong family atmosphere there. I feel like I have a strong connection with everyone there, and because of that, I loved everything about my visit.”

For more Penn State recruiting intel, check out BlueWhiteIllustrated.

Penn State now has six top-250 commits. They are Brown, Martin, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin four-star cornerback Jon Mitchell, Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial four-star interior offensive lineman Donovan Harbour, Erie (Penn.) McDowell four-star interior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and Philadelphia (Penn.) Roman Catholic four-star wide receiver Tyseer Denmark, who chose the Nittany Lions two days ago.

Other blue-chip recruits who are pledged to the Nittany Lions include Irvington (N.J.) safety Vaboue Toure, Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial running back Corey Smith and Cheshire (Conn.) Cheshire Academy tight end Luke Reynolds.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez is the No. 1,102 overall prospect and No. 159 wide receiver in the On3 Industry Ranking. He is also the No. 29 player in Pennsylvania.

On3 rates Gonzalez higher than other recruiting services, according to the Industry Comparison. Even though he is not ranked in the On300, Gonzales is the No. 149 wide receiver in the country and the No. 34 player in Pennsylvania.