Key Takeaways from Penn State's Class of 2023

Penn State signed another strong recruiting class Wednesday. Although four-star cornerback Conrad Hussey remains undecided, James Franklin and his staff can now shift much of their focus towards winning the first Rose Bowl. Sure, the transfer portal and the Class of 2024 will keep phones busy, but knowing they got this class over the line with no major issues is a reason to celebrate.

So, what do Nittany Lion fans need to know about this year’s class? I give my thoughts below.

1) Elite offensive line class

I had the opportunity to watch all three of Penn State’s offensive line commits this season. J’ven Williams (6-5, 290), Alex Birchmeier (6-5, 280) and Anthony Donkoh (6-5, 315) all impressed in different ways, but the three of them combined makes this the most impressive offensive line trio that Penn State has signed under Franklin’s leadership.

During the season, the Lions made real strides up front. On top of that, we’ve already seen the impact of last year’s class, as Drew Shelton and JB Nelson both played more than 100 snaps this season, while Vega Ioane could very well end up being the best of the three when it’s all said and done.

This year’s signees will need time to adjust, but Phil Trautwein and Ja’Juan Seider both deserve a ton of credit for tag-teaming one of the best offensive line classes in the country this year. All three are also enrolling in January, which will only help their chances of contributing next season.

Related: What needs remain for Penn State football after the early signing day?

When you consider how much fans were discussing the importance of offensive line recruiting this time last year, I think they should be very encouraged with these three.

Also, don’t be surprised if Birchmeier starts out as a tackle for the Nittany Lions once spring ball starts in March. Penn State is leaning that direction with him and Williams, while Donkoh will start at guard.

“I think Birch could play center, guard or tackle based on where our roster is right now. I’m gonna sit down and have conversations with them to make sure they’re okay with this, but I’d love to be able to start Birchmeier and J’ven at tackle to see if they can do it,” Franklin said.

“Tackles are the hardest guys to find. They both have the length and athleticism to do it. Birchmeier is bigger than people realize….So I’d love to start those two guys to tackle to see if they can do it, knowing that we know J’ven can move inside, knowing that Birch can move inside.”

2) Speaking of impressive trios

Back before the season, what was one of the other positions fans had concerns about? Good guess if you said linebacker. The emergence of Abdul Carter makes that room look a lot better now compared to six months ago, but this is another position group that ranks among the best in the country.

Not only are Tony Rojas, Ta’Mere Robinson and Kaveion Keys all four-star players, they also rank within the On300. That’s the first time the Nittany Lions have signed a trio of linebackers that highly-ranked under Franklin.

Robinson hasn’t played football for over a year and Rojas will need time to put on weight, so I’m hesitant to say we’ll see them making a major impact right away, but there’s some serious potential here. This group will likely end up ranking third nationally, behind only Georgia and Texas, who also put together some impressive hauls at the position.

Related: Watch James Franklin’s signing day press conference

There’s also flexibility with all three. Franklin said Wednesday that Robinson has the frame to start out as a Mike linebacker, while Rojas and Keys are interchangeable on the outside.

“So we got three guys that we think could really play all three positions. If I had to kind of put it on the board right now, Ta’Mere would probably play at Mike with his size. He’s a big, big young man, but has the athleticism and movement and leadership qualities.

“Then, obviously, you got two guys that could play on the outside to start but I think could grow into Mike linebackers as well. Rojas is exactly how we would like them built in terms of his length and athleticism.

“He’s a guy that, if you watch his tape, you could make the argument he could play running back here. That’s the type of athleticism that he has. I could see him starting out to the field, based on being a space player, and then Kaveion Keys is a guy that we were able to kind of flip late and I could see him playing in the boundary, but you could make the argument with him playing in the field too.”

3) Another Top 15 class

It was always going to be difficult for Penn State to follow up last year’s class with a similar one in 2023 because of the lack of five-star talent in the region. Sure, Penn State has gotten better at recruiting nationally, but they’re still primarily based in the region. Anyone who chats recruiting with me regularly inside The Lions Den knows I’ve hit on that regularly throughout the year.

According to the On3 Consensus Team Rankings, Penn State has had three top 10 classes since Franklin took over the program – 2018, 2019 & 2022. All three classes had at least one five-star player.

Now, you can get there if you sign an abundance of top 150 talent, but the Mid-Atlantic region just isn’t deep enough for that to regularly happen. Penn State signed plenty of four-star players this year, but only six rank in the top 150. For comparison, Georgia has a dozen who rank in the top half of the On300, while Miami and Ohio State have nine each.

With that all said, let’s not turn our nose at the fact that they finished a few spots outside of the top 10. Since 2018, Penn State has now signed a top 15 class five of the past six years. Sure, fans will always expect more, but when you consider the impact NIL had on this class, it’s a positive to see PSU land where they’re expected to.

4) Ah, yes, NIL

How could I do a class recap without talking about NIL this year?

NIL had an impact on last year’s class, sure, but this was the first class that it truly dominated.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from talking to different people it’s that Franklin doesn’t want freshmen coming in and instantly earning more than those who played 400+ snaps last year. Guys will end up signing individual deals that move them up, but for the most part, the collectives are in place to provide a base line for everyone.

That approach is being used at many schools but not everywhere. There were a handful of players that Penn State pursued and missed out on mainly because of money. Those same players are expected to make anywhere from $200,000 to $300,000 and even up to $500,000 a year at their respective schools. Whether that actually happens or not, only time will tell.

Franklin is determined to create a merit-based NIL infrastructure at Penn State. All Penn State players will be “taken care of,” but the splashy spending on unproven prospects that has created locker room toxicity in other programs is being avoided.

5) Musical chairs at tight end

With Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth both having successful NFL careers at the moment, it’s not hard to sell this position currently. Tight ends coach Ty Howle certainly used that to his advantage this year, although at one point, he found himself in a difficult position.

With Joey Schlaffer and Mathias Barnwell already committed by the end of 2021, Howle was still pushing hard for both Neeo Avery and Andrew Rappleyea. Both players were firmly leaning towards Penn State at the time, so Avery made a quick decision, committing to the Nittany Lions on New Year’s Eve.

That left Rappleyea on the outside looking in when he called the staff four days later, Jan. 3, to try and commit. He would go on to commit to Michigan about two weeks later, knowing that deep down, he still preferred Penn State.

Rappleyea would get his chance in the spring, as Avery went on to decommit from the Lions at the end of March. Add in some position changes at Michigan and it made for an easy decision for Rappleyea to flip.

Looking back, Penn State’s certainly happy with how it all played out. Rappleyea put together a very impressive senior season and now ranks No. 2 in the country by On3. Schlaffer isn’t too far behind at No. 10.

Just like at linebacker, Georgia will likely get the nod for the best tight end class with two inside the top eight. The Nittany Lions have an argument though. Either way, following another very strong class at this position, Howle’s room will have no shortage of talent in the years to come.

6) Where does Mathias Barnwell start his career?

Virginia native Mathias Barnwell is one of the most intriguing players in this class. At 6-foot-6, most expected him to grow into either and offensive or defensive tackle in the year’s ahead. However, he’s played tight end most of his high school career.

A little over a year ago, there was a point where Barnwell was approaching 270 pounds. It looked as if he would only continue to grow and grow, but throughout 2022 he’s worked hard to keep the weight off, currently checking in at around 245 pounds.

He’s listed as an athlete and will stay there because we’ve heard so many possibilities over the past year. We know defensive tackle was seriously discussed in the spring and summer, but now that talk has shifted back to tight end more.

Penn State announced Barnwell as a tight end on Wednesday, and we expect him to stay there throughout spring practice. But I still get the vibe that, down the road, he’ll end up playing offensive tackle at some point.

Here’s what James Franklin had to say.

“We think he can play tight end for sure, and then I also think there’s a chance that he could play on the offensive line. Now, most high school kids don’t want to hear that they’re being projected to move to offensive line until you show them how many first-round draft choices on the offensive line started at tight end. That’s usually a pretty good story to tell.

“But at the end of the day, we want guys to play the position they want to play. A lot of times guys will kind of see that on their own that they need to move.”

7) VA 2 PA

Remember a few years back when Penn State dominated Virginia? Well, they’re back to doing that again.

Following the pandemic, the Lions lost their momentum in Virginia, signing only WR Tyler Johnson from Martinsville in the past two classes combined. But after North Carolina signed five of the top seven players in the state last year, Penn State came back with a revenge for 2023, signing four of the top six and six of the top 11.

Birchmeier leads the group at No. 1, with Rojas just behind him at No. 2 The addition of Keys, who ranks fourth in the state, really gave this group a lift. He’s followed by wide receiver Carmelo Taylor – who made a massive jump to sixth in the state once his film was released – Barnwell (No. 8) and Donkoh (No. 11).

Penn State has gotten the top players from Virginia in the past, but never to this extent.