Penn State Class of 2022 superlatives: A signing day surprise, underrated additions, longest-tenured commit, and more

Penn State is tracking to ink a top-10 Class of 2022 in the On3 Consensus team rankings.

The Nittany Lions’ latest signing group is made up of almost an even split between offense and defense. It also has players from multiple states and big-time stars plus underrated recruits. The program announced 23 signees on Wednesday morning to kick off the early signing period. There was even a surprise on Wednesday morning.

Blue-White Illustrated has provided complete coverage of the early signing day. Now, it’s time to highlight some parts of the 25-member class with our annual superlatives list.

Have a category we missed or think a player should have been included? Join us to discuss this and more inside The Lions Den forum.

Head of the Penn State class

Drew Allar is the leading man for Penn State this year. The five-star Medina, Ohio quarterback is No. 24 overall and No. 2 at his position in the On3 Consensus rankings. He is the top passer in the cycle per On3’s own rankings.

More: Mike Yurcich’s message to the 5-star, Allar on working with Sean Clifford, more

Most impressive Penn State get

For me, this is an easy pick: Dani Dennis-Sutton. How often does Penn State beat out Alabama and Georgia for a five-star, after all? The answer is not very often.

It’s true that the Lions were aided here by DDS playing at something of a feeder program in Owing Mills, Md., McDonogh. But, they still had to close the deal and did. 

Total commitment

This honor, which goes annually to the player(s) who committed the earliest and stuck by their choice, goes to one of the top prospects in the class. Westerville, Ohio four-star receiver Kaden Saunders picked PSU on July 25, 2020. He ‘locked in’ that choice in May of 2021 as other programs continued to try and flip him. Saunders never wavered once.

A Signing Day surprise

Andre Roye committed somewhat out of the blue to Penn State back in September. He decommitted Wednesday in a similar fashion.

The Baltimore, Md., St. Frances College three-star offensive lineman was announced as a Maryland signee on Wednesday. He decided late in the process to stay in-state despite never actually decommitting from the Nittany Lions. Instead, he just sent his NLI to the Terps. It happens from time to time and is never ideal. It’s also not the end of the world from the point of view. An extra scholarship on hand isn’t the worst thing for the Lions.

Highlight reel

There are a ridiculous number of ways to go here in this top-10 class. My pick is Nick Singleton.

The Governor Mifflin On3 Consensus five-star can do a little bit of everything, as he showcased over a terrific prep career at the Pa., Class 5A level. Now, he’s soon off to Penn State, where he could become a day one starter. 

Check out his HUDL highlight tape here.

Which commit lives furthest from Penn State?

Omari Evans plays at Shoemaker High in Killeen, Tex. It’s a 1,519-mile drive from there to Beaver Stadium, per Google Maps. That puts him nearly 24 hours away from State College, according to the GPS. That’s quite the haul. He never gave committing a second thought regardless, however. His father does live in Ohio, after all.

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Four-star who could play like a five-star at Penn State

As is the case every year, there are numerous directions to go here.

Per the On3 Consensus, Penn State has 14 four-stars currently committed. The pick here is Wyndmoor, Pa., La Salle College linebacker Abdul Carter. He is a tremendous player who can be the next ‘LBU’ standout. He stands 6-foot-4, 235 pounds.

Road grader

We’ll side with Lackawanna College guard J.B. Nelson here. He is a possible instant impact contributor during his first season on campus after doing some nice work with the Falcons. Making the jump from junior college to the Big Ten isn’t easy, but keep an eye on Nelson to be able to do just that.

Who’s the biggest, tallest signee?

This year’s honor goes to New York offensive tackle Maleek McNeil. He checks in at a mammoth 6-foot-7, 355 pounds.

Possible position change at Penn State?

There are two super simple picks here in Mehki Flowers and Cristian Driver. That’s because both come in as athletes. The former is expected to end up at safety, not receiver, while the other is slated to do the opposite. That said, in a few years, perhaps things could be reversed. 

Signed and sealed

Kaytron Allen is a four-star running back who plays at IMG Academy in Florida. Position coach Ja’Juan Seider suggested during the Penn State produced signing day stream that many schools tried to both earn his commitment and then flip it. He never wavered from the Lions, though, and sent his NLI in as expected on Wednesday.

Lead recruiters

It was another good year for Penn State on the trail. My picks are the recruiting coordinators. Taylor Stubblefield has a tremendous group of receivers committed and played a role with others on offense. Terry Smith, then, did a lot of work in Philadelphia, Texas, and elsewhere to help put together a first-rate defensive class. These two led the way for the Lions in this cycle.

We’ll also give a peer recruiter shutout here to four-star Philadelphia end Ken Talley. His name came up a lot when talking to his future teammates as a glue guy in the class.

One for Penn State fans to watch

Lackawanna College safety Tyrece Mills did not sign with Penn State on Wednesday. He has classes to finish at Lackawanna College this spring.

Most underrated new Penn State players

The pick on offense is Tyler Johnson. The Ridgeway, Va., three-star has freakish athleticism and was slept on overall in the recruiting world. That won’t be the case after the receiver spends some time in State College.

Defensively, we’ll go with Imhotep Charter three-star linebacker Keon Wylie. He’s a tremendous defender who will become a factor at linebacker.

Instant impact

Alex Bacchetta has every chance to come in and win the punting job and help the defense. On offense, don’t be shocked if Singleton takes the starting job and runs with it next fall.