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What impact will the Blue-White Game have on Penn State recruiting?

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•04/21/22•

GregPickel

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Penn State head coach James Franklin interacts with recruits ahead of the game against Indiana last season. (Credit: BWI/Ryan Snyder)

Penn State football has had a productive spring on the recruiting trail so far.

The Lions have hosted many top prospects since drills began in March. They also picked up commitments from four-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea and three-star quarterback Marcus Stokes in the Class of 2023 and also one from highly-coveted transfer portal target Demeioun Robinson.

Now, the progam is gearing up for the Blue-White Game on Saturday. It will be the biggest visit weekend of the spring for Penn State. And, it marks the first chance for the Lions to host prospects for the spring finale since 2019.

“It’s big,” defensive recruiting coordinator and corners coach Terry Smith said. “Our list is deep, as it should be. There is excitement again. There’s buzz. That’s part of the secret sauce of Penn State, is to have the opportunity to go in Beaver Stadium and play in front of our fans.

“It’s going to be a wonderful day. So, we hope everybody comes out. We’re going to put on a great show and show everybody what ’22 is about to be.”

Head coach James Franklin is also looking forward to the opportunity ahead.

“Besides just Penn State football, it’s important to the entire community and the university as a whole,” Franklin said. “It’s a lot of different activities that are built around the weekend. So, I’m excited.

“It’ll be really good for some of our young players to be able to play in Beaver Stadium with some fans in there, and it’ll be on the Big Ten network as well. So there’s a lot of positives that can come from it.”

Practices, Blue-White Game, offer different but important opportunities for Penn State recruiting

The Blue-White Illustrated Penn State visit tracker is packed with players who made the trip to campus in either March or earlier this month for a spring practice. Those recruits did not get to see a full Beaver Stadium on a crisp spring day. But, they did experience the Lions in a way that will help the program moving forward.

“I think [the Blue-White Game] helps,” Franklin said. “It’s valuable. It gives you the closest thing to a game weekend to have. I’d make the argument, though, some of the practices are really impactful as well because you get more time with them.

“The spring game, literally if you guys saw my calendar, it’s crazy. Friday’s crazy. Saturday’s crazy Sunday’s crazy. There’s a lot of different things going on. So, I think there’s tremendous value coming out here to a practice where you get a little bit more individual interactions.”

All of that is true. Visiting on a practice day equals the chance for prospects to sit in meetings while also seeing the Penn State coaches and team in action. Those are invaluable opportunities that will help the Lions land some recruits down the road.

The Blue-White Game, however, offers a unique opportunity, too. Seeing a game-like atmosphere is a huge plus. So, too, is watching the live-action that will take place. All told, Penn State doesn’t plan to waste it as it wraps up spring practice in 2022.

“The energy of a spring game, the tailgating, the RVs; as we all know, we’re special. We’re one of the special places in the country because of all those things,” Franklin said.

“So it’s great for these guys to be able to experience it.”

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