Mailbag: Any late surprises coming for Penn State in the Class of 2022?

Penn State and all of college football is 12 days out from the early signing period and almost a week into the December contact period. The coaching carousel is just flat out nuts and recruiting is at its peak for the vast majority of Division I football programs.

Oh, and did I mention the transfer portal?

It’s a wild time for the sport of college football, and that’s true for Penn State as well. Brent Pry is out recruiting for Virginia Tech now, while another top assistant, Anthony Poindexter, is being linked with Pry’s biggest rival. Every day it’s something this time of the year.

In regards to recruiting, the Class of 2022 hasn’t lost anyone that they really want to sign, so that’s a positive. Yes, they can add players, but when you’re down to what’s projected to only be a few scholarships and the transfer portal is deep with names, you’re not taking players just to take players. They’re going to aim very high, and that’s what we’re seeing.

Let’s get into where we stand as of Dec. 3.

Any potential late surprises to add for Penn State to the class? – Classof09

It feels like every Penn State fan is craving action. It’s been awhile, so I get it, but for the most part, no drama is a good thing when you’re 12 days out from the early signing period and have the sixth-ranked recruiting class.

I still think this is shaping up to be a pretty quiet ending. That’s what happens when half of your class commits in about 40 days.

With Jordan Allen and Spencer Rolland no longer part of the class, Penn State can realistically add a few more high school players, but a lot of that depends on the transfer portal. Outgoings are coming. We already know about Tyler Rudolph and Enzo Jennings and I would expect more names to surface between now and early next week.

As the season progressed, I heard more and more talk from sources that using the remaining scholarships for the portal is probably the best use for them. I think that still holds true, but obviously, just like with high school players, you have to find the best fit. I discussed in last week’s mailbag that quarterback, as well offensive and defensive line, are three positions Penn State will take a very hard look at. Safety also makes sense now with two young players departing.

We also know that Penn State’s staff is talking to a handful of players in the portal currently. No, I don’t have specific names at this time. However, I do believe there’s a good chance we hear about a few current college players visiting Penn State over the next 10 days. The dead period starts Dec. 13.

I know you were probably referring to the high school players with your question, but I think the surprise, if you can call it that, is more likely to come from the portal.

With that said, there are a few 2022 players that Penn State is still evaluating, most of whom are committed elsewhere. We’ve seen the staff make late pushes in the past, so I certainly won’t rule it out.

As for who we definitely know they’re pursuing, let’s get into that below.

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If there’s room for 1 or 2 more recruits in the 2022 class? Who is most likely to get those spots? – NittanyLionNation

St. Frances linebacker Jaishawn Barham remains Penn State’s top remaining target for the Class of 2022. As I noted back on Tuesday, he won’t be hosting any schools for in-home visits. All contact with coaches will go through the school, and James Franklin used his one allowed visit with Barham earlier this week. Penn State can send a handful of assistant coaches to meet with him at St. Frances again next week.

His high school teammate, Derrick Moore, is also a player they’re pushing hard for. Adding a defensive tackle isn’t a must in regards to numbers, but he’s simply too good to pass up. Before he committed to Oklahoma, Moore said that Penn State and Ohio State were the other two schools he spoke with the most, but he also holds offers from a ton of other top programs like Ole Miss, Georgia, Michigan and USC. I expect a lot of schools to push hard for him.

Two other prospects I know Penn State is working on are Notre Dame commits Ty Chan and Aamil Wagner. However, with Marcus Freeman remaining in South Bend, it won’t be easy.

Chan may end up not signing with the Irish come Dec. 15, so I think he’s someone to watch closely. I expect Penn State to see him next week. Wagner goes to the same high school that Freeman attended. His high school coach actually coached Freeman, too, so the ties are strong to Notre Dame’s new head coach. Wagner feels unlikely to me.

So, are we getting Barham & Moore? – ptomaselli

If Penn State landed both of them, I’d be very surprised.

I think Barham is more realistic than Moore, but I also feel like Barham has had a few opportunities to commit to Penn State now and hasn’t. That’s never a good sign. At the end of October, the talk was that he was done with visits and was pretty much down to focusing on Penn State, Maryland and South Carolina.

Now, he’s looking into visits again. The Oklahoma official two weeks ago proved to be a bust, but keep an eye on USC. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Lincoln Riley flew him out to Southern Cal next weekend. We know Barham has interest in Riley and his staff.

I could see Moore taking a visit to USC as well. Moore wants to be an early enrollee (same with Barham) but if he’s really going to look around now, the timing doesn’t work well. Michigan and Ole Miss are pushing hard with him, too.

I think it’s also important to remember that Penn State doesn’t have a good track record at St. Frances. Yes, Andre Roye committed a few months ago but that’s it. I’ve seen this story before. Recruitments are quiet. PSU appears to be in the mix with St. Frances guys and then boom, they end up elsewhere.

Only time will tell, and again, true insight on these recruitments is incredibly limited. But my gut right now would probably lean towards those two not signing with Penn State. If they get one, I’d lean Barham, but even he feels unlikely with just over a week to go.

Who all is enrolling early at Penn State? – PennState31

I’m expecting 10 Class of 2022 commits to enroll at Penn State next month. That list includes:

QB Drew Allar

RB Kaytron Allen

TE Jerry Cross

DT Zane Durant

CB Cam Miller

OL JB Nelson

QB Beau Pribula

WR Kaden Saunders

OL Drew Shelton

RB Nick Singleton