Penn State recruiting aims to ride White Out wave again with huge visitor list expected
Penn State football will host over 100 prospects for Saturday’s White Out game opposite Iowa. The top 25 matchup will be seen by Class of 2024 commits and targets plus numerous high-level underclassmen, including the nation’s top Class of 2025 recruit, Belleville, Mich., quarterback Bryce Underwood.
Head coach James Franklin and his staff have made signing recruits who made it to the program’s annual stadium-wide spectacle a habit over the last 10 years. They aim to continue the trend by wowing the latest crop of high school standouts who fill the Beaver Stadium sideline pregame and its bleachers during the contest. And, they aren’t the only Nittany Lion team with that goal in mind.
“This is a huge recruiting weekend for the other 30 sports as well,” Franklin said. “It’ll be, in some ways, a zoo this weekend. It’ll be an increase of probably 250,000 people in town, 110,000 people in the stadium, another 100,000 whatever tailgating. I think this is an opportunity that the other sports use to show the atmosphere and community that we have here. If you come to Penn State and play volleyball, if you come to Penn State and play field hockey, this is the type of support you’re going to get.
“This is the type of community that you’ll be able to experience And then, not only that, all of these nationally televised games, but also obviously specifically the White Out, it’s more than just athletics. It’s an opportunity to showcase the entire university as a whole.”
White Out weekend works for Penn State
Five of Penn State’s current Class of 2024 commits were at last year’s White Out game win over Minnesota. Two others made the 2021 version against Auburn. Over the years, the Lions have showcased their program to underclassmen who later picked them. Again, it’s not a phenomena in the sport. But, the environment does count as an edge for Franklin’s program in a sport that requires teams to find them any way that they can.
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“Now, obviously, not only is it impactful for us, you think about how many of our guys talk about their recruiting process and how the White Out had a big impact on that,” Franklin said. “You think about when we got here. A lot of the good players that were on the team talked about that five-overtime win with Michigan. It was a ton of guys on our roster that had experienced that.
“So it’s meaningful. It’s not just meaningful for our football program.”
Blue-White Illustrated is your White Out recruiting headquarters
BWI recruiting insiders Sean Fitz and Ryan Snyder have been tracking the latest Penn State White Out week recruiting news all week. Highlights for subscribers include:
Nation’s No. 1 ranked prospect set to attend Penn State White Out
Which Penn State prospects could be on commitment watch during White Out weekend?
Penn State set to host pair of senior riser DEs for White Out
Latest Penn State-Iowa visitor list
New Penn State RPM pick logged ahead of massive White Out recruiting weekend
Which high school games are Penn State’s coaches expected to watch Friday night?
The ‘S’ Zone: Previewing White Out visit weekend
You can read those premium updates and access insider intel, team news, film analysis, the Lions Den message board, and more by taking advantage of our big game subscription special today! An annual subscription is now 50 percent off for a limited time. Click here to sign up today for 50 percent off your first year with Blue-White Illustrated.
