The biggest gets from Penn State's Class of 2023 and how they fit

This week we’re focusing on the Penn State freshman Class of 2023. With fall camp just weeks away, we’re looking at how the new guys fit into the overall fabric of the team for this fall. It’s also a big time for official visits and recruiting for 2024. So let’s step back in time and relive the biggest gets for Penn State last season and then we’ll fast forward to see how they fit with the team for the upcoming season. 

Penn State’s biggest gets from the Class of 2023

Alex Birchmeier

It’s easy to forget how important and impactful Alex Birchmeier’s commitment was to Penn State, thanks to the players that committed later. We’re not going to make that mistake. The Virginia native committed a year early in the cycle and was a steady, reliable presence for this group of football players. What’s more, he was an exceptionally advanced recruit in terms of physical and technical ability. His skills were good enough that the team decided to try him out at tackle this spring. 

How he fits

Unfortunately for Penn State, it won’t be at tackle. The 6-4 freshman has always been an interior player in our projections, and the experiment confirmed that’s where he belongs. His fit with the program this year is a clear redshirt unless the Nittany Lions experience another bad rash of injuries up front. 

J’ven Williams 

We tend to gloss over Birchmeier when discussing this class is the emergence of five-star offensive lineman J’ven Williams. Where Birchmeier has strength and technique, Williams has explosive movement skills and speed. Flashy abilities like that make for great highlights, but they also make for a versatile offensive lineman. 

How he fits

Williams is a guard long-term, but he’s starting his career at left tackle. However, that doesn’t mean he’s in line for playing time this fall despite the team’s lack of a clear fourth offensive tackle. Williams is very much a project at the position, with significant technical development necessary under offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. He also needs improved strength, according to strength coach Chuck Losey. 

“He’s powerful, but he’s not the strongest. At the root of all power and explosiveness, you’ve got strength. We need to get him stronger, and he knows that. That’s been a big point of emphasis with him, and he’s done a really good job,” Losey said earlier in June. 

The unfortunate part about “fit” with this cycle of recruits is that Penn State’s top-two ranked players aren’t immediate impact performers.

Tony Rojas

Tony Rojas ended his recruiting journey as the team’s third-ranked recruit. The 6-1, 195-pound defensive end put up most of his highlights as a running back for Fairfax High School and was a fascinating recruit to evaluate. Beyond the film, his offer list was as impressive, with Clemson being the main competitor. Winning that battle for Rojas’ services was a major victory for Penn State, whose other linebacker, Ta’Mere Robinson, was recovering from a torn ACL. Having a player of Rojas’ caliber is important, but having him ready to contribute was, at the time, also a factor. 

How he Fits

The story of Rojas’ fit has changed dramatically over the last sixth months. Rojas was a raw prospect without the size necessary to play in the Big Ten. It was an open question whether the early-enrollee could make it work. 

Rojas answered those questions emphatically. 

His weight transformation over the last several months is well documented, but it’s important to reiterate that he went from a project to a player in unbelievably short order. Now he’s in line to potentially see the field in 2023. As a bonus, Robinson transitioned better than most thought as well.

Penn State safety haul of Dakaari Nelson and King Mack

We’ll combine Penn State’s safety haul for our final biggest get. Both Dakaari Nelson and King Mack deserve to be on this list because they’re high-level defensive back prospects from the South. Despite the shifting NIL landscapes from last year, safeties coach Anthony Poindexter got both coveted prospects from Alabama and Florida, respectively. Nelson is literally a massive win at 6-3, 200 pounds. Mack has elite speed and one of the most well-rounded games from a 5-9 prospect you could ask for. 

How they fit

Much like Birchemeir and Williams, neither player has a direct path to the field despite both players having potentially college-ready profiles. Penn State’s secondary is stacked, especially at safety. So getting into the regular two-deep rotation seems unlikely. However, each player has the unique tools to find a sub-package role on defense if they can prove they’re worthy.