Which Penn State signees will enroll early? Where Lions stands in Class of 2022 team rankings race: Newsstand
Penn State exited the first day of the early signing period with a top-10 Class of 2022.
Today’s newsstand is heavy on recapping the day that was as head coach James Franklin and his staff welcomed a new group of players into the PSU program.
New defensive coordinator Manny Diaz also spoke for the first time since joining the Lions. We heard lots about the new signees, too, from a variety of staffers, including Franklin.
Let’s dive into the top tweets and headlines about Penn State and college football on Dec. 16.
Penn State tweets of the day
We start by reviewing Signing Day review.
Penn State received 23 National Letter of Intent forms on Wednesday. Twelve of the signees are expected to play on offense, 10 will start their careers on defense, and there is also punter Alex Bacchetta.
Ten members of the class will enroll early. That list consists of:
Quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula
Running back Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton
Tight end Jerry Cross
Receivers Omari Evans and Kaden Saunders
Guard JB Nelson
Defensive tackle Zane Durant
Corner Cam Miller
There were also two players who were expected to sign but did not.
Three-star lineman Andre Roye flipped to Maryland on Wednesday. Lackawanna College safety Tyrece Mills, then, is expected to sign with the Lions in February. He has classes to finish at the school in the spring.
Finally, for this section, the Nittany Lions finished Wednesday with the nation’s No. 7 Class of 2022 according to the On3 team rankings. Penn State was behind only Ohio State in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes were fourth, while Texas A&M, Alabama, and Georgia rounded out the top three, respectively.
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Headlines of the day
For James Franklin and Donald Driver, a ‘Surreal’ Signing Day: Wogenrich, SI
Penn State Class of 2022 report card: Grading the offense by needs filled: Pickel, BWI
Penn State Football’s 2022 Class Is Great, but Allar Might Very Well Be the Program’s Missing Link: Jones, Statecollege.com
PSU Class of 2022 members who could immediately shine: Bauer, BWI
Penn State football signee Mehki Flowers eager to continue growth in a place that feels ‘like home’: Andrews, Centre Daily Times
Penn State must wait for Dani Dennis-Sutton to arrive, but he “can compete from day one,” James Franklin says: Pickel, BWI
James Franklin praises Gov. Mifflin’s Nick Singleton on Signing Day: Scarcella, Reading Eagle
Penn State football: Three takeaways from James Franklin’s signing day press conference: Eckert, BWI
New Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on ‘uncommon’ opportunity, coaching style and more: Gallen, PennLive
In shifting NIL landscape, bold, aggressive Penn State approach stressed: Bauer, BWI
Quote of the day
“It’s funny, because people talk about it’s almost like thunder and lightning and Nick is like this undersized scat back. Nick is 215 pounds and has the ability to go 80 [yards]. Obviously, both of them, I don’t know if there is a better running back class signed in the country, and Nick being named Gatorade National Player of the Year is pretty cool.
“We’ve got really good history, as you know, with keeping running backs in the state of Pennsylvania and those guys playing well. Obviously with Saquon [Barkley] and Miles [Sanders] and so on and so forth. We’ll see how it plays out. We’re super excited about getting them.”
