UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State put an exclamation point on its 2017 football recruiting class this afternoon when four-star cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields committed to the Nittany Lions.
Truly blessed to be committed to Penn State University! #WeAre 🔵⚪️#GODBLESS pic.twitter.com/1u1n6KQAIE
— Tariq Castro-Fields (@ayeewonton) February 1, 2017
He completed a 21-member class that, per Rivals, includes one five-star, 10 four-star and 10 three-star recruits.
Coach James Franklin clearly was pleased with the group that formally joined his program today, saying that he has scheduled a party for his staff at his home this evening.
“We’re going to get after it,” he said.
Penn State’s top-ranked recruit is Clairton defensive back Lamont Wade, but the class includes several highly regarded offensive linemen.
That group is headlined by Central Catholic’s C.J. Thorpe, who Franklin described as “a grown man.”
Not very long ago, the offensive line was an obvious weakness for Penn State, but Franklin said that no longer is the case..
“For the first time, our offensive line can be a real strength,” he said.
This story will be updated. Dave Molinari: dmolinari@post-gazette.com
First Published: February 1, 2017, 8:16 p.m.