UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State’s football team had 20 verbal commitments when the sun rose Wednesday.
Long before it set, the Nittany Lions had 21 letters of intent.
Never mind that not even all of the original 20 filed one.
Predictably enough, then, coach James Franklin seemed pretty satisfied with how things played out.
“We’ve still got a little more work to do, but overall, I really like how today went,” he said. “Not a whole lot of surprises for us.”
Perhaps, but not everyone anticipated that two top-tier prospects — five-star defensive end Micah Parsons of Harrisburg and four-star wide receiver Jahan Dotson from Nazareth, Pa. —would join the Nittany Lions on day one of the new early signing period.
After all, Parsons had de-committed from Penn State in the spring, and Dotson had been pledged to UCLA for several months. Both, however, were convinced to stay in-state.
“I’ve been going there for the past three or four weeks, consistently checking in with [Dotson],” wide receivers coach Josh Gattis said. “Having dialogue with him and recruiting him, just telling him this is the place he needed to be.”
In addition to Parsons and Dotson, Penn State received letters of intent from 19 of the 20 players who had been committed to it.
The exception is three-star Harrisburg wide receiver Shaquon Anderson-Butts, who reportedly has some school-related issues to clear up.
He apparently plans to sign during the traditional signing period in February, at which time Penn State hopes to collect letters of intent from at least a few of these four-star players:
• Defensive end Jayson Oweh, 6 feet 5, 235 pounds, Blairstown, N.J.
• Offensive lineman Rasheed Walker, 6-6, 300, Waldorf, Md.
• Wide receiver Solomon Enis, 6-3, 192, from Phoenix, Ariz. (He is the son of former Penn State running back Curtis Enis.)
• Defensive end Tyreke Smith, 6-4, 250, Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
NCAA regulations prohibit coaches from discussing prospects who have not officially signed on with a school, but Franklin made it clear he and his staff plan to add a few more players in February.
“I think we could have some more action — guys we’re still involved with — for the second signing day, who we knew they were going to wait until the second signing day,” he said. “There are still some moving parts out there.”
The recruiting process formally ended Wednesday for most of Penn State’s Class of 2018, and Franklin said six of its members — Parsons, defensive backs Isaiah Humphries and Trent Gordon, tight end Zack Kuntz and linebackers Nick Tarburton and Jesse Luketa — will enroll next month.
That will enable them to practice in the spring, enhancing their chances of competing for playing time as freshmen.
“I do think the chances [of getting on the field] increase the longer that they’re here and in the system,” Franklin said.
None of Penn State’s three new receivers — Dotson, Justin Shorter and Daniel George — will enter college early, but all three are talented enough to play as freshmen.
“Justin Shorter is as good a high school wide receiver as I’ve ever seen, on film and in person,” Franklin said.
He also offered raved assessments of tight ends Kuntz and Patrick Friermuth, the latter of whom he described as a “road grader, tough guy with really soft hands.”
They are part of a group Rivals ranks as the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class and, at least on paper, Penn State’s finest in years.
“We’re still not where we want to be,” Franklin said. “But we are making progress.”
Dave Molinari: Dmolinari@Post-Gazette.com and Twitter @MolinariPG.
First Published: December 21, 2017, 1:01 a.m.
