Penn State hitting a few bumps in recruitment
On one or more occasions over the last several months, under the leadership of energetic head coach James Franklin, Penn State held a consensus national top 10 ranking in recruiting high school stars for its freshman Class of 2016.
On one or more occasions over the last several months, under the leadership of energetic head coach James Franklin, Penn State held a consensus national top 10 ranking in recruiting high school stars for its freshman Class of 2016.
The last few weeks, however, have seen the Nittany Lions encounter bumps across the recruiting trail and lose some momentum. With one week left until national signing day on Feb. 3, Franklin and his staff must mount a strong finish to have one of the 10 best recruiting classes once again.
The latest hit came on Wednesday, when Khaleke Hudson, a McKeesport (Pa.) High School star who can play running back, outside linebacker, or safety, passed on Penn State and two other schools and announced on Twitter he would be attending Michigan.
Hudson's decision marked the second time in three days that the Wolverines and coach Jim Harbaugh had gotten the better of the Nittany Lions. On Monday, defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour of Wayne, N.J., who had committed to Penn State last June, withdrew his pledge. He said an official visit that weekend proved to him that "Happy Valley isn't where I belong."
Hours after making that statement on Twitter, the 6-foot-2, 285-pound Dwumfour announced he had committed to Michigan, calling it "my dream school."
Dwumfour was the fourth player - and third defensive lineman - to decommit from Penn State since the end of the regular season on Nov. 28. A fifth player, kicker Quinn Nordin, who committed to the Nittany Lions last July, is expected to flip his commitment in the coming days, with Michigan a contender.
Among the most popular recruiting websites, Scout ranks the Nittany Lions' recruiting class 11th, followed by ESPN.com at No. 13, 247Sports at No. 14, and Rivals at No. 24. On all four sites, the Lions trail Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State among Big Ten teams.
Brian Dohn, national recruiting analyst for Scout, cautioned observers about having a "sky-is-falling" attitude about Penn State's recruiting.
"I don't think you can say because they lost a few kids that they're slipping because they have a really good class," Dohn said Wednesday. "I think one of the things that people tend to forget is, over James Franklin's first two years, they recruited really well.
"They still have two of the top players [running back Miles Sanders of Pittsburgh, offensive tackle Michael Menet of Reading] in Pennsylvania. They've filled some needs on the offensive line. I think in this age in recruiting, you have to just realize that you're going to have decommitments, everything is not going to go swimmingly. The thing I look at is, do they have backup plans?"
Believing that they were going to lose Nordin, the nation's No. 1-ranked kicker, Penn State coaches persuaded kicker Alex Barbir of Cumming, Ga., to flip his commitment from Rutgers to the Nittany Lions. After losing Dwumfour and defensive end Karamo Dioubate of Penn Charter, Penn State has made offers to defensive linemen Antonio Shelton of Westerville, Ohio, and Rashad Weaver of Cooper City, Fla., both three-star players.
"The biggest misconception out there is that a three-star kid isn't any good, that you can only win with five-star kids and four-star kids," Dohn said. "The reality is, if you're a three-star, especially a high three-star kid, you're probably really good."
Penn State will hope that certain things shake its way in this final week of recruiting. It will await the decision of a pair of undecided players - defensive back Damar Hamlin of Pittsburgh and linebacker Brendan Ferns of St. Clairsville, Ohio - with whom they are heavily involved.
The Nittany Lions also will be interested in the call of Detroit defensive back Lavert Hill, who committed to Penn State last January but reopened his recruiting on Nov. 29. Hill said that his three finalists are Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State, and that he will announce his choice on national signing day.
"To think it's going to be perfect every time, that you're not going to have any adversity in recruiting, is unrealistic," Dohn said. "So before everybody wants to say, 'Here's the demise of Penn State, what's wrong with this staff,' hey, that happens everywhere."
@joejulesinq