Penn State Football: 2021 Recruiting Class Superlatives

Penn State football added 15 players to its future roster on Wednesday as part of National Signing Day for the 2021 class. The soon-to-be Nittany Lions as a whole are rated the 21st best class in the nation and the fifth best in the Big Ten. Both metrics are a little low for a James Franklin staff that has pulled in high-quality recruiting classes over the years, a fact Franklin himself has been open about over the past several months.

That being said, rankings aren’t everything, and with five different four-star prospects in the class and a few more with that potential, there’s nothing to say these guys won’t be just as impactful as the classes that have come before them. With that in mind, here are a few superlatives to hand out.

The Best: (OT) Landon Tengwall 

Tengwall has been committed to Penn State for seemingly forever and has been the Nittany Lions’ best prospect in the class ever since. He’s big, at six-foot-six and 300 pounds, Tengwall has the opportunity to give Penn State strength and size right off the batt. His size is matched by talent, rated the No. 50 prospect in the nation and the seventh best offensive tackle in the country. Tengwall also gives James Franklin another commit out of Maryland and a solid recruiting win against a few big hitters including Alabama and Auburn. Making an impact on the offensive line takes some time in the weight room, but Tengwall has all the pieces to being important from Day 1.

The Not To Be Overlooked: (ILB) Kobe King

Most of the interest is on Kobe’s brother Kalen King, but Kobe brings in a 6-foot, 223-pound frame to the table and a Detroit toughness along with him. Penn State will have to develop linebackers over the next few years to mitigating losses due to graduation and departures and King might just be a summer in the weight room away from catching up to his brother’s hype. The 19th best inside linebacker in the 2021 class, don’t get hung up on the three-star rating. Plenty of three-star players have made a big impact at Penn State, and King can certainly be the latest.

A nod here as well to (WR) Liam Clifford, a talented receiver and athlete who is more than just Sean Clifford’s brother.

(WR) Harrison Wallace, former basketball player has the athleticism that you might not associate with a player ranked No. 553 in the nation. 

The Check Back In Two Years: (QB) Christian Veilleux 

Veilleux didn’t have the best showing at the Elite 11 and saw his stock drop a little bit because of it. To his credit, this summer hasn’t been flush with camps and opportunities to showcase skills. Penn State’s quarterback picture in a post-Sean Clifford era is uncertain and Veilleux is certainly as much a part of that conversation as anyone at this point. The Nittany Lions haven’t had a freshman quarterback make a real significant push for starts since Rob Bolden ro Christian Hackenberg and time will tell if Veilleux can do that as well, even if it’s only in practice. Penn State needs answers at quarterback down the road, and down the road will be the best time to check back in with Veilleux.

Honorable mention to (DE) Lonnie White Jr, the second-highest rated prospect in Penn State’s class. The Nittany Lions seems to have things figured out at receiver, but at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, White Jr brings a big target to the table right from the get-go.

The Big Boys: (OL) Nate Bruce/Rodney McGraw

(OL) Nate Bruce is a bit kid, six-foot-four, 320 sounds, the Harrisburg native has a chance to be one of the bigger players on Penn State’s roster. He might not be the highest rated player in the 2021 haul, but you can’t teach size and he has it in more ways than one. 

Also don’t forget defensive end Rodney McGraw, at six-foot-five, 255 pounds, McGraw has an impressive Day 1 body at the defensive end spot. 

The Final Thought: 

Maybe this isn’t the flashiest class or the most exciting, but national rankings are a product of class size and quality. Penn State picked up talented players in the 2021 haul and just because it doesn’t have the elite ring to it that you might like, doesn’t mean that these players won’t be making meaningful plays down the road. Does it have to improve on the recruiting trail? Sure, but this class is more the outlier than the average for James Franklin and his staff.