Penn State commitment bumps Class of '24 in On3 Team Ranking
Penn State is back into the top 10 of the updated On3 2024 Industry Football Team Recruiting Rankings. And, the Nittany Lions can thank the commitment of four-star running back Corey Smith for it.
Friday afternoon, the Waukesha, Wis., prospect made the call for Penn State. He did so choosing the Nittany Lions over Purdue, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among his finalists.
“I would say what separated them was that they showed they’re a very genuine organization,” Smith said. “There was nothing about them that was fake. Some schools show you and tell you all the good things, but Penn State was just real with me the entire way. When I walked in there and visited the first time, it felt like a business. It’s really well run and they do things the right way.
“I just realized quickly that I could see myself there. Then, when you look at all the great players that came from Penn State, in that moment, I really dialed in and looked at them in a whole different way.”
Penn State sees rankings bump with commitment
The On3 Industry Team Football Recruiting Rankings are a moving scale evaluating the nation’s top classes in college football. Unique to On3, that takes shape with an evolving number of commitments counting toward the overall team score.
Upon Smith’s commitment, that average number of commitments used in the rankings score is six. As a result, the quantity of a class size does not impact the team score. Rather, the score is formulated using an ever-increasing number against the college football average, putting the best against the best nationally.
With the commitment, Penn State moved back into the 10th spot nationally. The top of the rankings are made up of Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, and Michigan in the top five. South Carolina, Florida State, Notre Dame, LSU, and Penn State round out the top 10.
Scouting the Big Ten
With Smith’s addition, the Nittany Lions landed their 13th recruit for the Class of 2024. That puts the program second in the conference for total pledges behind Michigan’s 14.
It also improves their score to 91.621, up from 91.255 before the pledge. Smith represents the fifth On3 four-star in the class, which is also good for third in the conference behind Ohio State’s two five-stars and eight four-stars. Michigan, meanwhile, has 11 four-star commitments to its tally.
Running through the rest of the conference, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue, Minnesota and UCLA round out the top 10. Rutgers, Maryland, Southern Cal, Illinois and Northwestern complete the Big Ten rankings.
Penn State’s average rating by recruit is also third behind Ohio State and Michigan. At 89.56, it trails only the Buckeyes’ 92.15 and Michigan’s 90.57 averages. It remains ahead of Michigan State’s 88.65 average.
