Penn State, James Franklin welcome class with program history in mind
Penn State head coach James Franklin’s last day might not have ended before this one began.
Franklin’s energy Wednesday morning didn’t show it, and for good reason.
Welcoming the Class of 2022 to start the early signing period, the occasion marked both an end and a beginning. A day-long event is being marked by a massive morning celebration at Penn State’s Lasch Building,
For the staff, the event puts a ceremonial bow on recruiting the players who will propel the program forward. And for the prospects signing their national letters of intent, it marks the formal beginnings of their Nittany Lion careers.
The Penn State football program is thrilled by all of it.
“After getting to know these guys on a more personal level and understanding their background, obviously their tape and production at the high school level are really important,” Franklin told host Mitch Gerber to kick off the program’s live stream coverage of the event. “But I hope also everybody feels in this community that these are really good fits for Penn State.
“These are young men that want to come and get a great education. They want to be a part of an unbelievable collegiate community here at Penn State. But also guys that people are excited about the future of what they’re able to bring.”
Led off by five-star quarterback Drew Allar, Penn State’s highest-ranked pull in the class as the nation’s No. 24-ranked prospect, a stream of prospects interacted with Franklin and his staff for the “signing day draft.”
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Held in the Lasch Building weight room, under expansion as part of a $48 million renovation, a point was made to highlight the commitment underway toward and within the program.
And with a rapidly-shifting landscape nationally, Franklin stressed the challenges of the path taken by each of the program’s signees to finally land at Penn State.
“Things have changed in college football with everything that’s going on. That’s with early signing day, with the transfer portal, with name, image, and likeness,” Franklin said. “College football has probably changed more in the last five years than maybe ever before. So, these guys got a lot more things on their plate. They got a lot more people in their ears.
“So we’re really, really excited about the young men and their families that we’ve been able to bring in here. There are some high-profile names out there from a media perspective, but, each one of these kids, no matter what their ratings are, no matter where they’re from, we feel very, very confident in their ability to help our program moving forward.”
Determined to bring a “relentless” approach to the program, both on the field in practice and games as well as in every area outside of it, the day’s expectations are undeniably high for the Nittany Lions.
The conclusion of a journey that ultimately led the Class of 2022 to Penn State, it’s also one the program is aiming to maximize starting now and into the future.
“We’ve had a number of those guys be able to come into our program and become part of Penn State’s history,” Franklin said. “And I think we got some guys that will have the opportunity to do that moving forward for us as well.”
