Skip to main content
Penn State

Penn State makes up lost ground with latest verbal commitment

nate-mug-10.12.14by: Nate Bauer07/12/22NateBauerBWI
On3 image
James Franklin's recruiting class is back into single-digit territory in the updated On3 Team Recruiting Rankings, checking in at No. 9. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

A weekend of recruiting movement pushed Penn State down three spots in the On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Four-star running back London Montgomery, committing to the Nittany Lions on Monday afternoon, pushed them back.

Entering the day at No. 10 for the Class of 2023, Penn State now sits at No. 9. Now up to 12 four-star commitments and another five three-stars, the Nittany Lions have 17 total verbals. Bookending the Nittany Lions’ place in the rankings are No. 8-ranked Tennessee and No. 10-ranked LSU.

Jockeying back-and-forth since the most recent Penn State commitment, four-star corner Elliot Washington last week, Ohio State has retaken the team rankings lead. The Buckeyes are trailed by Notre Dame, Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State and LSU to round out the Top 10.

Penn State’s updated score of 91.050 is up from its previous overall grade of 90.969.

London Montgomery recruiting evaluation

The latest boost to the team recruiting rankings has everything to do with Montgomery’s projected impact as a Nittany Lion.

Listed at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, the Scranton, Pa., product is rated as a four-star in the On3 Consensus. His aggregate ranking is No. 364 overall, placing 25th among all running backs and 7th in Pennsylvania. In On3’s proprietary rankings, Montgomery is No. 273 overall, 17 among the running backs and 5th in Pa.

In an interview with BWI’s Ryan Snyder, Montgomery acknowledged that Penn State beat out two primary competitors, Boston College and Virginia Tech, for his commitment.

“It was really Boston College and Virginia Tech. Mainly Boston College,” Montgomery said. “I’m really cool with Savon Huggins. I feel like I can tell him anything. He’s been like a mentor to me. He’s young and he went through this process before. We had a great bond. It’s more than football, so that was tough, but I just felt Penn State was best for me.”

Next steps for Penn State

The commitment of Montgomery again pushes the Nittany Lions toward the upper echelon of team recruiting efforts for the Class of 2023.

Expected to be the only running back on Penn State’s radar for the class, his impact on the rankings is straightforward. The class now sits at 17 total commitments behind only Notre Dame’s 19, and 18 apiece for Ohio State, Texas, and Tennessee among teams in the Top 10.

Though slight, the team’s average player rating dipped from 89.94 to 89.90.

In the overall conference rankings, Montgomery’s commitment puts Penn State second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and ahead of Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern, Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Illinois, Maryland, and Indiana.