Penn State sees slight score bump in On3 Team Rankings
Penn State landed its third verbal commitment for the Class of 2024 on Tuesday. Kari Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound inside linebacker, made the call for the Nittany Lions over a final group that included Big Ten brethren Maryland and Wisconsin, plus UCF, Cincinnati, Missouri, and Stanford.
In the process, Jackson also impacted Penn State’s overall team score in the 2024 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. The second three-star prospect in the Nittany Lions’ class, however, the commitment did not change the program’s spot in the rankings.
Instead, Penn State kept its place at No. 18 after the commitment. The per-recruit average rating dropped slightly from 90.18 to 89.55, while the overall score saw a small bump to 89.650, up from 89.297.
A look at On3 Industry Rankings
The On3 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings survey all of the major services in the recruiting industry in its algorithm to produce a comprehensive picture of where teams stand relative to their peers each cycle.
Unique to On3, that includes setting a baseline number of commitments to use in producing its rankings score. Avoiding situations in which recruiting classes pile up commitments that create an imbalance against national trends, only the top four commitments are currently being used.
Case in point, while Georgia’s 10-man Class of 2024 holds down the top spot among all college programs at this point in the cycle, its score of 95.810 edges out Alabama’s four-man class only slightly at 94.779. The Crimson Tide are followed by Ohio State (94.330) and the Buckeyes’ three commitments. Then, Florida’s four-man class (93.587), and Notre Dame’s eight verbals (92.939) in the top five.
Following Jackson’s commitment on Tuesday, Penn State now stands at fourth in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions trail Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan, while edging out Wisconsin by just 0.135 points. The Badgers are followed by Iowa, Southern Cal, Nebraska, Rutgers, and UCLA in the Top 10. Minnesota, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue, and Illinois cap the rankings. And, Indiana has yet to secure its first verbal commitment for the Class of 2024.
Penn State Class of 2024
Jackson joins Penn State’s other Class of 2024 commitments in offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and linebacker Anthony Speca.
Cousins leads the way as the Nittany Lions’ only four-star commitment. He is ranked No. 190 in the Industry Comparison, while Speca checks in at No. 392. Two players with which he’s already become friendly, Jackson said he touched base with his new classmates following his decision.
“I connected with them today and I hung out with them during the junior day visit,” Jackson said.
