Watch: James Franklin breaks down PSU's class on National Signing Day
By Ryan Snyder
Penn State finalized its Class of 2024 Wednesday, signing all 25 high school players who have committed to the Nittany Lions. Coming into the day, Penn State’s class ranked 15th nationally in On3’s Team Rankings. They’ve since dropped to No. 16, but still rank third in the Big Ten, with only Ohio State (No. 3) and Oregon (No. 7) putting together stronger classes in the Big Ten this year.
“I think if you look at our class, it’s it’s pretty well-rounded,” Franklin said. “We really were able to fill needs at every position, as well as signing so we can continue to develop across the board. I thought our length in this class is better than what it’s typically been. I think you guys know this as well; we’ve got a ton of guys coming in early.”
According to On3’s Industry Rankings – which combine On3, 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN for a cumulative grade – Penn State signed seven players who rank among the Top 200 prospects in the country. Tight end Luke Reynolds is the highest-ranked player among that group at No. 49 nationally. The Westford, Mass., native is the third-ranked tight end in the nation. He finished just a few spots above Belle Vernon, Pa., native Quinton Martin. Listed as an athlete by On3, Martin finished at No. 59 nationally. He’s expected to play running back for the Nittany Lions but could contribute in a few ways in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense.
Ask Around: Who were the biggest commitments in Penn State’s Class of 2024?
The Lions also signed five players who rank between No. 100-200 nationally in the Industry Rankings. Of those five, four of them rank No. 120 or better. That includes quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has steadily moved up in every update since to the summer. Just behind him, you’ll find offensive lineman Cooper Cousins (No. 113), defensive tackle Liam Andrews (No. 116) and cornerback Jon Mitchell (No. 118). Offensive tackle Garrett Sexton also ranks among the Top 200 at No. 157 nationally.
“Garrett Sexton was a quarterback. You don’t hear that very often, quarterback to offensive tackle recruit and become one of the highest recruited offensive tackles in the country. Wisconsin has not been a big recruiting area for us. We’ve been able to get one kid maybe every four or five years out of that area. This year we were able to get a number.”
Franklin added, “I think we were able to get a few more guys in this class that we think can be tackles. That’s always been a challenge for us. Getting the length that we would like and the athleticism to be true tackles.”
Overall, the Industry Rankings credit the Nittany Lions with 13 four-star players and 12 three-star prospects. Penn State earned a 91.141 overall grade.
