Early Signing Day primer: What you need to know about Penn State’s 2023 class

Note: All star ratings and all rankings are based on 247Sports and its composite rankings as of Monday morning, Dec. 19, unless otherwise indicated.

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Penn State vastly improved its offensive line play this season, and if the incoming freshman class if any indication, that was just the beginning of a process.

Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein will welcome the program’s 2 best OL recruits since at least the year 2000, including the Lions’ 1st 5-star guy in the position group since the dawn of the prep ratings era.

Though not as strong overall as last year’s No. 6-ranked class, this year’s group should help sustain Penn State’s resurgence on the field. The 2023 influx of high school talent will begin to become official Wednesday when the 3-day Early Signing Period opens.

Here’s a look at James Franklin’s expected haul of 20+ players:

By the numbers

Overall rank: 12th
B1G rank: 2nd
5-stars: 1
4-stars: 15

Highest-rated player: J’ven Williams, 5-star OL

At 6-4 and 285 pounds, Williams spent the past 3 months flattening smaller opponents for in-state Wyomissing High, boosting his former 4-star rating. He’s the top-rated player in Pennsylvania, No. 30 in the country and 1 of 5 offensive linemen in the 2023 class with a 5-star rating.

J’ven Williams, ladies and gentlemen. @williams_jven pic.twitter.com/kpAF0mxK5O

— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) September 16, 2022

Unless his plans have changed, Williams will be enrolling early and aiming to help the Lions up front right away. He played both tackle and guard in his senior year to make himself as versatile as possible.

Did they bolster the QB room? Not really

They added bodies. A Cinderella story is always possible. But Penn State really didn’t need to add a future starter in this class.

Last year’s freshman QB recruits, Drew Allar and Beau Pribula, have the top 2 spots in the rotation locked down. Barring injuries, those 2 probably have the QB1 job spoken for over the next 4 years.

The Lions did get Jaxon Smolik, a 6-2, 200-pound 3-star quarterback from Iowa. From the young man’s perspective, State College is a good landing spot. As of now, he’s No. 3 on the depth chart. With Christian Veilleux having exited and no QB so far coming the opposite direction through the transfer portal, Penn State is short on signal-callers.

In a best-case scenario for Penn State, Smolik probably never plays a meaningful snap for the Lions. In a worst-case scenario, fans will have to hope Smolik is not the second coming of Ta’Quan Roberson. OC Mike Yurcich is also bringing in 2 preferred walk-ons.

Barring a transfer portal addition, Penn State likely will have the youngest quarterback room in the B1G, if not the entire country. No one from this class is likely to help anytime soon, if ever.

Best position group: Offensive line

Not only did the Lions snare Williams, they sold interior lineman Alex Birchmeier from Virginia on the program as well. Both Williams and Birchmeier have been committed since the summer, and back then Birchmeier was the 5-star guy. The 6-5, 285-pounder is his state’s No. 1 recruit. Now a high 4-star, he ranks No. 44 in the country, No. 1 among interior OLs and 6th among all OLs, right behind Williams. They could be nailing down one side of the offensive line in the near future.

The Lions are also bringing in 3-star Anthony Donkoh, a 6-5, 310-pound interior lineman from Virginia.

Biggest need filled: Safety

Leading tackler Ji’Ayir Brown is leaving for the NFL a year after fellow safety and team captain Jaquan Brisker went to the Chicago Bears in the 2nd round. Penn State remains loaded with secondary talent, but needed to re-stock. (The Lions are also losing corner Joey Porter Jr. and nickel Daequan Hardy.) It did so by attracting 3 4-star safeties from Florida and another from Alabama. They are among the top 9 players in PSU’s class and among the top 250 in the country, led by 5-10, 180-pound King Mack at No. 110 in the nation.

The Lions are also bringing in 2 corners, 1 of them a 4-star from Connecticut.

Biggest flip: Kaveion Keys, 4-star LB

This flip in Penn State’s favor became official on Friday. Keys, who played multiple defensive positions as well as wide receiver at his Virginia high school, de-committed from North Carolina a few weeks ago. The 6-3, 205-pound recruit is among those Franklin helicoptered in to see this fall. Resources can make a difference, apparently.

Best defensive player: Tony Rojas, 4-star LB

Rojas played his high school ball at 6-2, 200 pounds, so he might not be as college ready as Abdul Carter proved to be this season for Penn State. But he’s touted as having similar traits. He played multiple sports including basketball for his Virginia high school, and dominated on the football field on offense as well as defense.

Rojas ranks as the No. 92 recruit in the country, No. 6 among LBs and No. 2 behind Birchmeier in Virginia. Carter was No. 287 last year, so the only linebacker in this PSU class is in good company.

What position do they still need to recruit?

Wide receiver. The Lions have only 5-11, 160-pound Carmelo Taylor, a 4-star out of Virginia, in the recruiting class.

With its top 2 WRs — Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley — leaving, Penn State will have openings atop the depth chart at the position. KeAndre Lambert-Smith and the past 2 years’ recruits will look to step up. And Franklin will likely use the transfer portal to fortify the group.

Did they keep the best players home?

Yes. The Lions have locked up the top 3 players in Pennsylvania, led by Williams, the state’s only 5-star player. They also landed 4 of the 7 4-star players in the state. The ones who got away included 2 receivers, with one going to West Virginia and the other to Georgia.

The lesser programs in the state fought over the 3-star scraps. Pitt’s top get was No. 17 in the state and Temple’s was No. 31.

Final takeaways on this class …

Barring some significant late additions to the class, Penn State will not post back-to-back top-10 classes for the first time in at least 25 years. And the dearth of receivers is less than ideal.

Otherwise, though, the talent haul comes with a lot of positives. Franklin and staff brought in top-end talent at OL and stocked up on DBs (6) and edge rushers/DLs (5). Penn State was smart to go light at QB (1), RB (1) and LB (2 now that Keys is onboard). There is no reason to bring in depth guys more likely to eventually transfer than get on the field for the Lions.

Another great sign is that Penn State is dominating not only its home state but Virginia as well. The Lions have 3 of that state’s top 4 recruits and 6 of the top 10. Apparently, Virginia and Brent Pry’s Virginia Tech of the ACC can’t match Penn State in NIL or the Big Ten in cachet.

Two 4-star tight ends and another 4-star athlete — all 6-5 or 6-6 in height — are in the class to keep that room loaded for years to come.

This class signifies that Penn State is committed to the new identity it forged during this 10-2 season. The offense will blend power and finesse, tilted toward the power element thanks to a bolstered line. The defense will be deep, fast and aggressive.

As was the case last year, Penn State ranks 2nd in the B1G behind Ohio State (No. 7 overall class) and well ahead of Michigan (No. 20, with no 5-stars and only 6 4-stars). With a few key transfer additions, Penn State should set itself up to close the on-the-field gap with its division rivals.

When all the commitment papers are signed, Penn State will have its best 2-year stretch of talent acquisition in this century. Only the 2018-19 classes come close, and Franklin had not mastered the portal at that point.