Penn State's Recruiting Class Isn't Finished

The Lions continue to pursue players for the 2023 class, including through the Transfer Portal

Recruiting never stops, and neither does Penn State coach James Franklin. Even on Signing Day, the Lions were offering scholarships to players for the 2023 recruiting class and beyond.

Penn State on Wednesday welcomed 22 players to the 2023 class, which ranks 14th nationally, according to Sports Illustrated. Though Franklin said he's "very, very happy" with the class, he certainly believes it can improve.

We've explored whether Penn State will look for a quarterback in the portal, but Franklin will address other pressing needs first.

Wide Receiver

Penn State loses its top two receivers in Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley. The Rose Bowl will present an opportunity for KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Harrison Wallace III and Liam Clifford to launch a 2023 campaign to replace them. But the Lions are looking for experience as well from the transfer portal.

Penn State has offered scholarships to multiple receivers in the portal. Among the leading candidates is Kent State's Dante Cephas, who caught 48 passes for 744 yards this season. On Thursday the Lions extended an offer to Troy's Tez Johnson, who caught 56 passes for 863 yards.

"That's a position where I could see us signing a couple more guys just to make sure that we have the competition at that position on a similar scale that we do at tight end and running back," Franklin said. "I think that's going to be important for us moving forward."

Offensive Tackle

The Lions appear well positioned at tackle, with All-Big Ten standout Olu Fashanu returning and freshman Drew Shelton playing well while Fashanu was injured. But coaches never can have too many tackles, since it's the most difficult position to scout and develop.

Further, tackles Caedan Wallace and Bryce Effner have not announced their intentions for next season, so Franklin is looking for experience.

"We'd like to get another offensive lineman if we could, specifically an offensive tackle, or a guy that's like the guys that we signed in this class that have position flexibility," Franklin said. "... Offensive tackles that are still out there, wide receivers that are still out there, we'll be in pursuit."

Defense

The Lions rotate often across their defensive line, which means they're always in the market for production. Three of the Lions' top-producing portal players have been defensive linemen: end Arnold Ebiketie and tackle Derrick Tangelo in 2021 and end Chop Robinson in 2022.

In particular, the Lions would like to find an experienced tackle with PJ Mustipher's size and mobility. Further, Franklin said he's continuing to scout defensive backs, even though the position is stacked with young talent. On Thursday the Lions lost longtime commit Conrad Hussey, a 4-star safety, to Florida State.

"On the defensive side of the ball, we'd like to get a defensive tackle, possibly another defensive end just from a numbers perspective," Franklin said. "And depending on how this thing plays out in the back end as defensive back, we could be in the need for one or two more defensive backs.

"We'll see how this whole thing plays out. But those would be probably needs that I would say that are still out there that we'd like to try to address either through the second signing day with high school prospects or some transfer portal prospects."