Two Penn State Commits Generate High National Profiles
Penn State's 2022 recruiting class might have fallen from the top spot in SI All-American's national rankings but remains in contention for the year-end No. 1 award.
Penn State landed at No. 3 in the latest SI All-American Top 25, which promoted Alabama and Georgia to the top two spots. The teams added some highly ranked players in October, notably top-ranked tight end Jaleel Skinner (Alabama) and former USC-commit Mykel Williams (Georgia).
But the Lions remain in contention for the No. 1 spot based on a 25-player class that includes four SI99 nominees: quarterback Drew Allar, running back Nicholas Singleton, receiver Kaden Saunders and defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton.
"It was an up and down month, but Penn State still has the biggest class among contending programs," SI All-American director of football recruiting John Garcia, Jr. wrote. "It picked up defensive back Omari Evans out of the state of Texas to kick off the month but suffered a departure in the future secondary all the same in Louisiana's Jordan Allen. The longstanding commitment group is strong and among committed prospects at the game's most important position, few have had the 2021 run on the field like future Nittany Lion quarterback Drew Allar. The Ohio native is sure to contend for the top spot at the position before all is said and done."
Further, Garcia cited Penn State's 2022 running backs as forming one of the nation's best groups at the position. Singleton, who is having a record-setting season at Governor Mifflin (Pa.) High, and IMG Academy's Kaytron Allen form a combination as good as any in the country, Garcia, Jr. wrote.
And Singleton ranks as the nation's top-ranked back, according to SI All-American.
"The top back in the land has been Singleton from the outset of the 2022 positional watch lists on SI and he has backed it up despite all eyes on him before every touch he gets," Garcia, Jr. wrote. "But Allen is no typical secondary back in any class, think of this instead as a combo coming in on the same wavelength. All Allen has done over the last three years is lead IMG Academy all over America with gaudy performances, including helping the program achieve a national title in 2020. Both backs bring a load of leverage with them on contact, a stellar fit for the Big Ten, where neither figures to spend much time on the bench."
Players in Penn State's 2022 recruiting class can sign their National Letters of Intent on Dec. 15, when the early signing period begins.
Read more
Recruiting update: One new commitment, one departure
