Penn State Welcomes Recruiting Class of 2016
This past Wednesday was National Signing Day, and this was a banner year for Penn State Football. With a national ranking of No. 24, Penn State happily signed 20 new enrollees on board and on their way to making a mark at Penn State.
“You've heard me say this before, this isn't just a four-year decision, it is a forty year choice. I think when you look at it that way; Penn State is a tremendous option,” commented head coach James Franklin.
This year’s recruiting class includes two standout, five-star recruits by the names of offensive tackle Michal Menet (Reading, Pa.) and running back Miles Sanders (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Both Menet and Sanders were selected for the Under Armour All-America Game and Sanders boasts a career total of over 2800 rushing yards throughout his high school days.
“Miles and his mom were awesome….We didn’t really recruit Miles for the last six months. It was just going and having fun with him,” smiled Franklin at the press conference.
Penn State has a total of 12 signees with four- and five-star ratings this year, one of the highest numbers over the last half decade.
This year, Penn State welcomes many signees who grew up and played football close Happy Valley. Five of the recruits were from Pennsylvania and Maryland, three were from Ohio, and the rest were from surrounding states such as Georgia and New York.
Other impressive recruits include three star kicker Alex Barbir (Cumming, Ga.), who was ranked as the No. 6 kicker in the south by Scout. After Penn State’s interesting past year with kickers, Barbir finds himself in a position to make a big difference right off the bat this coming season.
“ has a really strong leg and is really competitive,” said Franklin. “ have an opportunity to come and compete.”
When asked about Penn State’s recruiting style this past year, Coach Franklin gave an orthodox yet lighthearted response.
“To me, we want to be creative not creepy… like to have fun and we like to think outside the box…it’s more about relationships.”
Penn State also did not redshirt any incoming players this year. This was a strategic move that Franklin said was to allow all plays to “come in with the mentality that they are going to play.”
The 2016 Nittany Lion home opener against Kent State on September 3rd already feels like it is around the corner. Before we know it, it will be. One thing is for sure, and that is that thanks to this incoming set of stellar talent, the Nittany Lions are more ready than ever to have a winning season both at home and on the road.
“You've heard me say this before, this isn't just a four-year decision, it is a forty year choice. I think when you look at it that way; Penn State is a tremendous option,” commented head coach James Franklin.
This year’s recruiting class includes two standout, five-star recruits by the names of offensive tackle Michal Menet (Reading, Pa.) and running back Miles Sanders (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Both Menet and Sanders were selected for the Under Armour All-America Game and Sanders boasts a career total of over 2800 rushing yards throughout his high school days.
“Miles and his mom were awesome….We didn’t really recruit Miles for the last six months. It was just going and having fun with him,” smiled Franklin at the press conference.
Penn State has a total of 12 signees with four- and five-star ratings this year, one of the highest numbers over the last half decade.
This year, Penn State welcomes many signees who grew up and played football close Happy Valley. Five of the recruits were from Pennsylvania and Maryland, three were from Ohio, and the rest were from surrounding states such as Georgia and New York.
Other impressive recruits include three star kicker Alex Barbir (Cumming, Ga.), who was ranked as the No. 6 kicker in the south by Scout. After Penn State’s interesting past year with kickers, Barbir finds himself in a position to make a big difference right off the bat this coming season.
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When asked about Penn State’s recruiting style this past year, Coach Franklin gave an orthodox yet lighthearted response.
“To me, we want to be creative not creepy…
Penn State also did not redshirt any incoming players this year. This was a strategic move that Franklin said was to allow all plays to “come in with the mentality that they are going to play.”
The 2016 Nittany Lion home opener against Kent State on September 3rd already feels like it is around the corner. Before we know it, it will be. One thing is for sure, and that is that thanks to this incoming set of stellar talent, the Nittany Lions are more ready than ever to have a winning season both at home and on the road.
