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Penn State Football Recruiting: Nittany Lions announce 2016 signing class

ByConnor Muldowney|
Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field. Georgia defeated Penn State 24-17 to win the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on from the sideline during the third quarter against Georgia Bulldogs at EverBank Field. Georgia defeated Penn State 24-17 to win the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

What does Penn State Football’s 2016 recruiting class look like on National Signing Day?

James Franklin and Penn State Football have had a rough go of things in recent weeks. Losing commits such as Michael Dwumfour and Quinn Nordin, and former commit from months ago Lavert Hill, definitely hurt, but adding some solid top-100 players on National Signing Day really made up for the pain.

The first National Letter of Intent received on Wednesday morning was seemingly the most important one: five-star running back Miles Sanders. Scout ranks him as the top running back in the class and the No. 25 player in the country. He had been considering flips to either Pitt or Michigan State in the weeks leading up to signing day.

That huge sigh of relief felt by the staff grew even larger when five-star offensive tackle Michael Menet, ranked No. 24 nationally, four-star defensive tackle Ellison Jordan (No. 71), four-star defensive end Shane Simmons (No. 75) and four-star defensive tackle Tyrell Chavis (No. 12 JUCO) also faxed in their NLIs.

Related Story: Watch Sports Illustrated's live National Signing Day coverage

Franklin has been receiving a lot of flak over the past year, or two, because of his ability to recruit top players, but his inability to produce results on the field. This last season, Penn State finished with just seven wins and the regression of Christian Hackenberg was tremendous. His offensive line could barely block anyone, forcing him to make silly mistakes.

If all goes as planned this season with the immense talent coming in, Penn State could be looking at a successful eight-plus win year.

Rest of the Class (Scout rankings)

  • Connor McGovern, 4-star OG (No. 216 overall)
  • Cameron Brown, 4-star OLB (No. 263 overall)
  • Jake Zembiec, 3-star QB (No. 29 QB)
  • Zechariah McPhearson, 3-star CB (No. 33 CB)
  • Danny Dalton, 3-star TE (No. 22 TE)
  • Alex Gellerstedt, 3-star OT (No. 51 OT)
  • Will Fries, 3-star OG (No. 47 OG)
  • Blake Gillikin, 4-star P (No. 3 P)
  • Daniel Joseph, 3-star DE (No. 45 DE)
  • Shaka Toney, 3-star OLB (No. 61 OLB)
  • Alex Barbir, 3-star K (No. 17 K)
  • Antonio Shelton, 3-star DT (No. 74  DT)
  • Anthony Johnson, 3-star CB (NR)
  • Dae’lun Darien, 2-star WR (NR)
  • Brenon Thrift, DE (NR)
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