Penn State football: 5 recruits most likely to sign with Penn State Nittany Lions

Which five top recruits could sign up to play for Penn State football?

Penn State football needs to pick up the pace in terms of 2021 recruitment.

As we approach August 2020, the Penn State Nittany Lions have the No. 26 overall class and the No. 7 class in the Big Ten, according to the 247Sports Composite. Penn State has 13 hard commits, with six of them having a four-star ranking. 2020 is a big year for Nittany Lions football, as they have a great opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff for the first time.

Penn State is one of a handful of teams who could punch their ticket into the Power 5’s final four with an excellent season. Of course, the Nittany Lions will have to defeat the division rival Ohio State Buckeyes at home this year to give them their best shot of winning the Big Ten East. Until proven otherwise, whoever wins the Big Ten East ends up winning the Big Ten Championship.

While things could pan out for the Nittany Lions on the football field this fall, Penn State head coach James Franklin needs to make up some serious ground on the recruiting trail. With rival Ohio State poised to have the No. 1 class in the country, the gap between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions may widen if Franklin and his staff aren’t careful.

Fortunately, the Nittany Lions have plenty of top-tier prospects interested in joining their football team. If they are able to land a handful of these prized recruits, perhaps Penn State can get out of the mid-20s and into the teens to salvage an otherwise underwhelming recruiting class? Time is on their side, but it’s about making the most of the months ahead before the early signing period.

Here are five Penn State football recruits most likely to sign in 2021.

Penn State will have its shot with a few five-star recruits in this cycle, one of which is offensive tackle Tristan Leigh from Fairfax, Virginia. According to the 247Sports Composite, Leigh is the No. 1 player from Virginia, the No. 3 offensive tackle prospect in his class and the No. 11 overall player in the 2021 recruiting cycle. With 40 official offers, Leigh could seemingly go anywhere he wants.

Of those 40 offers, Leigh has interest in playing for one of these seven teams. He is the highest on the Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers, as those are seen as his co-leaders. However, Penn State is in a group of five teams along with the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Maryland Terrapins, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oklahoma Sooners who are also vying for his commitment.

Serving as Leigh’s primary recruiter to Penn State is offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. Though a new addition to Franklin’s coaching staff at Penn State, Trautwein has secured a four-star commitment from offensive tackle Landon Tengwall in this recruiting cycle. We would have to believe even a dark horse commitment from Leigh to Penn State would be a welcomed one.

Overall, it feels like Leigh will play for one of the two teams who squared off in the College Football Playoff National Championship game last season between Clemson and LSU. However, Penn State is not all that far from his Mid-Atlantic roots. Leigh may not commit to the Nittany Lions, but we have to believe they have a snowball’s chance of landing his commitment in this recruiting cycle.