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

Even though Tristan Leigh is also a five-star, if Penn State plans on landing a five-star offensive tackle in this cycle, the Nittany Lions must turn their attention to the 6-foot-8, 295-pound prospect from Lititz. Nolan Rucci would be the star recruit of this class for Penn State. The Nittany Lions must find a way to keep him from leaving the state and playing elsewhere.

Rucci has 29 official offers, but plans to play his college ball at one of three schools: Clemson University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin. Penn State is seen as his leader with Wisconsin a firm second and Clemson a distant third. Will Rucci go to State College or leave his home state to play at Clemson or in Madison?

Assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Pry is serving as Rucci’s primary recruiter to Penn State. He has been the primary recruiter on two five-stars to Penn State in recent years with linebackers Micah Parsons and Brandon Smith. Naturally, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is in on this as well, as he’s serving as Rucci’s secondary.

With Leigh more likely to go to Clemson, it feels as though Rucci will end up either at Penn State or at Wisconsin. Though the Badgers have a strong history when it comes to recruiting and developing offensive line talent, you have to love the Nittany Lions’ chances to keep the No. 1 player from Pennsylvania in-state and get a top-15 overall prospect in the process for 2021.

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