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Penn State football: Grading Nittany Lions 2021 recruiting class

By Cody Williams

Nov 7, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Grading the Penn State football 2021 recruiting class as James Franklin tries to get the Nittany Lions back to competing for Big Ten titles. 

James Franklin has led Penn State football to plenty of success but that was decidedly not the case in the 2020 season. The Nittany Lions need to get the program back on track and the 2021 recruiting cycle is likely a key part of that. But that may not be the best news for fans in Happy Valley.

Penn State is outside of the top 20 overall classes for the 2021 recruiting rankings. For reference, they haven’t been outside of the top 15 in any of the last three seasons prior to this year.

With that, let’s dive into this class and grade out the Penn State 2021 recruiting class. Note: All rankings are via the 247 Sports Composite.

Biggest Penn State football commit for 2021: Landon Tengwall, OT

Tengwall is by far the highest-ranked recruit of Penn State’s 2021 recruiting class. As the No. 50 overall player, he’s a full 145 spots higher in the rankings than the next highest commit. But Tengwall is a great get for the Nittany Lions as he projects as a potential day-one starter for this offense as a trench player who has NFL potential.

Strengths, weaknesses of the 2021 Penn State football recruiting class

Frankly, this class is disappointing overall, so I’m going to call the strength of it the offense. Penn State has only two top-200 recruits in the class and one is an offensive tackle and the other is a wide receiver. That’s strong on that side of the ball, even if it’s not deep at any spot.

Speaking of a lack of depth, the Penn State rushing attack needs some new life and it’s not present in this class as it currently stands. The Nittany Lions have no running backs committed right now, which is a bit of an issue from where I’m sitting.

Diamond in the rough of the 2021 Penn State football class: Jamari Buddin, OLB

For a program with a strong history at linebacker, Buddin is a fascinating player. With a great frame to build on, he could play inside or outside with his athleticism and instincts. Only a 3-star prospect, Buddin could be a starter by year two in Happy Valley and have a ton of upside on this defense.

Where does Penn State football rank in the 2021 recruiting cycle?

Penn State is only the No. 21 overall class in the 2021 recruiting rankings and, to make it look worse, they are just No. 5 in the Big Ten. That’s not exactly up to par for the Nittany Lions, especially under Franklin.

Penn State football recruiting grade: C+

Coming off of this wildly disappointing 2020 season, this is a tough spot for Penn State to fall, especially as only the fifth-best class in the Big Ten.

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