How New England could help offset down year in PA recruiting

Among followers of football recruiting in the state of Pennsylvania, it’s been widely recognized that the state’s Class of 2019 doesn’t include the number of top-flight prospects that it normally does.

Make no mistake that there is talent that exists, as there are five who are ranked with four stars and there are a host of other three-stars who have collected some major offers. The overall depth of the class, however, is rather limited in comparison to its history.

When Rivals updated its latest rankings last week, only one player from the Keystone State – Wisconsin commit TE Hayden Rucci – was listed in the Rivals250. If that were to finish that way, it would be the lowest in Rivals history. In the first year of the Rival250, Pennsylvania had an all-time high 16 prospects in the rankings. Never has it gone below four (2015).

Further quantifying the difference, with approximately 135 scholarship offers extended by Penn State so far in the junior class, only two have been directed toward in-state prospects. State College native CB Keaton Ellis jumped on his offer almost right away, becoming the first verbal commitment in PSU’s Class of 2019 when he announced in September. LB Andre White of Harrisburg was the second to earn an offer from the Nittany Lions, coming in December. Jaquan Brisker, a Monroeville native who attends junior college at Lackawanna, also holds an offer.

**UPDATED STATE RANKINGS: Pennsylvania**

Although it’s a down year by most measures in the state – and available scholarships might dictate a smaller class for the Nittany Lions – that doesn’t mean their 2019 class isn’t destined for another high average rating.

Recruiting territory that borders the state is plentiful as usual. New Jersey is promising once again. The area of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia is loaded. There are even two or three prospects in Ohio who are considering PSU.

But if is one region in particular included in PSU's traditional footprint that could help offset in-state imbalance, it is New England.

While PSU has only sent out two HS offers in Pennsylvania, it extended five to prospects who had played their junior football seasons in New England states.

That list includes QB Taisun Phommachanh, CB Tyler Rudolph and CB Marquis Wilson of Connecticut, all of whom consider Penn State as one of their top options. Also OT Xavier Truss, who is currently Rhode Island's highest-rated prospect ever ranked by Rivals, earned an offer in early January. Truss is visiting Penn State's campus on Monday and has a relationship that extends beyond his wave of national offers that have come the past two months.

Penn State also offered and is an early leader for safety Lewis Cine, who moved over the weekend from Massachusetts to to Cedar Hill, Texas. Cine made that move on his own, as his family has decided to stay in New England. Playing down south could open up opportunities for Cine in that region – the Aggies and Longhorns extended offers late last week – but the move could also help the Lions if there is a hint of homesickness or if it helps him decide where he wants to spend his next four years. Only time will tell.

It’s been previously written how the hire of assistant coach Ja’Juan Seider and his connections to high school coaches in Florida and other southern states could help PSU land some prospects it otherwise wouldn’t to supplement the class. That’ll certainly help, but to balance out the lack of in-state interest, PSU might not have to go as far.

James Franklin has signed the best player out of Massachusetts in two of the past three seasons (Pat Freiermuth and Danny Dalton), and although Cine is now in Texas, PSU has already gotten off to a head start with the Rivals100 prospect.

Connecticut is annually a top talent producer and a couple three-stars have previously signed (QB Will Levis and LB Jarvis Miller.) But PSU has yet to bring in that state’s top player under Franklin. A change there this class could come at opportune timing.

While Connecticut has produced recent national recruits like Josh Jobe (Alabama), Tarik Black (Michigan), C.J. Holmes (Notre Dame) and Christian Wilkins (Clemson), it’s been since the Class of 2010 when PSU inked the state’s best.

With RB Silas Redd and LB Kharii Fortt at the top, it was the last recruiting class before this one in which Connecticut boasted three four-star prospects.

Since his introductory press conference in 2014, Franklin has preached the concept of prioritizing Pennsylvania in each recruiting class. Other than his first, however, when 11 in-state prospects joined his team, an average of only five Pennsylvania recruits have signed in each of the past three seasons.

The state has proven to be the foundation. If PSU were to sign just two or three Pennsylvania natives in this class, it would only require a few more additions from New England prospects to construct a similar base.