Penn State's Class of 2019 – Signing Day Superlatives

HEAD OF THE CLASS - This goes out to the highest-rated recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2019 and this year that’s running back Devyn Ford of Stafford, Va., the only five-star of the group. Ever since his verbal commitment in May, Ford has been considered a Top 20 prospect and one of best RBs in the class. He is currently ranked No. 2 at the position, so the signing of Ford gives Penn State one of the country’s top two RBs in three of the last four classes, joining Miles Sanders and Ricky Slade.

SURPRISE 11th-HOUR PICKUP - Penn State’s coaching staff had been feeling pretty good about landing a second top-tier running back in Noah Cain earlier this month, but as the clock struck midnight before signing day Wednesday, James Franklin found himself on the phone with the four-star prospect and his parents – and they were teetering. “The discussion is coming off like they have not made their decision yet,” Franklin recalled. “So there I am in my boxers having a heated discussion and selling on why this makes sense.” With the help of position coach Ja’Juan Seider, the coaches were able to convince the Cains that, even though he was joining a five-star in the backfield and would be far from his home state of Texas, that Penn State was the correct destination. It worked.

MOST IMPRESSIVE “GET” - As one of the Top 10 overall prospects in the state of Florida, when John Dunmore of Hollywood selected Penn State this summer it sent a shockwave through the recruiting world. With Seider now on the coaching staff it suggested that the Nittany Lions were en route to establishing a consistent recruiting presence in the Sunshine State. But as national letter of intent day drew closer, the outlook of earning the four-star wide receiver's signature began to dim bleak. A few of his teammates and close friends, including a relative, were heading to nearby Miami for their college football and they encouraged Dunmore into taking an official visit to see the Hurricanes this past weekend before it was too late. Franklin and Seider remained undeterred, however, and stayed in his ear. Then shortly after his trip to Miami, Dunmore decided that he would stick with his initial commitment and sign with the Lions.

TOTAL COMMITMENT - Cornerback Keaton Ellis gets this recognition as the recruit who committed the earliest and stuck by it the entire time. Ellis, a State College resident and a Penn State legacy, made his decision in September of his junior year, a month and a half earlier than anyone else in the class. At the time he was a three-star prospect with only a couple other regional offers. As he progressed into one of Pennsylvania’s best high school football players as a senior, Ellis was upgraded to four stars and probably could’ve collected some big-time offers from schools across the country, if he had opened up his recruitment. But he never gave it a thought.

HIGHLIGHT REEL – A year ago, Micah Parsons drew comparisons to Linebacker U great LaVar Arrington based on his high school film. This year, it’s Brandon Smith, and his highlights might be even more LaVar-like. In his career highlights, Smith goes through, under and even over top opponents, just like LaVar used to (Check out the 2:30 mark). He shows the ability to cover every portion of the field from his middle linebacker position – against the pass and run, alike – and he makes tackles with a ferocity and violence that don't completely align with his quiet, reserved off-field demeanor. While his highlights are chock full of big hits, sharp pursuit angles and sideline-to-sideline running ability, Smith’s textbook fundamentals are also on routine display. When looking to identify his knee bend and flexibility look no further than his pre-snap stance and how he regularly maintains that pad level as he makes contact. That’s a natural gift and something difficult to teach.

FARTHEST FROM HOME - According to Google Maps, it’s about a 2,700 drive from State College to Eugene, Ore., the hometown of quarterback Michael Johnson Jr. The son of a college football coach who currently works at the University of Oregon, Johnson’s previous hometown of Sunnyvale, Calif., was about the same distance. The next farthest is Cain, who originally is from Texas before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior season, but his hometown of Denton is barely half the distance that Penn State’s coaches had to travel in order to visit Johnson in Oregon, which brings us to...

CEILING PROJECT- As a four-star who is ranked nationally as the No. 192 overall prospect in the Class of 2019, Johnson Jr. is the higher rated of Penn State’s two newest QBs, but he still has some work to do in terms of his passing technique. A dual-threat in the truest sense, Johnson Jr. possesses a unique throwing motion and delivery that could work for him, or it could be something that coaches want to hone in before he begins operating the offense in full. But there’s no doubting that Johnson Jr. is one of the most athletic all-around prospects in this class, if not the most on offense, so the upside is phenomenal.

ROAD GRADER(S) - In Caedan Wallace and Saleem Wormley, Penn State signed two of the five best offensive guards in the nation. While both offer some positional flexibility, they also bring a similar nastiness to the position and appear best fit to play on the interior of the offensive line. Throughout their senior season this fall, Franklin fueled a competition between the two to see who could amass more pancake blocks, and they were happy to oblige. It’s not hard to fathom down the road this duo playing opposite of each other at the OG spots and plowing down most opponents who are in their path.

POSSIBLE POSITION CHANGE - With Penn State bringing in four cornerbacks and only a juco prospect at safety, it’s likely that at least one freshman CB eventually moves to another DB spot. Tyler Rudolph is a candidate for that switch to safety. Then depending on how he grows, Joey Porter Jr. provides some intrigue as well. There’s no doubting that Terry Smith brought Porter in to begin working under him at CB. That’s what Porter has been working toward, too. With his dad, Joey Porter, working as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Porter Jr., has been sharpening his coverage skills against the likes of Antonio Brown and he has the natural ball skills you want in a CB. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he also has unique length for the position. Just how he grows into that frame, however, is what is worth monitoring. “He’s got the longest arms you’ll ever see,” Franklin said. “He's kind of the interesting one because you just dont know. His dad, I think, played wide receiver early in his college career, and then ends up being one of the better 3-4 outside linebacker/defensive end type guys to play in the NFL [and had a] very successful NFL career. You just don’t know. Is [Porter Jr.] going to have a similar progression: corner to safety to outside linebacker? You never know. We love all those guys at corner right now, but I do think a lot of these guys create some position flexibility with corner or safety.”

LEAD RECRUITER - No question, this goes to first-year assistant Ja’Juan Seider. Hired to coach PSU’s running backs a year ago, Seider’s resume has been built upon his recruiting prowess and he put that into action immediately. His roots run deep in his native state of Florida and those relationships played an essential and pivotal role in the commitment of Dunmore – and then keeping him despite a late surge from the nearby Hurricanes. That’s not all. Seider also was a lead recruiter for Cain down at IMG, and his relationship with Johnson Jr.’s father – in addition to Franklin’s – is what encouraged the four-star QB to come cross-country for his college. A WVU alumnus who also coached at Marshall, Seider’s background in West Virginia also helped identify tight end Brenton Strange, and he might not be done yet. Penn State also finds itself in the thick of the race for West Virginia OL Doug Nester and could still be an option for Florida RB Mark-Antony Richards.

MOST UNDERRATED (OFFENSE) - When Ta’Quan Roberson of New Jersey's De Paul Catholic became the second commitment in this class last fall, he was considered just a three-star prospect, but he’d always been toward the top of the coaching staff’s recruiting board at the position. He has since been upgraded to four stars and is set to arrive at Penn State as a fairly polished QB prospect. At 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds, Roberson’s lack of ideal size is what might have held him back from more offers but his build is also similar to that of Trace McSorley, and we’ve all seen how that has worked out for PSU. Roberson doesn’t arrive with the same winning pedigree that McSorley had in high school, but he does flash similar intangibles that have helped make McSorley so successful.

MOST UNDERRATED (DEFENSE) - It took until the latest rankings update from Rivals for Lance Dixon to earn his fourth star, but Penn State knew long before then that Dixon was a blue-chip, can’t-miss prospect. That was solidified when he ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at camp. A Detroit-area native, Dixon had offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State but his early relationships built with Penn State’s coaches are what won out over the regional programs. At 6-foot-1 and only 205 pounds, Dixon almost has the look of a safety but with his combination of speed and his nose for the football, he's just what Penn State is looking for to fill its Sam OLB position.

EARLY IMPACT (OFFENSE) - With the possibility of Penn State losing Connor McGovern and/or Ryan Bates a year early to the NFL Draft, Lackawanna College offensive lineman Anthony Whigan could be arriving at an opportune time. He’s considered the best junior college OT in the country, according to Rivals, and he also has the ability to play inside at OG. He measures in at 6-foot-4 and coaches describe him as a “skinny” 292 pounds. That he’s arriving on campus this January should give him enough time in the weight room to put on the necessary size in order to be ready to contribute next year. Sure, he could benefit from a year of seasoning under Dwight Galt, but depending on how the roster shakes out this off-season, he might have to be called upon right away.

EARLY IMPACT (DEFENSE) - A fellow juco prospect, JaQuan Brisker joins Penn State’s defense at a position of need. With starting boundary safety Nick Scott graduating after the Citrus Bowl, there will be an opening for Brisker to step in. He’ll have to compete against Lamont Wade and Jonathan Sutherland for the spot, but as one of the best juco defensive backs in the country Brisker is going to give them all they can handle once he arrives on campus this summer. He played all over the field at Lackawanna, mostly at a hybrid-LB position, and was effective almost everywhere he lined up. Once he zeroes in on the safety spot at PSU – and if he maintains his hitting ability combined with his ball skills – he could prove too talented to keep of the field.