Penn State’s 2016 recruiting class posting big numbers, big wins

James Franklin and his staff have been making the rounds.

In the past month, Penn State coaches have hit all four corners of the state on Friday nights, from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to Luzerne County and Mercer County near Erie.

With three months to go until signing day, the Nittany Lions have the makings of another strong recruiting class, with many of the top players hailing from Pennsylvania. Coaches have made sure to check up on their 19 verbal commitments throughout the fall for a class that currently ranks sixth nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

This week with the Lions on bye, those coaches will have a little extra time to check out players in person as well as do some research.

“We’ll be able to make an hour or two this week to watch some recruiting film that the offense and defensive staff normally would not do on a normal week,” Lions coach James Franklin said.

With high school playoffs underway across the country, here’s a look at how Penn State’s 2016 recruiting class has fared on the field this season.

OFFENSE

• Franklin and offensive line coach Herb Hand dropped by Lake-Lehman back on Oct. 9 to check out center Connor McGovern.

With McGovern anchoring the offensive line, the Black Knights just missed their first undefeated regular season in school history and open the District 2 Class 2A playoffs as the No. 2 seed Friday night. The country’s No. 3 rated center and U.S. Army All-American has helped pave the way for more than 3,500 yards rushing in the team’s first 10 games.

At the center of one of the state’s top running games (Hudl)

• The state’s No. 1 recruit also plays on the offensive line and Michal Menet has done a little bit of everything for undefeated Exeter Township.

Menet has starred on offense, defense and blocked some kicks on special teams for the Eagles. And not just in the trenches. Lauded as one of the nation’s most athletic offensive linemen, the 6-foot-5, 275-pounder also has two touchdown catches.

Ever seen an O-lineman pull off what Menet does at the 0:50 mark? (Hudl)

• Right behind Menet in the state rankings is Woodland Hills running back Miles Sanders, who topped the 4,000-yard mark for career rushing yards earlier this season.

The 10-0 Wolverines are the top-seeded team in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs thanks in part to Sanders’ big-play ability. Despite splitting time in the backfield and sitting out the second half of blowouts, Sanders has over 1,300 yards from scrimmage.

Penn State will have to fight off a hard charge from hometown school Pitt to sign Sanders, who is rated by at least one service as the top running back in the country. Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi was on the sideline for a recent Wolverines game along with one of his former Michigan State players — Steelers star rusher Le’Veon Bell — in support.

Sanders makes his case to be the country’s No. 1 RB (Hudl)

• Moving under center, quarterback Jake Zembiec has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions for unbeaten Aquinas Institute in Rochester.

The No. 1-ranked recruit in New York, Zembiec also has 200 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Zembiec making up for lost time after being injured as a junior (Hudl)

• Penn State also has a commitment from the top-rated prospect in Massachusetts, tight end Danny Dalton. Dalton’s Marshfield team is also unbeaten with Dalton catching five touchdowns and adding sixth on defense.

• Elsewhere on the offensive line, tackles Will Fries and Alex Gellerstedt reached the playoffs in New Jersey and Ohio, respectively.

Fries’ Cranford squad is 9-0 and is averaging 364 yards per game on offense. Gellerstedt’s season ended last weekend when Dublin Coffman lost its postseason opener.

DEFENSE

• One of the nation’s top-ranked teams, DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, is led by rush end Shane Simmons. After Friday’s win over rival Good Counsel, in which Simmons had a pair of sacks, he had a visit from another famed Penn State defender.

Former Lions linebacker and Washington Redskins standout LaVar Arrington was in attendance to watch the win.

A familiar face checks in at the 40-second mark (Washington Post)

• Another Maryland defensive lineman, Gilman tackle Ellison Jordan, recently got an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game, joining classmates Simmons, Menet and Sanders.

Jordan went over 50 career sacks this year to set the all-time record for the prestigious program. He has 14 sacks as a senior to go with three forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown.

• A pair of Philadelphia products, Prep Charter’s Karamo Dioubate and Imhotep Charter’s Shaka Toney, are gearing up for the city’s public league playoffs in their respective classes this weekend.

Dioubate is Pennsylvania’s top-rated defensive lineman after recording 23 sacks a year ago. Toney has played up front for Imhotep but projects as a linebacker in college.

• Penn State coaches were in Illinois last week to play Northwestern, giving them a chance to see top Chicagoland prospect Daniel Joseph, rated by ESPN as the state’s No. 1 recruit.

Joseph was asked to play every snap on both sides of the ball — and occasionally punt — for struggling Lake Forest Academy, where he played linebacker out of necessity, recording 71 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. He will be a defensive lineman for the Lions.

Joseph played just about everywhere in his senior season (Hudl)

• Rounding out the defensive line recruits, Michael Dwumfour leads DePaul Catholic (New Jersey) in sacks and tackles for loss.

• Versatile defender Cameron Brown is headed to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl after the future linebacker ends his season on a talented Bullis School (Maryland) squad.

• At the moment, Penn State’s highest rated defensive back recruit is Detroit’s Lavert Hill, who has had a strong senior season that will culminate with a trip to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl along with McGovern.

Will he still be a Lions recruit then? Hill’s brother plays for Michigan and Jim Harbaugh’s quick resurrection of the program has led to him visiting both Happy Valley and Ann Arbor in the past month. He is scheduled to be at Beaver Stadium next week when the Lions and Wolverines face off.

Hill’s ball skills have him in high demand (Hudl)

• Back home, safety recruit Andrew Pryts has done a little bit of everything for his Hickory team in Northwest Pennsylvania.

The Penn State legacy is a Semper Fidelis All-American along with Brown and has touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams this year.

• Zechariah McPhearson has also found the end zone in multiple ways, returning kickoffs, punts and interceptions for touchdowns.

The defensive back will be joining his brother, Josh, a walk-on wide receiver, at Penn State.

McPhearson talks Penn State and his family (Washington Post)

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Penn State could certainly use help at both specialist spots and the Lions are in line to sign both a kicker and a punter.

The latter is Atlanta’s Blake Gillikin, who took in Penn State’s win over Illinois on Halloween. The former, Michigan’s Quinn Nordin, bears watching.

Nordin, the country’s No. 1 kicker in the 247Sports Composite, has taken multiple visits to the Big House in the past month, though it’s not clear if Michigan would add a second scholarship kicker to its roster at this time.

An injury has kept Nordin off the field for the second half of his season.

Below is Penn State’s updated recruiting map, which can be expanded by clicking on the full-screen icon in the upper right corner of the frame. Clicking on the list icon in the upper left will bring up the names of Penn State’s commitments and targets to show where the Lions have concentrated their recruiting efforts.

All recruit rankings and offers represent the 247Sports Composite, which averages the ratings of prospects from 247Sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN.

• Players in italics are non-binding verbal commitments

Lake-Lehman center Connor McGovern has opened plenty of holes for the Black Knights, who are rounding the bend toward 4,000 rushing yards entering the District 2 playoffs.

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_mcgovern11.jpgLake-Lehman center Connor McGovern has opened plenty of holes for the Black Knights, who are rounding the bend toward 4,000 rushing yards entering the District 2 playoffs. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader