Penn State’s top two TEs are solid, but could Jerry cross be the next man up at the position in 2023?
Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
Next up in this series is a look at another young tight end looking to crack into some playing time this fall, [autotag]Jerry Cross[/autotag]. After joining the program in 2022, Cross could be a player to keep a close eye on this fall as Penn State looks to find a third tight end to rely on behind its top two on the roster in 2023.
Here is a snapshot look at Cross heading into the upcoming college football season.
Overview of what Penn State has to offer at tight end going into the 2022 season.
The passing game has really allowed for Penn State to showcase it’s receiving talent. In recent memory we have seen [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] who have turned State College success into NFL success.
The talent in the tight end room this year has some NFL-level talent in it as well. Players like [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] are already getting media attention being named to the John Mackey Award watchlist. Both men are expected to bring big time blocking and receiving to the Penn State offense with their own unique skillsets.
The room itself has a nice mix of young and old players in it. Coach James Franklin has shown an affinity to give the NFL talent at all positions and because of that he is now aware he has to have deep rosters at skill positions.
Penn State tight end Brenton Strange looks to make that big leap in 2022, and he has the talent to do so. Snapshot profile:
Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.
The tight ends are a young group full of potential. [autotag]Jerry Cross[/autotag] was the headliner for the 2022 recruiting class, but it is likely he will be a reserve player with both [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] and [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] ahead of him.
Speaking of which, this snapshot profile highlights Brenton Strange, who saw more action after the departure of [autotag]Pat Freirmuth[/autotag] to the NFL. Strange looks to make that big leap in 2022, and he has the talent to do so.
Penn State freshman tight end Jerry Cross may not have a huge role in 2022, but keep an eye out for him moving forward.
Going into the 2022 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster.
Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.
Penn State has a talented tight end room with plenty of potential headlined by [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] and [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag]. But another name to watch is Milwaukee native [autotag]Jerry Cross[/autotag], who was a top 10 tight end in the country and one of the top players in the state of Wisconsin.
Cross has a lot of potential to be a crucial player in the tight end group.
Penn State has confirmed the jersey numbers for 10 new players in the program as spring football practices open
Penn State officially kicks off the spring football practice season on Monday, and a handful of new faces will get their first taste of spring football in Happy Valley. A number of early transfers from Penn State’s highly-touted Class of 2022 and a key addition through the transfer portal are getting to work with returning members of the program as Penn State looks to set the tone for what they hope will be a better 2022 season.
And with the start of spring football practices comes an official update to the roster, including a batch of new jersey numbers for the newest members of the program.
Penn State officially announced a batch of new uniform numbers for its newest players on the roster, including Western Kentucky transfer wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley, and Class of 2022 running back Nick Singleton and quarterback Drew Allar.
Here are the jersey numbers for 10 new players to the Penn State roster in 2022.
Uniform numbers for Penn State early enrollees in Class of 2022 revealed during THON weekend, including Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton.
THON weekend is a signature event on Penn State’s campus, and it is much more important than sports. But sometimes it tears a page back on some sports developments going on around the campus. In this case, the first look at some of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022 in their new jerseys is worth noting.
While there could always be some changes down the line before the 2022 football season kicks off with a Thursday night opener at Purdue in Week 1, here is what uniform numbers some of the newest Nittany Lions were spotted wearing this weekend.
WATCH: Video highlights of each Penn State Class of 2022 player
Penn State locked in its Class of 2022 at the start of the NCAA’s early signing period, and with it comes a bunch of buzz for the future of the Nittany Lions under the leadership of head coach James Franklin. But chances are most of you are unfamiliar with what any of these new faces will bring to the table for Penn State. So it’s a good thing Penn State served up some highlight packages to give fans a quick glimpse of the kind of talent that is joining the program.
Enjoy this collection of video highlights of Penn State’s newest additions in the Class of 2022.
Breaking down Penn State football’s Class of 2022 position by position.
Penn State’s Class of 2022 has long been recognized as one of the top classes in the nation. The latest (and greatest) recruiting class to be signed by James Franklin looks to add some tremendous quality and depth to various positions across the roster and has some players to really look forward to watching grow almost immediately.
For a long stretch in this recruiting cycle, Penn State had the nation’s top-ranked class, and it continued to be ranked highest among Big Ten schools up until shortly before the early signing period. But there is no disputing the ranking of Penn State’s Class of 2022 is proof Penn State has been hitting it hard on the recruiting trail this cycle.
Here is a breakdown of Penn State’s Class of 2022 broken down by position.
Jerry Cross is a big-bodied tight end that had some experience playing wide receiver in his early year of high school.
Penn State has always done a good job of developing tight ends. Even for next level, there are two currently starting in the NFL with Mike Gesicki (Dolphins) and Pat Freiermuth (Steelers).
Cross stands 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds. As mentioned, he does have experience playing wide receiver.
Throughout the season, we have seen multiple games where Penn State has used tight end packages with Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson. Not only that, but getting multiple involved on their offense.
Milwaukee King’s Jerry Cross catches a pass for a two-point conversaion over Milwaukee Reagan’s Keagan O’Keefe (1) and Christian Oliverria (32) and an official in the Milwaukee City Conference football championship game Friday, October 18, 2019. Photo credit: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
He was recruited as a tight end. However, with his ability to line up as a receiver, it will be interesting to see how much his versatility will become a part of the Penn State offense.
With his limited time playing receiver, Cross has exceptional route-running skills and definitely has the ability to develop into a more versatile piece of the Nittany Lions offense.
Can Cross become a vital part of Penn State’s offense? He certainly has the talent to do so.
Penn State’s latest recruiting efforts continue to pay off in a big way in the recruiting rankings for 2022
After a brilliant week of recruiting news, Penn State’s Class of 2022 continues to move up in the national rankings. And it didn’t have that far it could have moved. After coming out of the July 4th weekend with the nation’s No. 3 recruiting class according to the 247 Sports composite ranking, the Nittany Lions have moved up one spot.
According to the updated composite rankings from 247 Sports, Penn State has moved up to No. 2 in the nation, passing Notre Dame. The Irish fell one spot to occupy the ranking recently held by the Nittany Lions. Ohio State remains the nation’s recruiting leader with the highest-rated class featuring four five-star recruits in the Class of 2022.
Penn State’s recruiting ranking was given a healthy boost over the July 4th weekend with the additions of four-star defenders Tyreese Fearbry and Zane Durant. The weekend also saw the additions of linebacker Keon Wylie and defensive lineman Kaleb Artis. Penn State also added a JUCO commitment from JB Nelson. The big splash continued on Tuesday when four-star running back Nicholas Singleton from Reading, PA announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.
Penn State’s Class of 2022 already included a number of four-star recruits as well including wide receivers Kaden Saunders, Mekhi Flowers, and Anthony Ivey, offensive tackle Drew Shelton, quarterback Drew Allar and defensive end Ken Talley, just to name a few.
Asking Penn State to climb to No. 1 is unrealistic at this point, barring a completely unexpected collapse from Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions are easily on track to record the highest-rated recruiting class under head coach James Franklin yet. Keeping everyone in the class still requires work too between now and the early signing period in December. And it’s possible another school may eclipse Penn State at some point. But the Nittany Lions are in a terrific spot in the middle of the summer.
