Biggest theme of Penn State’s 2024 class: balance

Penn State’s 2024 class offers one of the more balanced recruiting hauls in the country.

With the first and busiest day of the college football early signing period behind us, we can confirm that Penn State signed all 25 of its Class of 2024 commits earlier today. It was a “drama-free” signing day according to [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] who spoke after all the commits had signed. The class is now locked in for next year so let’s break it down.

Penn State returns a boatload of starting-caliber players from last season but will lose several starters to the NFL with more expected to announce in the coming month. Penn State has never been a heavy transfer portal school and relies mainly on keeping its returning players intact while reloading with a strong freshman class.

This years’ class is ranked 14th in the country by 247Sports Composite and 16th by On3. With 12 offensive commits and 13 defensive commits this year’s group is evenly balanced eluding to the fact that Franklin and his staff want to add quality depth around the board and fill in any neccessary holes from departing players.

From a positon standpoint is was more of the same type of balance across the board:

  • 7 skill players: QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag], running backs [autotag]Quintin Martin[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag], wide recievers [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag], [autotag]Tyseer Denmark[/autotag], and [autotag]Peter Gonzalez[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • 5 offensive lineman: [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Brewer[/autotag], [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag], [autotag]Donovan Harbour[/autotag], [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • 6 defensive lineman: [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag], [autotag]DeAndre Cook[/autotag], [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag], [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag], and [autotag]Mylachi Williams[/autotag]
  • 5 secondary players: cornerbacks Antoine Belgrave-Shorter, Kenneth Woseley, Jon Mitchell, and safties Dejuan Lane, and Vaboue Toure
  • 2 linebackers: Kari Jackson and Anthony Specca

No one position or side of the ball dominated the 2024 recruiting cycle for Penn State, but thats a good thing because it shows that Penn State has talent everywhere. Three wide recievers were added to arguably the worst room in 2023 and a playmaking running back was added to a room featuring two former 5-star recruits. The trenches were reloaded with talent and many of the offensive line commits should challenge for starting spots in their first year.

In the time of the transfer portal and NIL perhaps a early signing day like the one Penn State had today is not exciting, but it does not matter Franklin’s method of “underpromise, overdeliver” method still produces wins. It has in the past. Penn State’s 2024 class is balanced, solid, and most importantly adds talent across the board which is key for sustained success.

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Which Class of 2024 players will enroll early at Penn State?

It looks like a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will be on campus in January to get a jump with offseason workouts.

Now that Penn State has officially signed its Class of 2024 on the first day of the early signing period, or at least all of the commitments they had lined up, the page is quickly turning forward. Not to look past the upcoming Peach Bowl against Ole Miss later this month, but winter workouts and spring football will be here before you know it! And it seems a good percentage of Penn State’s Class of 2024 is expected to be on campus and ready to get started working with their new teammates and coaches.

Here are the players in Penn State’s Class of 2024 that are reportedly expected to enroll early in January and get started with the program:

  • DL [autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Antoine Belgrave-Shorter[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Eagan Boyer[/autotag]
  • WR [autotag]Josiah Brown[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]De’Andre Cook[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Cooper Cousins[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Xavier Gilliam[/autotag]
  • QB [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag]
  • DL [autotag]Jaylen Harvey[/autotag]
  • LB [autotag]Kari Jackson[/autotag]
  • RB [autotag]Quinton Martin[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Jon Mitchell[/autotag]
  • TE [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag]
  • OL [autotag]Garrett Sexton[/autotag]
  • DB [autotag]Vaboue Toure[/autotag]

Every other member of Penn State’s Class of 2024 will join the program in the summer.

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Early Signing Day Tracker: Say hello to Penn State’s Class of 2024

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting …

The early signing period for college football is officially open as schools around the country are locking in their entire, if not the vast majority, of their recruiting classes for the Class of 2024. Penn State will be among the schools expecting to receive signed National Letters of Intent from their verbal commitments to make things official. There could always be a player or two who hold off until the traditional signing period in February for one reason or another, but Penn State is hoping for a pretty simple and straightforward opening to the early signing period.

Here is a look at each player who committed to Penn State in the Class of 2024 recruiting calendar and an update on which players have signed in the early signing period.

Where Penn State’s Class of 2024 ranks nationally after big recruiting weekend

Penn State’s Class of 2024 gets a bump in the national rankings following two four-star additions this weekend.

Penn State had another productive weekend on the recruiting trail. On Friday, Penn State received a commitment from four-star defensive lineman Liam Andrews out of Massachusetts. On Saturday, another four-star defensive lineman, T.A. Cunningham from Miami, gave his commitment to the Nittany Lions. And for a brief moment, Penn State’s Class of 2024 jumped back into the top five nationally.

247Sports bumped Penn State up from no. 7 before the commitment from Andrews up to no. 5 following the Cunningham commitment. But Penn State settled at no. 6 as the weekend went on with Alabama edging the Nittany Lions for the no. 5 spot in the composite rankings calculated by 247Sports.

Penn State also has a solid spot in the top 10 from On3. On3’s team rankings has Penn State at no. 7 in the nation, one spot behind Clemson and one spot ahead of USC.

Rivals also ranks Penn State’s Class of 2024 at no. 7 on its updated class rankings. Penn State sits one spot behind Oregon and one spot ahead of Tennessee according to Rivals.

All three recruiting outlets agree on the top three schools in the nation right now for the Class of 2024. Georgia takes the top spot on all three, followed by Ohio State and then Florida. Michigan is fourth on the list according to 247Sports and Rivals, but Alabama is fourth on the rankings from On3, followed by the Wolverines.

247Sports ranks Alabama fifth on their list, followed by Penn State, USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M, respectively, to complete the top 10. Tennessee and Texas A&M come in at no. 9 and no. 10 on the On3 list behind Penn State and USC.

Rivals has Notre Dame the highest ranked among the recruiting outlets at no. 5, followed by Oregon, Penn Stae, and Tennessee. Clemson and Texas A&M complete the top 10 with Alabama nowhere to be found, relatively speaking (no. 16).

With 24 commitments on the board for the Class of 2024, Penn State appears to be trending toward a possible top 10 class. But with a mostly full class leaving little more room for additions while other schools appear to have more scholarships to fill, holding onto a top 10 class could prove to be difficult. Regardless, Penn State is lining up another one of the top classes in the Big Ten to keep things stabilized in the years to come.

The biggest problem, however, is Big Ten foes Michigan and Ohio State look to be pulling in classes ranked higher, and incoming Big Ten member USC (in 2024) is a potential threat to jump Penn State when all is said and done with the Class of 2024. But with the age of a 12-team College Football Playoff also coming, Penn State is looking to be in pretty good shape with its roster.

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Penn State Class of 2024 profile: Four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham

A quick snapshot profile of Penn State 2024 four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham.

Penn State certainly focused heavily on improving the quality depth on the defensive line in the back half of its Class of 2024 efforts. That mission continued with the commitment of four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham out of Miami, Florida. Cunningham has been considered a healthy Penn State lean for a while as his recruiting process continued, and a scanning of his Twitter timeline and retweets supported that argument for those paying attention.

Cunningham was the fifth defensive lineman to commit in Penn State’s Class of 2024 recruiting haul, and the fifth to do so since the naming of Deion Barnes as the team’s defensive line coach. Coincidence? Perhaps not so much.

Here is a snapshot look at the recruiting profile of one of Penn State’s future defensive line stars.

Four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham chooses Penn State over Texas A&M

Texas A&M loses out to Penn State for talented DL T.A. Cunningham. However, nothing is set in stone until signing day.

You can’t win them all, and after several weeks of Aggie-based recruiting hype surrounding 2024 four-star T.A. Cunningham, the Miami, Florida product chose Penn State over the Maroon and White on Saturday afternoon, and even though it seems like Texas A&M is entirely out of the running for the future defensive star, nothing is set in stone until National Signing Day in February.

According to 247Sports, Cunningham is the 29th-ranked defensive tackle, and the 34th-ranked player in Florida,

Last weekend, Cunningham revealed several revealing messages through his Twitter account, including a photo wearing an Aggie jersey, while tweeting a “thumbs up” emoji the following Sunday.

It was a stretch, but the fact that the Aggies were in the running till the very end speaks volumes to how well Jimbo Fisher and his staff have left their mark on every 2024 prospect they’ve offered. I guess communication between both parties should continue despite his commitment to the Nittany Lions. Still, in all seriousness, I look forward to seeing Cunningham make an instant impact on the field wherever he ends up when it’s all said and done.

Texas A&M’s 2024 recruiting class is currently the 10th-ranked class in 247Sports’ Team Rankings with 18 verbal commits, including two defensive line commits in four-star Deaylin Evans and three-star Gabriel Reliford.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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Penn State adds four-star commitment from T.A. Cunningham in 2024

T.A. Cunningham is Penn State’s second four-star defensive lineman commitment of the weekend.

The good news just keeps on coming for Penn State football. A day after securing a key four-star commitment for a defensive lineman, another one joined the Class of 2024. [autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag] of Miami, Florida announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Saturday, becoming the fifth defensive lineman in the current recruiting cycle to join the class since the naming of Deion Barnes as defensive line coach.

Cunningham, a 6′-6″ 275-pound recruit, is rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and their composite rankings. The composite rankings have Cunningham listed as the 234th-best player overall in the nation and 30th top defensive linemen in the Class of 2024. He is also rated as the 34th-best overall recruit in the talent-rich state of Florida.

Cunningham committed to Penn State over offers from Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M in the final stage of his recruiting process. Cunningham made his official visit to Penn State last month, marking the final official trip on his calendar before announcing his decision.

The commitment of Cunningham comes roughly 24 hours after Penn State added a commitment from Massachusetts lineman Liam Andrews, who was originally recruited as an offensive lineman but has since announced he will be focusing on defense in college. The latest pickups for Penn State’s recruiting efforts gives Penn State five defensive linemen in the Class of 2024 with edge rushers Mylachi Williams and Xavier Gilliam and defensive lineman De’Andre Cook in tow.

All five players have committed since Penn State announced the promotion of Deion Barnes to defensive line coach. Before that announcement was made, Penn State’s steady Claass of 2024 efforts netted zero defensive linemen.

Penn State’s Class of 2024 now has 24 commits on the board and continues to be a top-10 class. Prior to the start of the weekend, Penn State’s class ranked seventh nationally according to the 247Sporys composite ranking. The Nittany Lions have now been bumped up to no. 6 in the nation with the latest recruiting headlines this weekend.

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Penn State trending for two 4-star prospects with commitment dates set

Penn State is trending in a positive direction for a pair of four-star recruiting targets.

With 22 players currently committed to Penn State in the class of 2024, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his staff are now able to focus their attention on their top remaining uncommitted prospects they are still recruiting.

Two of those prospects have their commitment dates set with Penn State looking to be the leader in the clubhouse for both of them.

[autotag]Liam Andrews[/autotag] is a four-star offensive lineman from Massachusetts who recently cut his list of schools down to three and announced his commitment date.

[autotag]T.A. Cunningham[/autotag] is a major defensive line prospect from Florida. The four-star put out his top five list with his commitment date coming up as well.

Penn State fans won’t have to wait long to know if the Nittany Lions were able to land these targets. Andrews is expected to announce on July 21st and Cunningham one day later on July 22nd.

As of right now, it looks like Penn State is going to land both of these coveted prospects.

On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Nittany Lions a huge 93.4% chance to secure a commitment from Andrews. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball is also projecting the offensive lineman will land in State College. Lions247 Staff Writer, Tyler Calvaruso and Director of Football Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong, both predict Penn State lands the four-star.

Cunningham’s outlook is in a similar spot. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine has Penn State with a 91.2% chance to land Cunningham. 247Sports’ Crystal Ball also predicts he’ll commit to the Nittany Lions. Calvaruso and Wiltfong again have predicted Penn State will secure the four-star defensive lineman.

Securing these commitments would be a major boost to the recruiting class that Franklin and his staff have put together.

Andrews is a 6’5″ 275 pound prospect who is rated as the 85th best player in the country and third best offensive lineman in 2024 according to On3’s industry rankings.

On3’s industry rankings have the 6’6″ 275 pound Cunningham as the 257th overall player in 2024 and the 28th best defensive line prospect.

Penn State currently sits at seventh in the national recruiting rankings according to 247Sports.

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Penn State making ‘biggest push’ for 4-star DT T.A. Cunningham

He has a top five list, but Penn State is making the biggest push for his commitment.

Recruiting high school football talent is always a battle that continues all year, but the competition for interior defensive linemen in the class of 2024 is particularly fierce right now. A prospect to watch who will soon be making a decision is Miami Central (Fla.) four-star defensive lineman T.A. Cunningham.

So far, Cunningham has received a stunning 62 college offers. According to Adam Gorney at Rivals he has a top-five list, but Penn State is making the biggest push for his commitment.

“Settled now at Miami (Fla.) Central after a tumultuous recruitment and high school experience, Cunningham now has a top five of Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami, Texas A&M and Michigan but one program is “definitely recruiting me the hardest out of anyone,” he said. The Nittany Lions are making the biggest push for Cunningham, who is originally from Georgia, transferred to a school in California and is now in Miami. A decision could be coming soon, too.”

On3’s prediction model agrees that the Nittany Lions are the team to beat in Cunningham’s recruitment. They’re a dominant favorite at 84.5%, while the second-best odds belong to Georgia at just 2.1%.

Both On3 and 247Sports have Cunningham ranked No. 28 at his position. ESPN (No. 16) and Rivals (No. 12) have him considerably higher, though. Nationally, ESPN has him at No. 116 overall.

Cunningham reportedly plans to make his college commitment public this Saturday, July 22.

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Is 2024 4-star DL T.A. Cunningham trending toward Texas A&M?

Through subtle social media hints, 2024 4-star DL T.A. Cunningham has indicated that Texas A&M is more than in play for his commitment.

Texas A&M’s 2024 recruiting class is flirting with a Top 5 team ranking when all is said and done, most recently adding 4-star wide receiver Ernest Campbell on Saturday afternoon, becoming the 18th prospect in the class.

Last Friday, 2024, four-star defensive lineman T.A Cunningham released his final program list ahead of his commitment scheduled for Saturday, July 22, which includes Penn State, Oklahoma, Miami, Michigan, and Texas A&M. According to 247Sports “Crystal Ball,” The Nittany Lions are currently the leaders for Cunningham, but as we’ve seen with several members of A&M’s 2024 class, take these predictions with a grain of salt.

This weekend, the rising defensive prospect dropped numerous clues via Twitter regarding where his mind might be during the final stages of his recruiting journey, and by the looks of it, the Aggies’ recruiting momentum may have caught the attention of Cunningham, who went on to post multiple Aggie related post including one dawning a Maroon and White jersey and a simple “thumbs up” emoji.

Take that as you will, as Cunningham has yet to take an official visit to College Station, while his last unofficial visit occurred last October. However, the Aggies have beaten the recruiting prediction odds; with offensive tackle Weston Davis (predicted to land with LSU) and safety Myles Davis (predicted to land with Texas), anything is possible, especially with a whole week remaining before his commitment.

From his limited tape, Cunningham has lined up as a 3-4 defensive end and a standing 4-3 outside linebacker while consistently showing a blend of high motor athleticism and the ability to convert speed to power in his pass rush, so in other words, he’s as versatile as they come.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

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