2027 Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
What amazes me is that it appears as if some expected Campbell to come in and immediately have a 1991 type of recruting class, which never was going to happen. What has happened is that it appears as if he is putting together a very solid and good class and, if he has a good 2026 season, his succeeding classes will have more players with more stars, which will make people happy who think that only high school kids who have a lot of stars next to their names automatically means that they'll be college All Americas.
By the way, I still am amazed that a lot of people fall for this star garbage, which anybody who knows anything about recruiting knows that a lot of that is contrived based on many factors, such as whether a particular school shows interest in a kid or whether a kid was just a man among boys in high school. How many four and five star players have washed out at PSU or any other school simply because they never were that good to begin with, and how many lightly regarded kids, like Paul Posluszny, became All-Americas and major award winners?
Also, to the people who constantly criticize Campbell for no apparent reason, be happy becasuse in another few years a significant portion of the 2027 class won't even be at PSU anymore, just like at every other school.
Last edited:
Yep I learned so much about the recruiting and evaluation system from Bryan Bresee's recruiting and talking to the Clemson coaching staff multiple times. The stars are a good reference point and kids like him are obviously easy to rank, but when the recruiting services are contacting recruits to come to a specific camp or showcase for free so they can match them up against other specific kids or a certain service tells you to keep certain schools in your top 5, 6, 7, etc. even though you have eliminated them from consideration, you know there is a lot of shadiness to the process.
According to insiders, Franklin historically had a staffer at PSU that lobbied the recruiting services to bump up the star ratings of his commits. Nowadays, you would not want to do that, regardless of the great publicity, as that increases the price tag for that player. I agree that stars can be directional, but the entire industry lacks authenticity. There’s often very little difference, if any, between somebody rated three star 88 and four star 90. As you said, it’s very difficult to judge players, particularly based on the local talent. Fleming was a 5 star that epitomizes that - a year older than everybody else in a region that probably doesn’t have the best coverage secondaries. He gave his best in college at both schools, but at pro day he ran a 4.72 40, which is fcs level.
I expect Campbell's win rate to be similar, but with some big differences in how it plays out. I expect him to be MUCH more successful in top 10 matchups, just like he had at ISU. Even winning 40-50% of those would be a huge boost, but of course, winning those during the season will mean tougher matchup post-season. So while I think when it's all said and done, he'll win more of the big ones and be more decorated, win rate is probably similar. No idea if he can win a national championship, of course, so time will tell.
There was a lot of good about James Franklin. But unfortunately, he wasn't able to accomplish the ultimate goal of winning a championship--or ever beating the teams in that tier. And it's not just a delusional fans wanting to win the whole thing, it was his goal and his players' goal too. He had 12 years and for as "close" as he got, everybody and their uncle just knew he couldn't do it. Somehow, someway, he just psyches his team out in big moments.
Really? I'm loving this OL class so far. You can tell the staff have a very, very clear vision of what they want. The guys they're after are all huge (but not fat), tall, relentless and MEAN. Like "knock kids unconscious" mean. I've also noticed they're lightning fast off the line and never quit on a play. In 2-3 years--maybe sooner--we're going to have a really nasty offense line that intends to embarrass its opponents. It will be a starkly different style of offensive line play than we're used to, which was technically sound, but more reactive, attempting to bounce or swallow rushers. This OL will seek out defenders and drive them into the ground.
I hope you are right. I would love a totally physically dominant O-Line that controls the line of scrimmage.
And I think, systemically, the recruiting services aren't great because the kids with the highest star ratings are the ones who they rated first when they were 15 or 16 years old. Once more kids develop and emerge, truly special players can't crack the top rankings because it's hard for the recruiting services to "admit they were wrong" in a sense, and pass the OG kids in the rankings. Plus, they've developed relationships with the earliest ones to get "inside information," so they have a business incentive to keep them rated high so they can prognosticate and write articles about the kids who they've been developing into superstars.
Last edited:
Penn State gets bigger up front as Nittany Lions add DT Aniti Paiva to 2027 recruiting class
Penn State doesn’t go to Utah very often on the recruiting trail, but Ikaika Malloe made Skyline DT Aniti Paiva a priority early.
does the dirty work while getting double teamed
True.
Every team needs a guy like that. Casey Hampton for the Steelers was the epitome of that. Getting double teamed so the LBs could go make plays.
The kid needs to get someone else to make up a "highlight" tape.
That one won't get him much interest - he must have some better game film than those dozen or so plays.
For a high school kid who is much bigger than the high school kids he is going up against, he was a NF in the bulk of that clip.
Penn State adds another 2027 commitment from three-star TE Sean Currie
Penn State has picked up commitment No. 19 in its 2027 recruiting class with the addition of three-star tight end Sean Currie.
I get the concern you have about Campbell’s recruiting. I share it to a certain extent, although not as extreme as you. My concern is missing out on highly ranked kids within PA and the normal PSU recruiting footprint. However, to put your comment in perspective, Penn State never offered Aaron Donald. Obviously, that was a big mistake. Hopefully, this kid makes Utah and BYU regret not offering him. I’m thinking they will offer him before this recruiting cycle is over.
...and maybe he'll add a star over the next season. It makes absolutely no sense to give up on a recruit because he wasn't offered by an in state school, before his senior season. I'm glad Joe didn't give up on Paul Pozluszny.
Aaron Donald was a freak of nature. Only person that comps to him is John Randle. I think Pitt just got real lucky because guys his size don’t pan out at that position that much.
I’m sure they will target one or two in the portal, but the DE/Edge roster depth feels very thin still. Let’s hope Granville is 100%.
He was a freak of nature and he only had five offers. Pitt was the best one.
I posted my concern in a different forum and got downvoted more than a dozen times so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about on the subject.
Perhaps you’re right. But I do think the other position groups are stronger.OL may be the hardest position to predict for success at the college level. I agree with you that I am a little suspect of the current OL recruiting. However, NLR is right, they seem to have a specific player type in mind. I would like to see them get Carter and/or Kuhn as well.I posted my concern in a different forum and got downvoted more than a dozen times so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about on the subject.
Most do not realize the star system’s meaning. A significant component of the star system as NFL draft potential. A space eating DT used primarily to occupy blockers to free the lbs to make plays like the one we landed today will very rarely be ranked more than 3 stars. A big DT like Montgomery who excels in multiple facets and makes big plays will likely be 4 stars. I copied and pasted right from rivals is how they rank players:
- Five-star prospects have grades from 98-100. These are the 32 prospects Rivals sees as having the highest upside in college football and as a potential first-round NFL Draft pick.
- Four-star prospects have grades from 90-97. These are blue-chip prospects who are viewed as having high-end college football impact and early round NFL Draft potential. Four-stars account for roughly the top 10 percent of FBS signees every cycle.
- Three-star prospects have grades from 80-89. The vast majority of FBS signees will be rated as three-stars. High three-stars (grades 87-89) are those viewed as having significant impact potential at the Power Four level with NFL Draft upside. Mid-three-stars (grades 84-86) are mid-to-low Power Four and high-end Group of Six prospects with starting potential at the college level. Low three-stars (grades 80-83) are Group of Six level prospects and specialists viewed as having limited NFL Draft potential.
Food for thought. It’s a good read but doesn’t take into account Indiana’s national championship from last year.
National Championship Level Recruiting: What it looks like in College Football. - Big Jeff's Football
What level of recruiting is needed to win a Football National Championship? I have never actually cranked the numbers – until now.
bigjeffsfootball.com
Agree with you that it does not account for Indiana as it was published before last season, and I think the transfer portal changes the equation entirely. The article goes back with historical data, but prior eras have no relevance to the current NIL era. I think you’re going to see the championship teams loosely follow the Indiana model in terms of being older teams with more mature players.Food for thought. It’s a good read but doesn’t take into account Indiana’s national championship from last year.
National Championship Level Recruiting: What it looks like in College Football. - Big Jeff's Football
What level of recruiting is needed to win a Football National Championship? I have never actually cranked the numbers – until now.bigjeffsfootball.com
The transfer portal began in 2018 and NIL in college football launched in 2021, so both of those entities existed prior to the article, although not to the extent of the current situation. The article relates to the recruiting portion only and its relevance through the 2024 national championship. The moral of the story is that the higher rated recruiting teams have a much better chance of winning a national title. And to achieve those higher rated recruiting classes, you need higher rated recruits….which means higher star ratings whether people want to dismiss that or not. I agree with you that the model may have changed, but having a good foundation of talented homegrown players still is relevant. I, personally, look at the recruits offer sheet as telling as the star system. However, dismissing the star system as irrelevant is not realistic either. With that said, I don’t think coaches worth their salt pay any attention to the rating systems. The best ones do their homework on the player, as it appears Campbell is doing. I hope he can establish better relationships with the HS coaches and recruits in PA and the neighboring states sooner than later.
Last edited:
I am willing to bet he won’t be a 1-18 laughingstock against teams with a pulse.