2027 Recruiting Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Is it even worth it to offer 5-star players in 2026? They command borderline unrealistic amounts of money and the risk/reward is not very good when you consider how many turn out to be duds or transfer looking for another big check. Teams almost have to decide now whether they’re going to take the 5-star player and have little depth at other positions or forego the potential generational player to have a complete team. What’s better?
"Hopeful" is akin to "blind faith." Which is defined as placing trust in something/someone without requiring evidence, justification or understanding. If recruiting doesn't improve over the current state, the only difference in PSU football in the near future and the recent past is the coach.
I understand that many if most here wish to think MC is an improvement over JF. It may prove to be so.
However, I don't think my skepticism should be dismissed any more than your attitude of "hopeful."
There are no metrics to justify the belief that MC is superior to JF as a HC.
There is certainly no evidence to date that MC is a better recruiter.
As for Big games.....JF has a well earned reputation for losing.
MC hasn't gotten his team to many, but has lost both opportunities at conference titles.
MC "hopefuls" are clinging to "he does more with less" and we "can coach em up."
That's fine. For me, I'd like to see the influx of more game changers to buoy my confidence of beating Ohio State and Oregon.
I'll temper my optimism and see how this season progresses. There will never be a more friendly schedule to secure a playoff berth.
Taking 2 seasons in the history of college football to crown someone "better than anyone" is hyperbole. From 2015-2020 (not long ago) for 6 consecutive seasons, Dabo Swinney never finished below #4 and won 2 NCs.
Today he woke up and forgot how to coach football. LOL
I'd favor a statement that in the past 2 seasons Cignetti achieved what many believed impossible at Indiana.
If the player is Jeremiah Smith type talent, absolutely yes it is worth it.
"who at best in the end knows triumph of high achievement, who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...."
Are you really saying don't entertain signing 5 stars because they may not pan out?
The real issue here is that PSU seems financially unable (not necessarily unwilling) to attract playmakers (5*).
It seems like "we are "rationalizing" that we don't want top end talent? Like, who wants to take the home coming queen to the prom anyway?
Many here have either demonstrated or feigned excitement over recruiting that currently is no better than in the recent past.
Imagine the euphoria if CMC would snag a top 5 WR or Edge?
Bing Videos
IMO, the only difference between most 4*s and 5*s is the price tag. It's like buying a generic product at the store that is identical to the name brand. You pay more for the name brand but get the same product.
Shorter came with an asterisk. He played in a mostly run heavy offense in HS. He was rated and recruited on measurables. We all knew that. It was not a secret.
I think offers are indicative of talent. I don't think Campbell is offering players who can't compete at a high level in the Big 10.
Pretend Shorter was a 2027 recruit. Do you think any of that would change the increased price tag with having that 5* label?
Right now, Phil Steele's pre-season All-American lists have 2 players from Penn State, both are ISU transfers: Ben Brahmer and Marcus Neal. The players Campbell brought over from ISU can compete in the Big 10.
I don't think it would. Five star hype. Someone will pay.
That's what some may not understand about the ISU players that Campbell brought over. Campbell has already had a chance to coach those kids and he knows whether or not they're good enough to play here. The ones that he thought couldn't compete weren't offered the opportunity.
The advantage of having already coached those ISU kids can't be overstated.
He as Brahmer 3rd team and Neal 4th team.
I'm certainly happy to have those guys but I haven't seen any PSU players on a 1st or second team all American list.
I believe the message is simple. 5 stars does not necessarily translate into stars. If you follow me. I believe coaches should recruit based on their own evaluations in conjunction with needs.
I really hate posts that act like recruiting ratings don't matter. We all know that the ratings aren't perfect. There will be some that don't live up to their ratings and others who perform much better. But overall the teams that have recruited the best have the best results. It's not like OSU gets mostly 3* kids and coaches them up.
Here’s the thing, it was a no-brainer in 2015 you go all-out for 5-star recruits and try to land them because you had nothing to lose if they turned out to be a dud or a head case. In 2026, if you land that 5-star player and they crash and burn, you not only lose out on that player, but the opportunity cost of the multiple players you could have had for that money. So again, the question is, is it better to have a potential generational talent on your team but a lack of talent and depth at most other positions, or miss out on the potentially elite player but have good players and depth at all positions?
Sure they matter. Point is that that 5* label guarantees a huge NIL deal, whether it's justified or not.
Sure I remember posters like you sending up the alarm bells, especially he was repeated called uncoverable at the opening 7 on 7 with Fields throwing him the ball. Some posters where even hoping Fields might flip back after talking about how much he love playing Shorter and Slade.
Im guessing you were concerned about Slade as well since he was too small to be an everydown back, at least you were saying that in 2018 because you knew he was going to wash out at PSU.
I dont care if its Smith or Shorter, IMO, no 5 star is worth that kid of money. Go spend the same amount and portal in 2 or 4 legit ready college starters and bring them in to fill holes in the lineup or provide depth that is needed to field a college championship type team.
Funny thing about OSU and WRs. Without NIL they could land three of the top six WRs in the country and that room was loaded. So many top prospects that you never noticed the top 50 kids that washed out. They are going to come back to the pack, because they cant afford to the many highly recruited kids in one class.
So many on here are hammering that Campbell at PSU isn't recruiting at a high enough level. What they are missing in this NIL world is the recruiting GAP between OSU and PSU is shrinking substantially. OSU isn't bringing in nearly as many absolute top rated recruits in cycle. The number is falling and it is falling dramatically. Neither is UGa and Bama those kids are getting spread around.
And obviously I’m not saying all 5-stars are duds or that we shouldn’t pursue them just because they might be a dud. Most will live up to the hype. It’s just that even if they do live up to the hype, they may command so much money you can’t effectively fund your other positions.
I bet in this new era of NIL, especially as schools continue to figure it out, you’ll see some superstars on really bad teams. This is a totally different world from the one most of you grew up in and a lot of you are still having trouble grasping moneyball.
Unless you’re one of the top 3-5 schools in NIL with ungodly amounts of money to throw around, risking so much on just a couple possible elite players may not be worth it when so many of those 3- and 4-star players turn out to be elite as well. It’s going to become a quantity/quality decision for most schools.
I bet in this new era of NIL, especially as schools continue to figure it out, you’ll see some superstars on really bad teams. This is a totally different world from the one most of you grew up in and a lot of you are still having trouble grasping moneyball.
Unless you’re one of the top 3-5 schools in NIL with ungodly amounts of money to throw around, risking so much on just a couple possible elite players may not be worth it when so many of those 3- and 4-star players turn out to be elite as well. It’s going to become a quantity/quality decision for most schools.
They can compete with Big10 teams PSU play's this year only one team has more talent on PSU schedule that is UM. PSU has plenty of talent to win a lot of games this year.
CB Semajay Robinson flips commitment from Penn State to Virginia
Penn State has lost one of its 2027 commits in four-star cornerback Semajay Robinson. Nittany Lion fans can learn more right here!
If a 3* doesn't workout, it's easier to absorb that financial loss than if a 5* doesn't workout.
Also, if you have a couple of guys making 7 figures while the rest of the team is getting 5 and 6 figures, it will be more difficult to build quality depth, not to mention the division it creates in the lockeroom.
CB Semajay Robinson flips commitment from Penn State to Virginia
Penn State has lost one of its 2027 commits in four-star cornerback Semajay Robinson. Nittany Lion fans can learn more right here!www.on3.com
All indications are that PSU pulled the offer after this weekend, but nobody knows what the heck happened this weekend. Robinson gave no indication in his tweets that he was not fully committed to PSU. It’s a shame because while he was a lower rated prospect, his ceiling is very high. It’s a mystery what happened this weekend.
Isn’t the pay difference reality in the NFL though? And the workforce in everyday life also?
Again, you’re stuck in 2015. The “model” you’re thinking of is obsolete today. Look at OSU’s and Alabama’s classes. They’re not all that far off from PSU’s, with one being rated a little higher and the other rated quite a bit lower. NIL is having a HUGE impact on recruiting.
Which of these 3 salary differences creates the most division?
Worker1 - $100k
Worker2 - $90k
NFL QB1 - $15 mil
NFL QB2 - $10 mil
College QB1 - $4 mil
Collège QB2 - $100k
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I agree that your suggestion is a good one for teams with lesser resources. If you have $60 million to spend you can go for the 5* and still have enough left over for the 4*.
Just speculation on my part: maybe he came to PSU with a higher NIL offer from UVA and tried to get PSU to bid higher; PSU said no thanks?
I think that is the most likely explanation. We never stopped recruiting CBs despite having a full complement of commits. In this environment, you cannot stop recruiting any position because you do not know what will happen until they sign in December.
How many? TBD. As a young coach, I attended a coach's clinic in Atlantic City. One of the keynote speakers was Lee Corso. He was there not to impart football wisdom, but humor, One thing he said always stuck in my mind..."the good news is we have 36 lettermen returning from a 2-8 squad. " The bad news is we have 36 lettermen returning from a 2-8 squad."
I think the roster Coach Campbell has put together can win this schedule. Only Michigan and USC have 8.5 over under. Washington 7.5,
Barring a catastrophic injury 9 wins should be floor and 10 or 11 is possible.
However, there is that "Corso wisdom" to be considered. Coach Campbell brought about 2 dozen players from a squad that finished tied for 7th (with three other teams) in the Big Twelve.
LOL
I thought about setting up the "countdown clock" until someone said:
"He wasn't actually any good"
"He was just looking for a bag of money"
or
"PSU felt they could do better and pulled the offer"
But you beat me to it.