Penn State Football: Nitanny Lions will be better than Michigan State in ’18

Top of Their Class

One of the biggest keys to running a successful program is being one of the best in recruiting. bringing in top-level talent on a consistent basis establishes a winning culture. For Penn State, they have been one of the best teams in terms of recruiting, finishing in the top 15 in both 2017 and 2018.

Players from the 2017 recruiting class, such as Tariq Castro-Fields and Lamont Wade, have already shown flashes of what’s to come over the next few years. While players from the 2018 recruiting class, like Micah Parsons, Ricky Slade and Justin Shorter, step on campus and already have high expectations.

Michigan State on the other hand, has found themselves outside of the top 30 the past two seasons and haven’t landed a five-star recruit since Malik McDowell in 2014.

Since taking over as head coach, James Franklin has become one of the nation’s best recruiters. And their ability to develop those recruits has shown on the field, especially in 2016 and 2017. Recruiting is the first step to building a team that is good enough to not only contend but win a national championship, and Penn State is many steps ahead of the Spartans.