Grading the Top 25 recruiting classes after 2021 Early Signing Day

6. Penn State — Grade: A+

Not every Penn State fan loves James Franklin and the Nittany Lions had a disappointing 7-5 season but now that he’s got a new contract and a stellar recruiting class, he’s got a good chance to quiet that criticism.

Penn State signed the second-best class in the Big Ten which is all the more impressive after a poor regular season. The Nittany Lions signed the No. 1 quarterback in 2021 in Drew Allar, as well as four top-55 recruits in Drew Singleton (RB), Kaden Sanders (WR), and Dani Dennis-Sutton (DL).

If Penn State is ever going to reach that Big Ten title plateau again as Franklin did in 2016, this is the kind of class the Nittany Lions needed.

5. Texas — Grade: A+

There is a reason that Texas was the only team in the country to sign a top-10 recruiting class with a losing record and actually, the Longhorns are the only team in the top 25 without a winning season.

Steve Sarkisian is trying to build a program capable of winning conference and national titles and this class is a huge first step. The Longhorns flipped Ethan Burke from Michigan and Terrance Brooks from Ohio State on 2021 Early Signing Day, while also flipping Kelvin Banks late in the process.

Texas also landed a four-star quarterback in Maalik Murphy, which doesn’t even include the top 2021 QB in Quinn Ewers who is also coming home to Texas.

The Horns signed 26 total and 18 of those signees are four-star recruits or better which is elite and that’s why Texas gets the highest grade possible.