A Deeper Look Into Penn State’s 2022 Recruiting Class

posted July 13, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Football Insiders

Penn State Football’s recruiting class of 2022 begins to take impressive shape. July 6 proved to be a pivotal day for the program with the acquisition of Pennsylvania native Nicholas Singleton.

A top-of-the-line No. 6 composite ranked running back, Singleton accumulated a hefty 54 touchdowns and 3,001 yards throughout two high school seasons at Governor Mifflin in Reading, Pennsylvania. On average in 2020, Singleton handled the pigskin for about 12.5 yards per carry.

Singleton’s talents extend beyond the football field and onto track and field events. He holds a 46-1 ¼ shot put and 10.89 second 100 meter dash time as a junior.

Singleton’s commitment to the blue and white breathes new life into the running back roster. In-state running backs have a storied past at Penn State with the likes of Journey Brown, Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley etching their names in the history books.

Like Singleton, the Nittany Lions found more in-state class of 2022 recruits on both sides of the football. July 4 saw three defensive commitments in one day including edge Tyreese Fearbry from Perry Traditional Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

With a four-star composite rating of 90.72 by 247Sports, Fearbry chose Penn State over offers at Auburn, Kentucky, Arizona State and Pitt. According to the Pittsburgh-Tribune Review, Pitt and Penn State courted Fearbry and were his front-runners.

Ultimately, Fearbry welcomed Penn State’s campus community and the plans on the football field.

Penn State’s linebacker lineup received a verbal commitment from Keon Wylie, the No. 18 ranked Pennsylvania prospect from Imhotep Charter in Philadelphia. During the 2020 season, Wylie collected 12 sacks and 25 tackles, seven of which were tackles for loss.

Wylie is the latest recruit out of Imhotep since defensive end Shaka Toney. Signed by Penn State in 2016, Toney ranks eighth all-time with 20.5 career sacks while wearing the blue and white uniform.

Taking a closer look at the other in-state recruits, Penn State secured three four-star recruits in edge Ken Talley, wide receiver Anthony Ivey and athlete Mehki Flowers.

A crucial note about Flowers is his classification as ATH, or athlete. In football terminology, a player is given ATH when a speciality is not listed or the player can adapt to various positions.

Flowers can essentially be molded to the coach’s liking. His experience as a wide receiver and safety give him an edge as he understands both defensive and offensive strategies. The position he will play in Happy Valley remains to be seen.

With 18 total athletes on the commit list, the Nittany Lions surged to become one of the top classes nationwide at No. 3. The swell of in-state recruits signals a new wave of anticipation for next season.

That sudden surge of getting those in-state recruits to come to Happy Valley has started to help the Nittany Lions reclaim the state of Pennsylvania.

Currently, the 2022 recruiting class has 10 commits from Pennsylvania, the most for Penn State since 2015 when the Nittany Lions recorded 11 in-state commits. One of those to commit to Penn State that year was all-world running back Saquon Barkley.

The past three recruiting classes have seen the Nittany Lions go out of state to get most of their commits. Maryland and Michigan have become go-to states for Penn State in recent years to fill up recruiting classes for the Nittany Lions. This is due to other big time programs such as Ohio State and Alabama beating Penn State out for most of the big time Pennsylvania recruits the past three years.

Before this 2022 recruiting class, the last time Penn State dominated in-state was back in 2018 where they picked up 3 five-star athletes including recent first round draft pick Micah Parsons. The class received a 91.70 rating on 247Sports and was ranked No. 6 in the country.

Although this 2022 class does not currently feature a five-star player, it is definitely a positive sign that the Nittany Lions are starting to retake the state of Pennsylvania. The recent commitment of Nicholas Singleton was a major addition to an already deep class which still has room to grow throughout the next few months.

Logan Bourandas is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.

Emma Holtz is a sophomore majoring in public relations. To contact her, email exh5337@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

Logan Bourandas's photo

Logan Bourandas

Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism

Logan Bourandas is a third-year broadcast journalism major from Long Island, NY. He is a the news director for CommRadio and the host of Ducks on the Pond, which is an all-baseball talk show on CommRadio. He is also a sports writer, broadcaster and podcaster for CommRadio. He got his start as the station manager for his high school radio station WPOB in his hometown of Plainview, NY, where he hosted numerous radio shows and was involved in sports broadcasts. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Emma Holtz's photo

Emma Holtz

Third Year / Public Relations

Emma Holtz is a third-year from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania majoring in public relations at Penn State University. A member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, she is a Football Insider, sportscaster, and color commentator for CommRadio’s sports department and B1G+. She writes, produces and appears on podcasts related to Big Ten, NFL, NHL and NBA coverage. With a passion for storytelling and fan experience, she serves as a Leadership Intern for Penn State Athletics Marketing & Fan Experience and writes on her lifestyle blog. If you would like to contact her, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).