Penn State’s heralded 2022 recruiting class ready to make a College Football Playoff push

Drew Allar remembers Penn State football’s highly-rated 2022 recruiting class being a “super-tight group” from the very beginning. Allar, the five-star quarterback and headliner of the class, verbally committed three years ago, back in March 2021. He and the rest of the commits formed a “close connection,” one they used to convince other prospects to join them in Happy Valley.

On Dec. 15, 2021, that connection paid dividends. James Franklin and his coaching staff inked the majority of its 2022 recruiting class during the early signing period.

Allar was in the fold. Blue-chip running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen made it official. So did star defenders Abdul Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton and Kevin Winston Jr. There was belief then that Penn State signed a class talented enough to lead the program to new heights.

“Stay tuned,” Singleton told Penn State’s in-house media on signing day. “We’re going to win a Big Ten championship and a national championship. Mark my words.”

That time has come. The 2022 recruiting class members are juniors now, in a lot of ways the bedrock of the program. This group, flush with stars on both sides of the ball, is poised to be the driving force for Penn State. And for some, this season might be their last to make history in Happy Valley before leaving for the NFL.

In a new Big Ten and with the introduction of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to get over the hump. Both internally and externally, there’s hope that this will be the year for which many have waited. And if Penn State accomplishes what it’s setting out to, bet on the 2022 class playing a major role.

“We came here to win. We came here to win games. That was our ultimate goal,” Allar said. “But going into our junior years now, we have a lot more perspective on what that takes and what we have to do away from the field and in the offseason to put ourselves in the best position to accomplish those goals. I think we’re in a really good spot right now.”

It’s natural for a recruiting class to gain that perspective over the years. Development doesn’t happen overnight. But there were early signs Penn State’s 2022 signees could be special.

In total, 10 members of the class burned their redshirt as true freshmen in 2022. That’s more burned redshirts than 2021 and 2023 combined. And that tracks with the talent Franklin and his staff had at their disposal a couple years ago.

Penn State’s 2022 class ranked sixth nationally, according to 247 Sports Composite, tying 2018 as the highest-rated class in Franklin’s tenure. The Nittany Lions secured 25 scholarship players in the cycle. Twelve of them were four-star prospects, and three — Allar, Singleton and Dennis-Sutton — were five-star recruits ranked in 247 Sports’ top 30 overall.

“The biggest thing was they got an incredibly talented quarterback,” said Brian Dohn, national analyst for 247 Sports. “It was always, and it remains, the Drew Allar class.”

Allar is the key to whatever Penn State does or doesn’t accomplish in 2024. The responsibility, fair or not, falls on his shoulders. After a “good, but not good enough” first season as the starting quarterback in 2023 — throwing for 25 touchdowns and only two interceptions but falling short against Ohio State and Michigan — all eyes are on Allar as he’s tasked with leading the offense and becoming the program-lifting player so many thought he could be a few years ago.

But Allar’s not doing this alone. Singleton and Allen, one of the best running back duos not only in the Big Ten but in the country, are confident they’ll be more productive in Andy Kotelnicki’s new offense. Allen still brought the boom last year. But Singleton, who endured a frustrating 2023 after closing an explosive freshman season with a memorable Rose Bowl, is looking to re-establish himself as one of the most dynamic players in the country.

Opening holes for Singleton and Allen and protecting Allar is a reworked but deep offensive line with a heavy 2022 influence. Drew Shelton, who filled in and started five times as a true freshman, is Olu Fashanu’s permanent replacement at left tackle. Vega Ioane is slated to start at left guard. JB Nelson will have a role, too.

On defense, the unit is led by three potential 2025 first-round draft picks: Carter, Dennis-Sutton and Winston. Carter, the chaos-causing linebacker turned edge rusher, might be a top-five selection. Dennis-Sutton, after playing starter-level reps in 2023 but sitting behind Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac on the depth chart, is ready to dominate. Winston is a captain and recognized nationally as one of the best safeties in college football.

There are other breakout candidates, too. Zane Durant is a disruptive presence at defensive tackle, and Cam Miller could be the team’s top option after losing three starting corners.

The big question mark around this 2022 class — and more broadly, Penn State’s team entering the season — is at wide receiver. Sometimes prospects don’t hit their ceilings. That happens. But the Nittany Lions signed four receivers in the 2022 class, and none have totally caught on.

Kaden Saunders, the fourth-highest rated prospect in the class, dealt with an injury during camp and is set to start the season as a backup. Franklin said there’s “excitement in the program” that Omari Evans will be ready for a larger role, but he was seldom used the last two seasons. Anthony Ivey and Tyler Johnson are reserves. Dohn called Ivey a “big-time talent” out of Manheim Township. Evans and Johnson were three-star recruits.

“You look at the receivers in that class,” Dohn said. “And if I’m looking at Penn State and whether or not they can compete on a national level and get to the playoff and make some noise in the playoff, you’re going to need some play out of your receivers.”

Whether one of those players steps up — or if Penn State gets more production out of its projected starters — we’ll have to wait and find out.

Saturday will be the first test when the 2022 class and the rest of the Nittany Lions travel to West Virginia for their opener, the start of a long season. As players have noted throughout the offseason, it could be a 17-game season if Penn State reaches the national title game in the expanded CFP.

Obviously, every team in the country wants to win it all. But even before Singleton pointed it out on signing day three years ago, that’s been the goal for Penn State’s 2022 class. And now, that core group has a chance to make program history.

“We’ve been talking about this for years,” Dennis-Sutton told The Athletic earlier this month. “I think our class was obviously different. Since our freshman year we had a lot of starters, which doesn’t happen often. … We’ve been waiting for this. Now that we’re upperclassmen we have control of this team and we’re expecting ourselves and demanding that we take that next step and go to the playoff.”