Back-to-back PSU putting together another top-10 class

College football’s Early Signing Day (ESD) has come and gone, and Penn State head coach James Franklin is well on his way to putting together back-to-back top 10 recruiting classes.

There weren’t many surprises that occurred on Wednesday with all of Penn State’s committed players signing on the dotted line to become part of the 2019 class, but Penn State did add another elite running back prospect and held onto a talented receiver from Florida.

So, let’s take a look at who is currently a part of the 2019 class after Early Signing Day, and also some prospects that Franklin and his staff are still after when National Signing Day occurs on Feb. 6.

A STABLE OF BACKS … One thing is for sure, James Franklin can certainly recruit the running back position. Saquon Barkley in 2015, Miles Sanders (No. 1 RB) in 2016, Ricky Slade (No. 1 APB) in 2018 and Devyn Ford for the 2019 class (No. 5 RB) is a pretty impressive haul and that group got even more dynamic with the addition of IMG Academy’s stud running back Noah Cain (No. 7 RB) on Wednesday. Cain is a bell cow type back that is already strong and mature physically and has all the intangibles of a player that can run hard inside the tackles, but also help you in the passing game. Assuming Sanders heads to the NFL after this season like many anticipate, the running back room of Slade, Ford and Cain is young, but not many teams have three guys that talented on their roster at the running back position.

DUNMORE STAYS TRUE … A big storyline leading up to ESD was the push Miami was making for Florida native wide receiver John Dunmore. Dunmore committed to Penn State on July 4 and is one of the more exciting receiving prospects in the country, possessing the size and route running crispness of an already seasoned player according to scouts across the country. Penn State being able to hold onto Dunmore, who is expected to be a very good player at the collegiate level, is huge for the Nittany Lions recruiting future in Florida, where so many talented recruits come out of every cycle. The hiring of former Florida assistant and Florida native Ja’Juan Seider last season has already paid dividends on the field and on the recruiting trail for Penn State.

LINEBACKER U RETURNING … After a little bit of a lull at the linebacker position over the past few seasons, the Nittany Lions look to be returning to prominence at a position where they reigned supreme for so many years. Last season’s recruiting haul at the linebacker position was impressive with five-star Micah Parson (No. 5 player nationally) and Jesse Luketa (No. 10 ILB). Ellis Brooks is another impressive linebacker from the 2017 class (No. 13 ILB) paired with this season’s five-star recruit Brandon Smith (No. 25 nationally, No. 2 ILB), and there is quite the load of talent building up at the linebacker spots for Penn State. Four-star Lance Dixon (No. 11 OLB) is also a prospect that could certainly make some noise at the college level. Don’t forget about veterans Jan Johnson and Cam Brown — who started for the Nittany Lions — making next season’s Penn State linebacker group one of the more talented and deep groups in the Big Ten.

QUARTERBACK-A-PALOOZA … Coach Franklin isn’t messing around when it comes to fortifying his quarterback room after the loss of Trace McSorley after this season. Four-star dual threat signal callers in Michael Johnson Jr. and Taquan Roberson will make nice additions to the already stacked quarterback position group for the Nittany Lions. Both rank in the top 10 in the dual threat category and will mix in with Tommy Stevens, who is expected to start next season, the talented Sean Clifford, who as the season has gone on has impressed the Penn State staff more and more and could battle Stevens next season for the starting spot and the big and athletic freshman Will Levis. Five talented scholarship quarterbacks is a luxury not many teams in college football will have next season.

REMAINING TARGETS … Penn State’s remaining top targets are on the defensive side of the ball at defensive tackle in Jared Harrison-Hunte (No. 36 DT) and D’Von Ellies (No. 16 DT). Harrison-Hunte is being recruited by many top schools and has been blowing up a bit on the national scene, while Ellies has always been regarded as a top talent. The two would help to give more depth to the middle of the Nittany Lions defense, which is somewhere they could definitely use more playmakers. Both are expected to sign with Penn State in February. Smith Vilbert (No. 49 DE) at defensive end is another player who is starting to explode on the national scene. At 6-6, 250 pounds, he certainly has the measurables. Penn State is considered the favorite there. Doug Nester (No. 5 OG), a talented guard currently committed to Ohio State, did not sign with the Buckeyes on ESD, and is considered a strong candidate to flip to Penn State after a recent unofficial visit to Happy Valley. Penn State came in late on offensive tackle Dawand Jones, who wasn’t highly recruited until the last few months, but now has offers from USC, Florida, Ohio State, Texas and Auburn and many more, so I doubt you’ll see him end up in State College. Then there is what would be the icing on the cake to this class in Mark-Antony Richards (No. 83 nationally, No. 3 athlete) – a dynamic athlete out of Florida that can play both running back and wide receiver. If Penn State could get Richards, that would be quite the haul in 2019 at the skill positions.

Here’s a look at all 18 athletes that signed with Penn State on Wednesday:

Brandon Smith (ILB from Mineral, VA – 5-star, 6-4 228, National No. 25, Pos. No. 2)

Caedan Wallace (OG from Princeton, NJ – 4-star, 6-5 295, National No. 71, Pos. No. 2)

Adisa Isaac (DE from Brooklyn, NY – 4-star, 6-5 220. National No. 79, Pos. No. 4)

Devyn Ford (RB from Stafford, VA – 4-star, 5-11 195, National No. 80, Pos. No. 5)

Noah Cain (RB from Bradenton, FL – 4-star, 5-10 208, National No. 104, Pos. No. 7)

John Dunmore (WR from Hollywood, FL – 4-star 6-2, 172, National No. 120, Pos. No. 21)

Lance Dixon (OLB from West Bloomfield, MI – 4-star, 6-2 201, National No. 195, Pos. No. 11)

Tyler Rudolph (S from Oakdale, CT – 4-star, 6-1 205, National No. 263, Pos. No. 22)

Michael Johnson Jr. (DTQB from Eugene, OR – 4-star, 6-3 192, National No. 271, Pos. No. 8)

Saleem Wormley (OG from Smyrna, DE – 4-star, 6-3 318, National No. 274, Pos. No. 16)

Taquan Roberson (DTQB from Wayne, NJ – 4-star, 6-0 185, National No. 284, Pos. No. 9)

Keaton Ellis (CB from State College, PA – 4-star, 6-0 180, National No. 308, Pos. No. 23)

Hakeem Beamon (DE from Midlothian, VA – 4-star, 6-4 254, National No. 313, Pos. No. 23)

Joey Porter Jr. (CB from Wexford, PA – 4-star, 6-2 185, National No. 322, Pos. No. 34)

Anthony Whigan (OT from Scranton, PA – 4-star, 6-5 290, JUCO National No. 10, JUCO Pos. No. 3)

Marquis Wilson (CB from Windsor, CT – 4-star, 6-0 175, National No. 334, Pos. No. 37)

Brenton Strange (TE from Parkersburg, WV – 4-star, 6-5 210, National No. 356, Pos. No. 14)

Jaquan Brisker (S from Scranton, PA – 3-star, 6-2 197, JUCO National No. 27, JUCO Pos. No. 4)

* All rankings are according to 247sports.com composite, which considers all the major recruiting services rankings.