Pa. football power outage? Penn State recruiting simply surges on

Penn State went to the West Coast to land its second quarterback of this recruiting class.

A few days earlier, James Franklin and staff received a verbal commitment from a North Carolina receiver.

With few prime targets in Pennsylvania and Maryland during this cycle, the Nittany Lions have fared well reaching to other parts of their traditional recruiting area and beyond.

With 14 verbal pledges so far, only two have in-state ties — defensive backs Keaton Ellis (State College) and Jaquan Brisker (Lackawanna Community College).

The most recent pickups were Carolina's Emery Simmons and Oregon's Michael Johnson, Jr. 

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Johnson (6-foot-3, 195 pounds) chose the Lions Wednesday over Florida State, Miami, North Carolina State and Oregon State. He's more of a playmaking runner but a less-polished passer than Penn State's other quarterback commit, Ta'Quan Roberson, according to Sean Fitz of Lions247.

Johnson is a four-star recruit and the No. 6 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals and 247Sports. He's been regarded as one of the top QBs in his class since he was a freshman at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, Calif. He moved to Eugene, Oregon last year when his father was hired as the Ducks' wide receivers coach.

"He has everything you'd (want) for Penn State's offense," said Ryan Snyder of Blue-White Illustrated. "He can throw on the run, make plays with his feet. He's a coach's son."

This is the first time Penn State has pulled two scholarship quarterbacks in the same class since 2014. New Jersey's Roberson (6-0, 185 pounds) also is a prestigious four-star recruit.

Last weekend, Simmons joined the Lions' class by flipping his commitment from the home state Tar Heels. The Lions began pursuing him hard this past spring when he first was a member of the Indiana Hoosiers' recruiting class.

The other receiver in Penn State's class so far is four-star John Dunmore from South Florida.

Simmons is a shade under 6-1 and about 185 pounds and is the country's No. 62 receiver in the 247Sports Composite rankings.

"He's a lot of speed. ... He's a fluid athlete, as well," Fitz said. 

The Lions' other members in this class are from Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Michigan.

The team's hottest remaining targets include New York defensive end Adisa Isaac, Texas defensive back Lewis Cine, Florida running back Noah Cain and Lackawanna offensive tackle Anthony Whigan.

Baltimore offensive tackle Zachary Franks also may be close to joining this class.

Penn State's 2018 class included seven in-state players and three from Maryland.

This farther-ranging effort "really just speaks to the wins and what they've done on the field more than anything," Snyder said. "Now, kids trust the fact that (Penn State) is a safe bet. ... They've always been great recruiters, but you've got to get those wins." 

Penn State's rather small class has been ranked around 15th nationally by the major recruiting services. But with so many high-end recruits, they are higher in per player rankings, coming in at No. 4 by Rivals and No. 7 by 247Sports.  

Looking ahead, Isaac is a four-star prospect who's recruiting profile has blown up in recent months. The 6-5, 220-pounder also boasts offers from Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Florida, LSU and Michigan.

"He's really just scratching the surface of his potential," said Adam Friedman, a Mid-Atlantic analyst from Rivals. "He started only as speed-rush guy but has gotten stronger and is understanding how to use his length and leverage."

Whigan is a Great Mills, Md. native and one of the top junior college players in the nation. The four-star prospect is 6-5, 290 pounds and has three years to play two at an FBS school. 

Franks (6-6, 290) is going into his senior year at the Gilman School and is more of a raw prospect, Friedman said. His other offers include Duke, Northwestern, Rutgers and Arizona.

Franks is "very long and technically sound. He needs to get a little stronger and more quick-twitch," Friedman said. "If he really puts it all together he could be a cornerstone."