Joe Paterno, at 84 years old, started using Skype as a way to communicate with recruits. With a large desktop computer, the head coach chatted with priority prospects without having to leave State College.

In 2011, it was cutting-edge.

Now imagine what would happen if James Franklin and his entire Penn State staff weren’t regularly FaceTiming and hitting the road as much as NCAA rules permit? It’s as much a part of the job as the actual  coaching. There’s a large recruiting department to help manage the entire operation as personalized birthday greetings, hand-written notes and transportation to and from high schools via helicopter are all part of the job.

Advertisement

As recruiting transformed, Penn State had to change along with it. With more data readily available on prospects, it’s less of a guessing game now — even if teams don’t always get it right.

Here’s a look at some of Penn State’s highs and lows on the recruiting trail over the years:

Best recruit, pre-internet rankings: LaVar Arrington, LB

He was viewed by many as the No. 1 prospect in the country in the 1997 recruiting cycle, and Arrington’s commitment to the Nittany Lions was years in the making. Tom Bradley, Arrington’s primary recruiter, visited North Hills (Pa.) High School so many times that to this day Bradley still has the school’s address memorized.

“I remember coming back and telling Joe (Paterno) I just think this kid, he’s only a freshman, but I’d recruit him right now,” Bradley told The Athletic in 2022. “I think Joe looked at me like, ‘What?’”

Arrington’s legacy at “Linebacker U” includes earning first-team All-America honors (twice) and winning the the Butkus Award (top linebacker) and Bednarik Award (top defensive player). The LaVar Leap is forever etched in the minds of fans while Arrington’s No. 11 is legendary in State College. A linebacker wearing “sticks” is a point of pride and has become a connecting point for players such as Arrington, Brandon Bell, Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter, among others.

Arrington was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

Best recruit, modern era: Saquon Barkley, RB

During Franklin’s introductory news conference, he vowed to “dominate the state.” While Barkley isn’t the most high-profile prospect to sign with Penn State during Franklin’s tenure, he was a four-star recruit who ranked No. 119 nationally and No. 2 in Pennsylvania.

Barkley verbally committed a month after Franklin was hired, giving the new coach credibility during a time when the program’s stability was an issue.

Advertisement

Barkley headlined Penn State’s 2015 class, and his success on the field, which began right away as a freshman, jump-started a program rebuild that was expected to take much longer. Penn State’s turnaround coming off NCAA sanctions doesn’t happen without the human highlight reel. His success helped make State College an enticing landing spot for elite running back recruits, and that paved the way for in-state prospects such as Miles Sanders, Journey Brown and Nick Singleton.

During Barkley’s three seasons, the Nittany Lions won a Big Ten title en route to a Rose Bowl appearance and also won the Fiesta Bowl. Fans were on the edge of their bleacher seats every time he touched the ball. The hurdle, juke and spin moves won’t soon be forgotten. He finished his three-year Penn State career with 671 carries for 3,843 rushing yards and 51 total touchdowns.

Most influential recruit: Derrick Williams, WR

Penn State was at a tipping point when Williams, who is still the program’s highest-rated recruit of the modern era, signed in February 2005. The Lions won just four games in 2004 — their fourth losing season in the previous five five years — yet still managed to sign a top-five national prospect.

Williams, from Maryland, was joined in the Class of 2005 by cornerback Justin King. Like Williams, King was a five-star recruit. Both played right away and helped lift the program out of the era known as the Dark Ages. Penn State went 11-1 in 2005 and won the Orange Bowl. Without that jolt of talent, who knows what happens?

The five-star prospect came to Penn State out of Virginia as the top-rated back in the nation in the 2018 cycle.

Slade’s tenure in Happy Valley started and ended with him stuck in a crowded backfield. He was the Week 1 starter as a sophomore in 2019 but was ultimately supplanted by Noah Cain and Journey Brown and relegated to reserve duty. Slade left Penn State after his sophomore season. His final stat line as a Nittany Lion: 92 carries, 471 yards, eight touchdowns.

Advertisement

He transferred to Old Dominion, but the Monarchs’ 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic. In 2021, Slade was no longer on the team. His last snap in a college football game was during Penn State’s Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis

Best developmental story: Matt McGloin, QB

Kevin Newsome, Paul Jones and Rob Bolden were all recruited to help usher the program forward after Daryll Clark’s career concluded in 2009. Instead, McGloin, a walk-on, ultimately won the lengthy quarterback competition. The bizarre image of Bolden, then a true freshman, and McGloin waiting on the sideline during the first month of the 2010 season to figure out who would take the snaps for the ensuing series will not soon be forgotten by Penn State fans.

McGloin held onto the starting job the next two seasons. He bridged the gap from Paterno to Bill O’Brien and finished his collegiate career with 6,390 passing yards and 46 passing touchdowns. Making the journey from collegiate walk-on to an NFL roster is rare, even more so for a quarterback who was thought to be the third or fourth option when Penn State’s open competition started.

The one who got away: Justin Fields, QB

Penn State was in early on Fields, extending a scholarship to the Class of 2018 quarterback in the spring of 2016. Fields committed to Franklin in December 2016 but backed off that pledge six months later.

Fields eventually signed with Georgia but transferred to Ohio State after one season in Athens. Penn State pivoted by signing Will Levis, a three-star prospect, to fill the open spot for a quarterback in the class. Levis lasted three seasons at Penn State before transferring to Kentucky.

Fields ending up in Columbus was the ultimate dagger. Watching a five-star quarterback decommit is painful. Watching him transfer to — and star at — your hated rival is cruel. In two games against Penn State (two wins), Fields combined to complete 44 of 56 passes for 506 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions.

Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories looking back at recruiting superlatives for select Power 5 programs. The stories can be found here. 

(Photo of Saquon Barkley: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images))