Five-Star Friday
Just as the confetti was beginning to settle on the war room floor on Signing Day last Wednesday, James Franklin and Penn State were back at it again. Last Thursday, FrankLion's birthday none-the-less, and a day after those LOI's were faxed in, the now-famous “WE ARE...BETTER” tweet came rolling through. For those who don’t know, it’s the tweet our head coach sends out to signify another commitment. It’s become known as the “Penn State Bat Signal” and for some of us, comes accompanied with a meme of Franklin in a cape standing on a tall building observing a giant shining Nittany Lion logo off in the distant sky.
Nevertheless, we were basking in the glow of a Top-15 class on a Thursday afternoon and wishing Coach Franklin the happiest of birthdays when Charlie Katsir, a four-star outside linebacker/safety from Cumberland Valley, announced his commitment to Penn State. It was not entirely unexpected, but a little surpising given the timing. And that, my friends, was just the beginning as Penn State continued to raise eyebrows on the national scene and recruiting websites heading into the weekend.
We awoke Friday morning to some internet chatter advising us to keep our eyes peeled for that trusty “FrankLion Bat Signal” once again. Sure enough, after a full day of slow production, three-star linebacker Jesse Luketa of Erie made his comittment to become a Nittany Lion. Shortly after, five-star runningback, Ricky Slade Jr., pledged his allegiance to Penn State. Slade is regarded as the top-back of the Class of ’18 and immediately raised eyebrows across the country, including our own. With his announcement, the Nittany Lions solidified their grip on the top-ranked 2018 recruiting class just mere days after welcoming in the Class of 2017. It was a Five-Star Friday indeed, with much more to come down the road.
Now, I am not naïve enough to believe, with just under a year to go, that all who have made their pledge to Penn State will still be on board come next Febuary. That being said, with 10 already committed, the prospect of keeping a good majority doesn’t seem far out of reach. Especially with the Nittany Lions on the uptick in the national polls and poised to make a serious run at another Big Ten Championship. With names like Micah Parsons the top-ranked D-Lineman from Harrisburg, Justin Fields, the top-ranked duel threat QB from Georgia, Zach Kuntz, the nation’s top-ranked tight out of of Camp Hill, and now Ricky Slade Jr., the Nittany Lions have ramped the game up a notch. Dare I say, they are venturing into territory normally occupied by the likes of ‘Bama and the hated Buckeyes. A few more of these “Five-Star Friday’s” coming out of Happy Valley and ol' Urban Meyer is gonna start seeing Blue and White in his dreams and that “FrankLion Bat Signal” in his nightmares!
Nevertheless, we were basking in the glow of a Top-15 class on a Thursday afternoon and wishing Coach Franklin the happiest of birthdays when Charlie Katsir, a four-star outside linebacker/safety from Cumberland Valley, announced his commitment to Penn State. It was not entirely unexpected, but a little surpising given the timing. And that, my friends, was just the beginning as Penn State continued to raise eyebrows on the national scene and recruiting websites heading into the weekend.
We awoke Friday morning to some internet chatter advising us to keep our eyes peeled for that trusty “FrankLion Bat Signal” once again. Sure enough, after a full day of slow production, three-star linebacker Jesse Luketa of Erie made his comittment to become a Nittany Lion. Shortly after, five-star runningback, Ricky Slade Jr., pledged his allegiance to Penn State. Slade is regarded as the top-back of the Class of ’18 and immediately raised eyebrows across the country, including our own. With his announcement, the Nittany Lions solidified their grip on the top-ranked 2018 recruiting class just mere days after welcoming in the Class of 2017. It was a Five-Star Friday indeed, with much more to come down the road.
Now, I am not naïve enough to believe, with just under a year to go, that all who have made their pledge to Penn State will still be on board come next Febuary. That being said, with 10 already committed, the prospect of keeping a good majority doesn’t seem far out of reach. Especially with the Nittany Lions on the uptick in the national polls and poised to make a serious run at another Big Ten Championship. With names like Micah Parsons the top-ranked D-Lineman from Harrisburg, Justin Fields, the top-ranked duel threat QB from Georgia, Zach Kuntz, the nation’s top-ranked tight out of of Camp Hill, and now Ricky Slade Jr., the Nittany Lions have ramped the game up a notch. Dare I say, they are venturing into territory normally occupied by the likes of ‘Bama and the hated Buckeyes. A few more of these “Five-Star Friday’s” coming out of Happy Valley and ol' Urban Meyer is gonna start seeing Blue and White in his dreams and that “FrankLion Bat Signal” in his nightmares!
