84692388469238

Franklin Announces Penn State Football's Highly Touted Class of 2015

2015 Signees | VIDEO: Signing Day Highlights | VIDEO & Feature: Franklin, Nittany Lions Celebrate Class

J. Franklin Transcript | J. Gattis Transcript | T. Smith Transcript | A. Frank Transcript

Feb. 4, 2015

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach James Franklin announced The Pennsylvania State University's Top 15 recruiting class today during a Signing Day celebration in the Lasch Football Building.

The Nittany Lions' Class of 2015 is ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference by the primary scouting services, and from No. 11 to 14 nationally, depending on the scouting service, as of mid-day Wednesday.

Penn State welcomed 22 student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent to join the football program. They joined three Nittany Lions who enrolled in classes in January for a total class of 25 signees for the 2015 season.

Having passionately vowed to "Dominate The State" during his inaugural season in 2014, Franklin and his staff emphatically did just that, signing seven of the top 10 players in Pennsylvania and 10 of the top 15. The Nittany Lions signed a total of 11 Keystone State prep standouts. All three Pennsylvania totals are the highest for Penn State in more than a decade.

The Nittany Lions were highly productive in signing prep standouts from throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with 22 of the 25 players hailing from within a 350-mile radius of State College. One of the three signees from outside the region, offensive tackle Paris Palmer, played the past two seasons at Lackawanna (Pa.) College and enrolled in January.

Penn State's Class of 2015 hails from nine different states and metropolitan Washington, D.C., spanning from Connecticut to North Carolina to Indiana and Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions had 11 signees from Pennsylvania high schools, five from New Jersey, three from Maryland, two from Virginia and one each from Connecticut, Indiana, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Thirteen defensive and 12 offensive players signed with the Nittany Lions. Franklin will meet with the media at 3:30 p.m. to discuss the Class of 2015.

Penn State football will host "The Signature Event," tonight, giving fans an opportunity to learn more about the Nittany Lions' Class of 2015. Fans are invited to attend this free event in Rec Hall and hear from Franklin, as he discusses each signee on National Letter of Intent Day, including video and biographical information. The doors will open at 6 p.m. for general admission, first-come, first-served seating, with the program starting at 7 p.m. Parking is available in Lot Red A after 5 p.m. and the Nittany Parking Deck at the normal rate.

Bios on all the Penn State football signees are available at Signing Day Central at www.gopsusports.com/signingday/2015.html.

The Nittany Lions capped the 2014 season with a 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to earn at least 10 consecutive winning seasons. Franklin is among just three Penn State head coaches to win at least seven games in his first season in Happy Valley in the program's 128 years.