Feb. 3, 2016
Signing Day Central | Franklin Press Conference Transcript
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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Head coach James Franklin unveiled the Top 25 2016 Penn State Football recruiting class today during a Signing Day celebration in the Lasch Building. Penn State's Class of 2016 is ranked third in the Big Ten Conference by 247Sports and ESPN and from No. 17 to No. 24 nationally, as of Wednesday.
Penn State welcomed 16 student-athletes, who signed National Letters of Intent to join the football program. They are paired with four Nittany Lions who enrolled in classes in January for a total class of 20 signees for the 2016 season.
Penn State again found success in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions with 16 of the 20 players coming from within a 350-mile radius of State College and nine of 20 are from a 200-mile radius. The Nittany Lions' class hails from eight different states, spanning from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts to Georgia to Illinois. Penn State had five signees from Pennsylvania, five from Maryland, three from Ohio, two from Georgia, one each from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Virginia.
The Class of 2016 features 10 defensive, eight offensive and two special teams players. There are six players that have won at least one State Championship, six Semper Fidelis All-Americans, four Under Amour All-Americans, one Army All-American and two Gatorade State Players of the Year. Additionally, 15 of the 20 signees have served as their team captain during their high school career.
The newest Nittany Lions feature two five-star recruits (Michal Menet and Miles Sanders) and 12 four-star signees. According to 247Sports, Penn State has had 21 four- or five-star recruits in the last two classes (45 total commits) as compared to 11 four- or five-star recruits in the previous three classes (65 total commits).
Penn State season ticket renewals and Nittany Lion Club membership renewals also are underway for the 2016 campaign, which includes five Big Ten home games for the first time. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2016 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.