When Will Penn State Win a National Championship?
There's always plenty of news, notes and even some tastes regarding Penn State football. We begin with FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt breaking down the Lions' chances to win a national championship in the near future.
Klatt: Watch Penn State's Recruiting Rankings
Joel Klatt's podcast is a must-listen for college football (particularly Big Ten) fans, and the analyst took an interesting question recently on the show. A listener asked, Do you think Penn State will win a national championship in the next 10-15 years?
A fair question, particularly as Penn State enters 2023 with high expectations. Klatt, though, offered some pause, which he tied to Penn State's annual recruiting rankings.
"I don’t see a team being able to win a national championship unless they can average for four straight years a top-5 overall recruiting class," Klatt said on the podcast. "That’s basically what it takes to win the national championship."
Penn State's average four-year rank, according to the 247Sports Composite, is 13.75. By comparison, Alabama's is 1.5 and its last four classes have ranked either first or second. Two-time defending champ Georgia's average rank is 2.5. Ohio State's is 4. LSU's is 6.25.
Of course, the rules allow for outliers. TCU reached the College Football Playoff title game with a four-year average rank of 35.5. Michigan has been recruiting at roughly Penn State' pace (average rank: 12.5) but has won consecutive Big Ten titles. As Klatt said, other factors will matter as well.
"Now, how the transfer portal is going to affect that, how NIL is going to affect that, heck, how the expanded playoff is going to affect that, I’m not totally sure," Klatt said. "Injuries are going to play way more of a factor in the future with a 12-team playoff, and the portal will continue to play a huge factor.
"Look at what happened this last year with TCU making the national championship. Not that TCU was ever going to beat Georgia, my goodness, after that game, but I think that the door was basically shut before these last couple of years. And I think it’s starting to slowly open. But I maintain if you’re going to play with and beat some of these teams like Alabama and Georgia and even Ohio State in your own conference, you’d better start averaging out over a 4-year span about a top 4-5-6 class in the country in order to go out and win a national championship."
So remember: Recruiting rankings matter.
Dominic DeLuca's Hometown NIL Deal
Linebacker Dominic DeLuca is a great Penn State story. The former walk-on from West Pittston, Pennsylvania, was a special teams regular, blocked a punt against Minnesota and earned a spot in the linebacker rotation. At the Rose Bowl, coach James Franklin placed DeLuca on scholarship.
And in February, DeLuca will appear at a hometown market to promote a Pennsylvania-based Italian food brand. Meet DeLuca at the Gerrity's in West Pittston on Feb. 18 to taste-test MarRosa's products.
The Clifford Brothers Sell The NIL Agency
Sean and Liam Clifford started their Limitless NIL agency in 2022 to give athletes like themselves more agency over their brands. Recently, the duo sold Limitless to TEAM, a holding company that includes sports marketing and collectible brands.
According to a news release, Limitless will continue to operate as an NIL agency under the TEAM umbrella.
"Well before NIL was formally approved, we had the plan to become a major player in the NIL space. After meeting with Sean and Liam Clifford last year, we knew our future had to include them," Pat Waters, president and CEO of TEAM, said in a statement. "They had multiple pieces of the puzzle already in place, including a dynamic group of entrepreneurs driving the business. I am thrilled with our newly consolidated NIL platform and eager to continue our rapid growth in 2023."
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
