What We Learned From Penn State's Recruiting Staff About the 2025 Class

The Nittany Lions' recruiting department provides a glimpse into the top players and an "unpolished gem" of the class.

Penn State football coach James Franklin claps from the sideline during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State made official the 15th-ranked 2025 recruiting class on a low-key signing day last week, which preceded the Nittany Lions’ appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game. Before heading to Indianapolis, members of Penn State’s recruiting staff discussed the 27-player class, its players to watch and an “unpolished gem.” Here are some takeaways. 

Bekkam Kritza impresses recruiting staff

When looking at Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class, 3-star quarterback Bekkem Kritza might not draw many eyes. But Penn State’s recruiting staff was incredibly high on the passer when discussing him last week. 

Kenny Sanders, Penn State’s director of player personnel, called Kritza “unbelievable.” Sanders said that, although Kritza doesn’t have the formal training of some highly ranked high school quarterbacks, he is one of the best raw arm talents Sanders has seen. 

“He is such an unpolished gem, in my opinion, I think that I could probably spend an hour just talking about what I think Bekkam Kritza’s going to be once he gets here,” Sanders said. “But for me, he's going to be someone that really thrives in the structure that we're going to provide. [Quarterbacks coach] Danny O'Brien, he's the QB whisperer at this point, he's going to be able to take that ball of clay and mold it into something super, super special.”

Andy Frank, Penn State’s general of personnel and recruitment, also spoke highly of Kritza, complimenting his height (6-5), his ability to maneuver in the pocket and keep his eyes downfield. 

“You turn on his film as a junior … the ball doesn’t hit the ground very often, and those are some of the things that we were really impressed with and why we were excited about him,” Frank said.

Celebrating an in-state tight end flip 

Penn State picked up a late 2025 commitment from tight end Andrew Olesh, who flipped his commitment from Michigan to Penn State last Friday. Olesh is a high 4-star tight end, ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania and the 47th player nationally by the 247Sports Composite. He became the highest-ranked player in the Nittany Lions’ class, and head coach James Franklin said the program takes a lot of pride in earning his commitment. 

Franklin said tight ends coach Ty Howle “did a phenomenal job” in helping reel in Olesh. Olesh’s pledge also continued Penn State’s mantra of, “the best in PA stay in PA.” Penn State has landed the top-rated player from the state in three of the last five years (2025: Olesh, 2023: Jven Williams, 2022: Nick Singleton) and will look to keep that momentum going.

“He came to camp with us two years ago, so we got a pretty good idea who he is, and he has a chance to be a weapon for us here in the near future,” Franklin said. 

Other notable Penn State prospects

One of the most exciting prospects for Penn State fans is LaVar Arrington II, the son of legendary Nittany Lions linebacker LaVar Arrington. Frank acknowledged that many will draw comparisons between father and son, but Penn State was focused only on the younger Arrington while recruiting him. He spoke highly of Arrington’s edge-rushing ability, as well as his twitch and bend. 

“When we're evaluating LaVar, we're trying to look at who he is as a player, and who he can be. I think he's a guy that has continually gotten better throughout his career,” Frank said. “I think he's a guy that’s got a lot of versatility and is going to be a really good player for us down the road.” 

Frank also discussed the team’s running back commits, 3-star prospects Tikey Hayes and Jabree Coleman. He said Hayes is “a little more stop-start,” while Coleman is “smoother and niftier” at times. 

Sanders touched on Malachi Coleman, a 4-star offensive lineman who’s one of the program’s top commits of the class. Sanders said Coleman is coming in at a great size physically and will have an opportunity to compete for reps as a freshman. 

“He is an unbelievable prospect in the sense that he's got really good position flexibility,” Sanders said. “We see him as a tackle, but he's going to have the chance to get on the field early because he can do some other stuff with just the way he plays and his power and his athleticism and his bend, all those things that matter to play in that position.”

Asked about underrated players in the class, recruiting coordinator Alan Zemaitis pointed to receiver Matt Outten, a 4-star prospect from Portsmouth, Virginia. Outten (6-1, 205) was a captain and two-time team MVP at I.C. Norcom High. He initially committed to Virginia Tech before switching to Penn State.

“His talent, I remember we watched it as a staff, and almost everybody in the room was singing the same praises, you know what I mean?” Zemaitis said. “And I don't really hear his name brought up a lot, but he's a dynamic talent, and he's going to be somebody that I feel like [offensive coordinator] Andy Kotelnicki will be able to use in a variety of different ways. He's going to bring a lot of value to the offense and to our ballclub in many ways. He's just a dynamic athlete, and he brings a lot to the table.”

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson