Top Penn State Football Recruits of the Last 20 Years – And How They Turned Out
Penn State Football has had it’s fair share of top recruits.
From Micah Parsons, to Christian Hackenberg, there have been many highly touted recruits to choose the Nittany Lions in the last 20 years.
So, let’s take a look back in time and see how the top 10 Penn State Football Recruits in the last 20 years have turned out.
Here is the criteria; players must be within the classes of 2005-2025. Unfortunately, this leaves out some like Dan Connor, who was a part of the class of 2004. It also excluded Kemon Spell, who is a class of 2027 commit.
We are following 247 Sports list of the top Penn State Recruits of all time.
Number 10-9
#10 RB Ricky Slade (Class of 2018)
Ricky Slade came out of Virginia as a 247 composite 5-star.
Slade earned the number one Running Back in the country title as well. Standing at 5 foot 9, Slade had offers from almost every Big Ten team, but ultimately chose the Nittany Lions.
Ricky Slade will probably go down as one of the biggests “busts” on this list. His Penn State Football career only lasted two years. During those two years, Slade contributed 471 yards and 8 touchdowns. In the 2018 season, Slade played backup to Miles Sanders, and then eventually in 2019 was passed up by Noah Cain and Journey Brown. After the 2019 season, Slade transferred to Old Dominion. Old Dominion then opted out of the 2020 season and Slade never resurfaced on the football field.
Ultimately, Slade was a miss by the recruiting services and the Nittany Lions.
#9 RB Nick Singleton (Class of 2022)
Nick Singleton was rated as a composite 5 star Running Back. The Governor Mifflin product held offers from a bevy of schools like Alabama, Ohio State, Texas A&M and others. Ultimately, the top Running Back in the class of 2022 chose Penn State.
Obviously, Singleton’s career in the Blue and White is not over. So, it is hard to truly paint the picture of how he panned out. However, what Singleton has been able to accomplish in his three years at Penn State is already impressive.
Singleton came in as a freshman and rushed for over 1,000 yards. That is even more impressive considering he split carries with Kaytron Allen and Keyvone Lee. Singleton’s sophomore year was a little less productive, but still solid. He ran for 750 yards and 10 touchdowns. Most recently, in 2024, Singleton posted 1,099 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in a very successful Penn State season.
Known to break many long runs, Singleton’s career is far from over, but he has already made a name for himself as a Nittany Lion.
Number 8-7
#8 RB Miles Sanders (Class of 2016)
The stretch of high-end Running Back recruits continues. Pittsburgh native, Miles Sanders proved to be the jewel of Penn State’s class of 2016. Rated as a composite 5 star, and top Running Back in the nation, Sanders took his talents to Happy Valley and he did not disappoint.
Sanders‘ legacy is complicated. It always felt like he was held to an unfair standard, being that he followed Saquon Barkley. So he had big shoes to fill. I would argue that Sanders successfully filled those shoes.
While Sanders didn’t do much beyond mop-up duty and special teams in his first two seasons as a Penn Stater, he had a massive junior year. In 2018 Sanders toted the rock 220 times and eclipsed 1,200 rushing yards while adding 9 touchdowns.
Sanders had such a good year that he declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year and ultimately went on to have a solid NFL career with the Eagles and Panthers.
While Miles Sanders may be one of the most overlooked Running Backs in recent memory, he had a very successful Penn State career.
#7 DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (Class of 2022)
Dani Dennis-Sutton came to State College as a part of that legendary class of 2022. As a McDonogh, Maryland product, Dennis-Sutton was rated as a composite 5-star, top player in Maryland. His final three schools were Penn State, Alabama, and Georgia. In what may prove to be one of James Franklin’s biggest recruiting wins, Dennis-Sutton chose the Nittany Lions.
Dennis-Sutton has had a productive career thus far, and is poised to play a massive role on defense in his senior year. In his three years as a Nittany Lion, Dennis-Sutton has recorded 52 solo tackles, 23 TFLs, and 15 sacks. He has been a very solid and reliable Edge Rusher for James Franklin.
Dennis-Sutton has already had a pretty good Penn State career. However, with a good 2025 season, he could vault himself into “legend” status.
Number 6-5
#6 LB Brandon Smith (Class of 2019)
Brandon Smith is an interesting piece to fit into LBU history.
As a prospect, he was a 5 star, top Linebacker in the class of 2019. Out of one of Penn State’s recruiting hotbeds, Virginia, Smith chose to play his college ball in State College.
Smith, had a rough go of it time wise. His freshman year was 2019. During that year, he didn’t get much run. However, the next year was a shortened COVID season followed by a rough 7-5 year in 2021. So, Smith got really unfortunate timing wise. He totaled 68 total tackles and 4 sacks in his time in the Blue and White. Smith was an athletic freak, but it felt like he never truly unlocked his potential. After a formidable junior season, Smith declared for the draft and played two years in the NFL.
I wouldn’t necessarily call Brandon Smith a bust, he had a respectable Penn State career. However, most Nittany Lion faithful probably had higher hopes for Brandon Smith.
#5 QB Christian Hackenberg (Class of 2013)
Well, well, well, this is probably one of the most complicated Penn State players of all time.
Christian Hackenberg came to State College as a 5 star, top 15 player in the country out of Virginia. It is also important to note that Hackenberg came to Penn State right in the thick of a very trying time, with sanctions, bowl bans, and more.
Christian Hackenberg started as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. He totaled over 8,000 passing yards and 48 touchdowns throughout his Penn State time. However, he threw 31 interceptions. That is a lot of turnovers from the Quarterback spot. Hackenberg went on to declare for the draft after his junior year and wound up being drafted by the Jets. He never ended up doing much in the NFL and is now back around the Penn State Football program often.
Hackenberg has such a complicated legacy. On the field, he probably did not meet the expectations. He was still solid though, and helped Penn State reestablish their footing during a very rocky time. All in all, there are two sides to Hackenberg’s legacy.
Number 4-3
#4 CB Justin King (Class of 2005)
As the top player in Pennsylvania in 2005, Justin King elected to go to Penn State.
The five-star held offers from almost every school imaginable and still chose Penn State.
King got right to work when he got to State College. He played in 12 games of a memorable 2005 season for Penn State. He continued to bloom and played well in his final two years as a Nittnay Lion. King ended up with 67 total tackles and three picks. He decided to forgo his senior year of eligibility and ended up getting drafted by the Rams.
With the Rams, King put together a solid three year run in the league before playing for the Colts and eventually finishing his football career.
Overall, a Cornerback is a position that is hard to evaluate in terms of boom or bust. Justin King however, had a pretty good Penn State career and is certainly not a bust.
#3 WR Justin Shorter (Class of 2018)
Coming out of New Jersey, Jutin Shorter was a top 8 player in the class of 2018. That was good for the best wideout in the nation as well. Shorter stayed close to home with Penn State and went on to, well, play for Penn State Football.
Justin Shorter’s time as a Nittany Lion is not hard to judge. He hauled in just 15 balls and did not find the endzone in two years in Happy Valley. After his sophomore year, he transferred to Florida where saw some success in his three years in Gainesville. Shorter still however, did not meet the expectations he had as a recruit. Shorter went on to be drafted late in the draft by the Bills and has yet to stick in the NFL.
There is no way around it, Justin Shorter was a bust. He had high expectations coming to Penn State, and those just never came to fruition.
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Number 2-1
#2 LB Micah Parsons (Class of 2018)
Harrisburg product, Micah Parsons was an absolutely massive recruit for James Franklin. As a 5 star, top 5 player in the class of 2018, Micah Parsons was a huge recruiting win. He chose to stay close to home, and chose Penn State over Ohio State and others.
Micah Parsons played all over the field in high school, but at Penn State he played Linebacker.
Parsons played a lot as a freshman and really burst on to the scene as a sophomore. He racked up 100 solo tackles, 19 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks throughout his first two years.
When it came time for Parsons’s junior season, he elected to opt out of the COVID season and train for the draft. It proved to pay off for Parsons as he was drafted 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Cowboys. He has went on to have a uber successful NFL career in Dallas.
Penn State fans will probably always throw around the idea of “what if Micah Parsons could have played a third year at Penn State?”. This will remain a very intriguing question for Penn State faithful. The reason being is that it truly felt like Parsons never reached his full potential as a Nittany Lion.
Don’t get me wrong, he was very good, but after his 2019 Cotton Bowl performance, he looked to be up for a mammoth 2020 season. Although Parsons’ time in Happy Valley was cut short, he had an exceptional Penn State Football career.
#1 WR Derrick Williams (Class of 2005)
The Maryland native, Derrick Williams, is the top Penn State Football recruit of all time. Williams was the 4th best player in the nation coming out of high school. Landing the 5-star Wide Receiver seemed to be a huge momentum swing for Penn State in a tough stretch in the early 2000s.
Williams’ freshman campaign seemed promising. He reeled in 22 catches and some 289 yards. However, after battling injuries, Williams’ next three years did not show as much promise. His best year ended up being 2007 where the junior caught 55 passes for 529 yards and 3 touchdowns. After a drop-off in production as a senior, Williams embarked on his NFL journey. As a third-round pick, Williams only lasted two years in the NFL. He only caught 9 NFL passes.
Looking back on Derrick Williams’ career at Penn State leaves a lot to be desired. He showed promise as a freshman, put up O.K. number for the next three years, but it never truly clicked. Given Derrick Williams’ status as a recruit, he did not live up to those standards.
Re Ranking Penn State’s top Recruits in the Last 20 Years
With the benefit of hindight, I decided to re-rank these 10 huge recruits. Here is my ranking:
#10 RB Ricky Slade (Class of 2018)
#9 WR Justin Shorter (Class of 2018)
#8 QB Christian Hackenberg (Class of 2013)
#7 WR Derrick Williams (Class of 2005)
#6 LB Brandon Smith (Class of 2019)
#5 DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (Class of 2022)
#4 RB Nick Singleton (Class of 2022)
#3 CB Justin King (Class of 2005)
#2 RB Miles Sanders (Class of 2016)
#1 LB Micah Parsons (Class of 2018)
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Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.