Penn State, James Franklin To Host #1 Player In Ohio As Lions Try To Steal One From Ohio State

Ohio State is the class of the Big Ten with regards to football. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is lying. And, as much as it pains me to say it, next comes Michigan. Then Penn State. Then, in any order, is everyone else.

But James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have an opportunity this weekend. That may seem strange to say since, you know, it's April. However, that doesn't make it less true.

The Penn State Nittany Lions are holding their annual spring game -- the Blue-White Game -- on Saturday. Over 75,000 people are expected to attend and could set a record for attendance. But there is one invitee more important than the rest.

His name is Aaron Scott. Scott is the top-ranked 2024 recruit in Ohio.

According to 247 Sports, the last time the top-ranked Ohio recruit didn't commit to Ohio State was in 2018. That was offensive tackle Jackson Carman, who attended Clemson.

Penn State recently secured commitments from two top defensive backs from Florida. They're actually high school teammates and that's a big win for James Franklin.

So, too, is getting the top-ranked Pennsylvania prospect, Quinton Martin. He considered Ohio State, but Franklin convinced him to state in the Keystone State.

But nothing would send a message to the Buckeyes like going into their state and stealing the top player. That's something that's nearly unheard of. Only Dabo Swinney was able to do it in the past five years.

Can James Franklin pull it off?

It would be arguably the biggest win of his Penn State career and it would come in April.

How crazy is that?