Penn State Overtakes Ohio State For Top Class

It's been nearly five years since Penn State's football team last beat Ohio State, but the Nittany Lions are on the verge of handing the Buckeyes another loss -- albeit, off the field. After the college football recruiting carousel's latest turn, Penn State has now surpassed Ohio State on the 247Sports composite team recruiting rankings for 2022. They currently have the country's top-ranked class.

Penn State entered last weekend with the nation's second-ranked 2022 class, trailing only the Buckeyes. That all changed when Ohio State super-recruit Quinn Ewers opted to cash in, reclassify, and head to Columbus early. Since Ewers reclassified to the 2021 class, the Buckeyes' 2022 ranking took a slight drop, sliding to third overall. Alabama moved up to second spot and the Nittany Lions slid comfortably into the No. 1 ranking.

The combination of Ewers' reclassification and weekend commitments from defenders Abdul Carter, a four-star, and Kevin Winston Jr. , a three-star, enabled the Nittany Lions to claim the top spot. Whether they stay there is anyone's guess. Penn State's highest finish ever in composite 247Sports rankings was sixth in 2018.

Despite having the top ranked class, the Nittany Lions are without a single five-star recruit. Since 2000, no team has won the recruiting "title" without having signed at least two five-stars.