COLUMBUS, Ohio — Penn State didn’t do anything new. It found the biggest home game on its schedule — a night game against Ohio State — and designed it as its most influential recruiting showcase of the season. James Franklin had roughly 75 prospects in attendance from both the 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes, many of which are also being recruited by the Buckeyes. There’s a risk involved in that strategy. Ohio State was No. 2 at the time and widely considered one of the best teams in college football, so there was a chance Penn State could have been beaten up in front of all of its premier targets. Even Meyer, who has only lost five total games since the beginning of the 2012 season, recognizes the risk when he has similar showcases in Ohio Stadium. How losing during a huge recruiting weekend changes things But Penn State took the risk and it paid off big. Not only did the Nittany Lions play a hard game at home, it ended up knocking off the Buckeyes and sending a message to the premier prospects who saw it live: This is possible and you can help us make it regular. “The greatest thing…
Continue Reading: How Penn State's win over Ohio State could help the Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes in 2020
