REPORT: Touted transfer portal recruit with Penn State football ties on campus this weekend

It’s been a busy week for James Franklin and Penn State football since the 2023 season ended in Atlanta last Saturday. The Nittany Lions have hit the transfer portal hard in the days since the Peach Bowl, earning a commitment from Ohio State WR Julian Fleming and hosting several other former five-star prospects who have entered the portal. Penn State now appears to be hosting its third former five-star recruit of the week, as reports indicate that ex-Wisconsin Badgers OL and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania Nolan Rucci is currently on campus. 

One-time coveted recruit makes transfer portal visit to Penn State

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Evidently, this is the motto that James Franklin and Penn State football have adopted in the transfer portal this offseason. The Nittany Lions have a tremendous opportunity with several highly touted recruits whom the program missed out of high school hitting the portal in recent weeks. 

Specifically, Franklin and the Penn State staff have the chance for redemption with two of the most high-profile misses in recruiting recent cycles. On Wednesday, the program landed Julian Fleming, the former five-star WR and No. 1 player in Pennsylvania for the 2020 cycle, who spent his first four seasons at Ohio State. 

Now, the Nittany Lions have their sights set on the Keystone State’s top player for the 2021 class. This weekend, Penn State is hosting Nolan Rucci, the former five-star OL who originally committed to Wisconsin. The visit was first reported by On3 and later publicly confirmed by 247Sports.

The Litiz native was a clear prime target for James Franklin after hitting the portal on Thursday. Of course, Rucci’s choice of Wisconsin out of high school particularly stung the Nittany Lions, given that his father, Todd Rucci, played for Penn State football in the early 1990s. 

Rucci is the third former five-star recruit Penn State hosted this week. Friday, ex-Texas A&M and North Carolina CB Tony Grimes popped up on campus. The Nittany Lions are now also favored to land former Georgia CB AJ Harris, who visited on Wednesday.

Nolan Rucci would provide versatility for new-look offensive line in 2024

The offensive line room is expected to look much different for Phil Trautwein and Penn State football in 2024. The Nittany Lions are losing three multi-year starters, with Hunter Nourzad exhausting his eligibility, and Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace off to the NFL. 

While we await decisions from several other veterans, most notably Sal Wormley and JB Nelson, Penn State does have several young OLs expected to step up next season. Drew Shelton has seen a decent number of snaps over the last two seasons, as did Vega Ioane this year. Rising sophomores Jven Williams, Anthony Donkoh, and Alex Birchmeier should also figure to factor into the equation. 

However, you can never have enough talent on the lines of scrimmage. The Nittany Lions had a transfer portal commitment from Division II OT Alan Herron, who later flipped his pick to Maryland in December. If Penn State football lands Nolan Rucci, who was an OT out of high school but moved to the interior at Wisconsin, it would provide additional depth and versatility to room that will be experiencing a make-over in the new year.

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