Penn State OT commit makes massive jump into top 50 in new recruiting rankings

Don’t look now, but Penn State football may be turning into an offensive line school. From Olu Fashanu to Drew Shelton, the Nittany Lions return a significant number of offensive line snaps from last year’s team. Add in that Penn State just signed two top 5 linemen nationally for the 2023 cycle in Jven Williams and Alex Birchmeier, and things are looking pretty good up front. And the position continues to be on the rise in the class of 2024. Recently, Penn State OT commit Garrett Sexton made a significant jump in new recruiting rankings released by On3, now becoming a top 50 player nationally. 

Penn State OT commit Garrett Sexton now a top 50 player in new On300 rankings

Last week, On3 released its updated On300 recruiting rankings. While jumps from several Penn State commits grabbed headlines – most notably that of QB Ethan Grunkemeyer – the highest elevation in terms of ranking belongs to Garrett Sexton. The Arrowhead High School (WI) prospect climbed nearly 70 spots into the top 50 overall players in the country, going from No. 112 to No. 44. That jump also makes Sexton the No. 1 overall player out of Wisconsin and the No. 7 OT recruit nationally, according to On3’s new recruiting rankings. Penn State landed Sexton during a string of spring commitments in April. 

The rise of Garrett Sexton should excite Nittany Lions, not just because he is now the top-ranked player in Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class (according to On3), but because of the potential he will bring to Happy Valley. Sexton has only played offensive line for one season, previously playing quarterback. The Penn State OT commit has bulked up significantly (now listed at 265 pounds), but has retained his athleticism. “Just looking at him physically, he looks phenomenal. I think there are just so many positive indicators on him relative to his size and athleticism,” On3 Director of Scouting Charles Power told Blue-White Illustrated. “I think he’s got such high upside. The arrow is pointing up.”

The future looks bright

In the class of 2024, three of Penn State’s four offensive line commitments currently hold four-star status. Although Donovan Harbour dropped out of the new On300 rankings, Penn State’s longest-standing commitment in the 2024 cycle, Cooper Cousins, jumped into the rankings. Previously ranked outside the top 300 players in the country, Cousins now finds himself rated No. 215. 

While the updated On300 rankings are a feather in the cap for James Franklin and Phil Trautwein, it’s important to note that the recruiting rankings will still change considerably between now and signing day. But given the trajectory of many of the class of 2024 commitments, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about these future Penn State football players. 

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