STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- And then there was one.
We’ve arrived at the final stop to this week’s countdown of Penn State’s most impactful recruiting classes of the past decade. This top spot was an easy pick, as this class helped bring Penn State out of the “dark years."
No. 1 most impactful class: Class of 2005
Top prospects: QB Daryll Clark, K Kevin Kelly, CB Justin King, OT Dennis Landolt, LB Sean Lee, S Anthony Scirrotto, CB Lydell Sargeant, TE Mickey Shuler, CB Knowledge Timmons, WR Derrick Williams
Biggest surprise: Clark. Scout.com listed him as a two-star prospect, and most eyes were on five-star recruit Anthony Morelli from the class before. Plus, with Michael Robinson on the roster, no one initially gave the prep-school product a second look. But Clark bided his time and broke out as an upperclassman. He led the Lions to a Rose Bowl as a redshirt junior and then, as a senior, had one of the finest seasons in PSU history with 3,003 passing yards and 24 TDs to 10 interceptions. He led the Lions to a Capital One Bowl victory over LSU in his final game.
Impact player: Lee. He was overshadowed by Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor, but he was still a solid ‘backer in his own right. He was a three-year starter who finished his career within the top five of Penn State’s career tacklers. Athlon Sports even placed him in the top 25 when it came to the best Big Ten linebackers of the BCS era. He was the 2007 Alamo Bowl MVP, a team captain and now a solid NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys.
Why this class is important: This class is basically the 2013 class before 2013. This group committed during the “dark years,” back when PSU had four losing seasons scattered over five years. The Nittany Lions were fighting for a return to national prominence, and some had already written them off.
Then this class came in. King and Williams were both five-star prospects, two players near the top of the rankings, and made a national statement when they committed to Penn State. Williams was widely regarded as the country’s top athlete, and both ended up as All-Big Ten players. This class helped put an end to those dark years. Penn State made seven straight bowl games after they committed.
Landolt, Lee and Scirrotto were three-year starters. Williams and Kelly were four-year starters. And, all together, this class combined for a half-dozen first-team All-Big Ten selections. This class not only had the talent to help turn Penn State around, it helped symbolize and reinforce -- with the help of King and Williams -- PSU’s return to prominence.
More impactful recruiting classes:
No. 5: Class of 2011
No. 4: Class of 2004
No. 3: Class of 2006
No. 2: Class of 2013