Penn State lands pair of top-5 running backs on early signing day

Philly.Com
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018 12:18 a.m. | Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018 12:18 a.m.

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review

Penn State head coach James Franklin leads his team onto the field at the start of their game against Pitt Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, at Heinz Field.

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Penn State Class of 2019 recruits

The recruits who signed Wednesday with Penn State:

Name, Previous school, Pos., Ht/Wt, stars

• Hakeem Beamon, Manchester (Va.), DE, 6-foot-3/259 pounds, 3 stars

• Jaquan Brisker, Lackawanna C.C., S, 6-1/190, 3 stars

• Noah Cain, IMG Academy (Fla.), RB, 5-10/209, 4 stars

• Lance Dixon, West Bloomfield (Mich.), LB, 6-1/205, 4 stars

• John Dunmore, Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, WR, 6-1/180, 4 stars

• Keaton Ellis, State College, CB, 5-11/177, 4 stars

• Devyn Ford, North Stafford, RB, 5-11/188, 5 stars

• Adisa Isaac, Canarsie (N.Y.), DE, 6-4/220, 4 stars

• Michael Johnson Jr., Sheldon (Ore.), QB, 6-2/197, 4 stars

• Joey Porter Jr., North Allegheny, CB, 6-1/185, 3 stars

• Ta'Quan Roberson, DePaul Catholic (N.J.), QB, 5-11/193, 4 stars

• Tyler Rudolph, St. Thomas More (Conn.), S, 5-11/200, 4 stars

• Brandon Smith, Louisa County (Va.), LB, 6-3/225, 4 stars

• Brenton Strange, Parkersburg (W.Va.), TE/HB, 6-4/214, 4 stars

• Caedan Wallace, The Hun School (N.J.), OL, 6-5/291, 4 stars

• Anthony Whigan, Lackawanna C.C., OL, 6-4/292, 4 stars

• Marquis Wilson, Windsor (Conn.), CB, 5-11/167, 4 stars

• Saleem Wormley, Smyrna (N.J.), OL, 6-3/311, 4 stars

* Stars according to Rivals.com

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Penn State picked up a second top-five running back for its recruiting class of 2019 on Wednesday when Noah Cain of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., announced he would sign with the Nittany Lions.

The 5-foot-11, 209-pound Cain, from Baton Rouge, La., chose the Lions over Auburn, Georgia, and Texas. He made his announcement live on ESPN2.

Cain, a consensus four-star recruit, is rated the No. 4 running back in the nation by ESPN, No. 5 by Rivals, and No. 7 by 247Sports.

Cain joins Devyn Ford of Stafford, Va., in Penn State’s recruiting class. The 5-11, 195-pound Ford is rated as the nation’s No. 2 running back by Rivals, as well as No. 5 by 247Sports and No. 8 by ESPN.

The signings of Cain and Ford added to the riches Penn State has been able to attract at running back. In four of the last five years, coach James Franklin has brought in Saquon Barkley (2015), Miles Sanders (2016) and Ricky Slade (2018).

Depending on if Sanders declares for the NFL Draft after the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, the battle to determine who would be the featured running back in the preseason could be intense among Slade, Ford and Cain.

Cain became the 18th member of the Lions’ recruiting class.