Eleven of the 27 recruits officially signed by Penn State football on Wednesday are currently slated to enroll early next semester, including four-star tight end Theo Johnson, four-star wide receiver Jaden Dottin, and four-star safety Enzo Jennings, among others.

Franklin discussed the process of early enrollment at his press conference Wednesday. He said he and his staff certainly don’t push any players to do so because of how big of a transition it is, but does appreciate its advantages.

“I do think, obviously, there’s some advantages, especially for a mature young man and a guy who’s a really strong student and in a really good situation, it makes sense,” Franklin said. “So it will be great for spring ball, it will be great for the winter workouts, it will be great for some of the competitive things. It does help.”

Johnson is clearly one of the highest-profile recruits who will be an early enrollee next semester. The 6’6″, 242-pound tight end out of Ontario garnered plenty of attention throughout his recruitment, as he was a superstar throughout his career at Holy Names High School and was ranked as the third-best tight end recruit overall.

No one is more excited to work with the talented pass catcher than tight ends coach Tyler Bowen. Johnson was the first topic of conversation when the coach sat down for his media availability on Wednesday.

“Theo, we couldn’t be more excited to have him. I’ve gotten to know him and his family extremely well,” Bowen said. “Penn State, as not only an academic institution but as a football program — and then the relationship that we built ended up playing out, in the end, made the most sense for him. I love Theo to death along with Tyler [Warren] and couldn’t be more excited to bring both of them into the room.”

On the defensive side of the ball, three-star cornerback Joseph Johnson is one of the 11 who is set to enroll at Penn State early. The Virginia native was ranked as the 10th-best player in his home state and the 32nd-best cornerback in the nation.

Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith was quick to mention Johnson as a key player coming into this offseason, including his 6’2″, 175-pound frame.

“At the corner, Joe Johnson is a long corner. He’s athletic with tremendous talent, and we’re really excited about him and his potential,” Smith said.

Including those who were discussed Wednesday, six of the 11 players enrolling early are four-star recruits. Plenty of the talent that the Nittany Lions officially brought in on Wednesday will hit the ground running in just a few short weeks, and Franklin is ready for what it will bring.

“That’s going to create some real good opportunities for us for spring ball. That will also create some really good opportunities for competition,” Franklin said. “I think that also obviously increases the chance of being able to come in and compete for a job. Those guys now will be learning and adjusting during the spring and having a chance to really compete during training camp.”