College football recruiting is already a yearly battle, and a global pandemic doesn’t make things any easier.

As National Signing Day wrapped up Wednesday, Penn State football locked up everyone it hoped to. The Nittany Lions signed 15 commits (five of whom are four-star prospects) and hold the No. 21-ranked class in the nation.

When comparing to other programs, some Penn State fans may not be pleased with how this class is shaping up, but the Nittany Lions signed a massive 2020 class of 27 players that’s bound to have lasting talent.

There’s still plenty of skill in this group, however. Offensive tackle Landon Tengwall sits as the No. 50 player in the nation, while Lonnie White Jr. is considered the No. 7 player in the state of Pennsylvania, according to 247Sports.

Penn State still certainly faced its challenges, however, as Director of Player Personnel Andy Frank explained Wednesday.

“Everybody in college football faced the challenges with COVID,” Frank said. “One of the great things about Penn State is when a kid comes on campus, he gets a feel for how special this place really is. That’s missing a little bit in an era when you’re only able to do Zoom calls.”

Considering Penn State’s smack-dab in the middle of Pennsylvania and not particularly near any major airports, it can be a bit of a hike to get to Penn State for a visit. Unfortunately for James Franklin and his staff, getting prospects and their families on campus has been a recruiting priority for the past several years.

Even without that key aspect, the Nittany Lions found ways to manage.

“We did a bunch of [Zoom calls],” Frank said. “Felt like we were able to hold on to a class that was pretty well kind of on its way as the COVID thing started. Then kind of picked up steam as things got going there. We also did a good job of keeping guys connected to our staff.”

Penn State earned commitments from several key pieces of this 2021 class just as the coronavirus pandemic began to take hold in the United States. Tengwall committed on March 26, while a flurry of commitments that included Kalen and Kobe King and Zakee Wheatley took place betweeen April 9 and 10.

Even as things continued to be put on hold over the next few months, the Nittany Lions still racked up some key commitments over the spring and summer. Quarterback Christian Veilleux and kicker Sander Sahyadak both committed in April, while Rodney McGraw and Lonnie White Jr. joined the party in May.

Many of those players won’t need to wait much longer to get to Happy Valley. Seven even of them are joining Penn State as early enrollees next semester, including Veilleux, the King brothers, and Tengwall, among others.

“Whether we have spring ball or not, [early enrollees] are gonna gain the experience in the weight room,” Frank said. “It’s a chance to get on campus and get trained like they’ve never been trained before. Regardless of classes, it’s gonna be a different experience for everyone…It’s still a challenge to play as true freshmen, but these guys will definitely have a leg up on the rest of the class.”

As the Nittany Lions turn their focus to training and developing the talent they already have, there’s no denying there are some players they missed out on. With or without the coronavirus, Penn State dropped some serious in-state talent that could’ve been key pieces to this class.

The team remains proud of this current recruiting class, but Frank believes they aren’t done recruiting quite yet.

“Felt like we did a lot in terms of being balanced across the board, but there’s a few spots we’ll continue to look for come February and on the transfer market,” Frank said.