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The culmination of the recruiting season is here, as National Signing Day 2017 is finally upon it. Here at Black Shoe Diaries, we’ll have coverage throughout the day of Penn State’s recruiting class, taking a player-by-player look at each member of the class, and taking a bigger picture look at the class as a whole. Thanks for stopping by, and if you aren’t already following, please follow @BSDTweet on Twitter for more recruiting news and notes.
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Brailyn Franklin committed to Penn State on August 2 after camping and earning his offer earlier in the summer. Originally from Texas, Franklin moved to Virginia just before his junior season, playing for Battlefield High School as a defensive tackle. He’ll make the switch to linebacker in Happy Valley, making him one of the more intriguing prospects in the class to follow.
Welcome to the fam, @prettiboi_23bra! #PSUsigningday ⚪️ #WeAre pic.twitter.com/FnwRKMsKs7
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 1, 2017
Vitals
| Position | High School | Height/Weight | 247Composite Rank | Positional Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | High School | Height/Weight | 247Composite Rank | Positional Rank |
| Athlete | Haymarket, VA (Battlefield) | 6-foot-2, 200 pounds | Three-star (0.8487) | No. 868 overall, No. 62 athlete, No. 24 player in VA |
Highlights
Scouting Report
Because Franklin plays mostly as a defensive tackle in high school, it’s tough to project how he’ll transition to linebacker. What we do know is that at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Franklin has an ideal linebacker build with the frame to hold another 30 pounds. On the field, he looks quick, and obviously does a good job disengaging with blockers, something that is translatable to linebacker.
Outlook
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Despite Penn State’s need for linebackers, Franklin is an obvious redshirt candidate. He hasn’t really played the position, so a year to actually learn the nuances of linebacker will surely be needed. Longterm, the potential is there. Franklin’s a truly a risk-reward prospect, but being that the staff saw him in person and offered him over other solid linebackers (notably, Virginia’s Zane Zandier and Rutgers’ Olakunle Fatukasi), leads me to believe that the risk outweighs the reward.