James Franklin needed a quarterback.
He really needed a certain kind of quarterback at Penn State.
He needed a quarterback with a strong enough arm but who could also make plays with his feet.
He needed a quarterback who could do all of that, plus had a big enough frame to put on the kind of weight to absorb a pounding in the Big Ten.
James Franklin got his new quarterback after a recruiting visit for the Ohio State game.
He needed a quarterback now, not next year.
And Franklin did about as well as possible this late in the 2015 recruiting cycle when he received a verbal commitment from Indiana’s Tommy Stevens this week. He had scholarship offers from the likes of Nebraska, Michigan State and N.C. State but had been committed to the Indiana Hoosiers.
He ultimately fills the hole in the class left by premium prospect Brandon Wimbush, who left to join Notre Dame’s class.
Stevens is still highly-regarded but doesn’t come with the same level of recruiting hype.
“He’s what they want in a quarterback,” said Brian Dohn, a national recruiting analyst with Scout.com. “He can do the read-option and throw on the run and get yardage with his feet. I don’t think he’s as far along or polished as Wimbush … but the kid can make plays out of the pocket.”
Stevens is 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. Wimbush is 6-1 and 212 pounds and is known for possessing a stronger arm.
“As a passer, Tommy is more of a distributor, whereas Brandon can throw guys open and hit windows few guys can hit,” said Josh Helmholdt, a Mid-Atlantic analyst with Rivals.com.
“I’ve seen Tommy make big strides over the last 15 months. He was a little free-wheeling and susceptible to mistakes. He’s really polished his game over the last 15 months … really tightened up his arm mechanics and delivery.”
Stevens certainly wasn’t the Lions’ first choice at quarterback, but he seems to be an intriguing replacement with a solid upside. And there’s this: The star QB also starts at safety for his high school team, rarely coming off the field.
“One thing I do like about him is his toughness,” Dohn said.
His commitment provides Penn State with much-needed quarterback depth. There is no guarantee that QB Michael O’Connor sticks around, since he is a pro-style players recruited by Bill O’Brien. Is there even a chance that struggling Christian Hackenberg could decide to transfer to a more pro-friendly system?
Stevens’ commitment moves the Lions up to No. 9 in Scout.com’s national rankings and keeps them tops in the Big Ten with 19 verbals. Rivals.com ranks the Lions at No. 12 with Ohio State in front at No. 8.
Penn State continues to wait on decisions from high school senior defensive tackles Christian Wilkins (Connecticut) and Tim Settle (Virginia), Virginia offensive lineman Matthew Burrell and Philadelphia defensive end Shareef Miller, among others.
“Quarterbacks are kind of gel (of the recruiting class),” Helmhodt said. “I think Tommy has that leadership quality about them. He can get guys to follow them. He definitely has that quarterback moxie about him.”
