As the Penn Football Class of 2020 leaves the campus with two dozen wins, an Ivy League Championship, and many memories, the newest batch of recruits is coming to University City looking for similar success.
The Quakers will be welcoming 31 new football players this fall, which is down from 33 the year before. This year’s class features an even split with 15 players on each side of the ball, plus one kicker to round things out.
California leads the states with five recruits, while Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania will be sending three players each to play at Franklin Field.
"We are very excited for this group of young men to join our program," coach Ray Priore said via Penn Athletics. "It is [a] balanced class and a very talented group from top to bottom. Throughout the recruiting process, our coaching staff was impressed with each of these young men, not only as football players but as students and people. We believe they are driven and have the intangibles that will make them great Quakers."
Of the 31 newcomers, 20 will enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences while 11 will enroll in Wharton. Notably, the class features no engineers or nurses.
Two of the recruits have significant familial ties to Penn Athletics. Offensive lineman Callum Abernethy’s father Colin was a member of the Penn football team, winning two Ivy League titles and was given an All-Ivy honorable mention in 1988. Tight end Cameron Williams’ grandfather Jerome captained the Penn track team and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials.
Among the notable additions are the Nash twins, Lawson and Logan, who both play defensive back and hail from Ohio. Aidan Nash, a defensive back from New Jersey, shares no relation.
Of the 31 recruits, 30 are high school seniors enrolling in college for the first time. The lone exception is defensive back Walter Soefker, who is transferring to Penn from Navy.
Among the class are two quarterbacks, Hugh Brady of Hawaii and Ryan Zanelli of California, who will look to take over the reigns of the Quaker offense after rising senior, and likely starter, Ryan Glover graduates next year.
When coach Priore won Ivy League Championships in his first two seasons at the helm, he did so with mostly players recruited by his predecessor, Al Bagnoli. Not to diminish his early accomplishments, but his time coaching solely his recruits has been slightly less successful.
This fresh class will give Priore a chance to prove his effectiveness as a recruiter, as they will have four seasons to attempt to bring home some hardware.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate