Penn State head coach James Franklin told reporters at his introductory press conference that his recruiting strategy going forward will be to "dominate the state," per Audrey Snyder of PennLive.com.
Since then, rather than backing off that statement, he has elaborated, stating in an interview with 105.7 The Fan (h/t CBS Baltimore) that Penn State will try to "dominate the whole region," which he then described: "If you look, Penn State historically has been able to do a great job in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, New England, Delaware, Maryland, [Washington] D.C., Virginia. Those states should be really, really good to Penn State, and I've hired a staff with strong connections in all those areas."
Luckily for Franklin, that region is full of talent as far as the 2015 recruiting cycle goes.
According to the 247Sports Composite ratings, 12 of the top 100 recruits in 2015 hail from Penn State's region, and the new staff has already reached out to several of them.
At Penn State's junior day this weekend, the program will be hosting several kids from all over the Northeast. Let's take a look at some of the top prospects for the Nittany Lions early in the 2015 cycle.
All star ratings courtesy of 247Sports.