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Four-star cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields committed to Penn State on National Signing Day, giving the Nittany Lions 21 total commits in the 2017 recruiting class. 

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Few teams have been able to take their on-field success this past season and translate it into momentum on the recruiting trail. But James Franklin has done exactly that after leading the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten title.

On Wednesday, 4-star prospect Tariq Castro-Fields committed to Penn State. He chose the Nittany Lions despite holding additional offers from Alabama, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and others.

The Upper Marlboro, Maryland native is ranked as the No. 29 cornerback and No. 283 overall player in the country.

At 6-foot-1, 177 lbs he’s an extremely talented defensive back with great ball skills and a natural feel for the position, as he plays it instinctually. He’s quick in his backpedal but also shows great burst when exploding out of his break.

He has the ability to disrupt wide receivers at the line of scrimmage with his ability to jam and throw off the timing of routes, which will allow him to jump shorter routes and delay down-field patterns, giving the defensive line time to apply pressure.

With the addition of Castro-Fields, Penn State now has four defensive back commits rated with at least four stars. Safety Jonathan Sutherland and cornerback Donovan Johnson are both 4-star recruits, but Lamont Wade has five stars and is ranked as the No. 3 cornerback and No. 17 overall player in the nation.

The Nittany Lions have 21 total commits and are up to No. 14 in the 2017 recruiting class rankings.

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