From 2015 through 2020, Penn State signed 23 offensive linemen, several of which Rivals ranked as top-100 players coming out of high school.
Notre Dame only offered three of them.
Many of the Nittany Lions offensive line recruits come from fertile Fighting Irish recruiting territories such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey — areas where Notre Dame found future top-10 NFL Draft picks Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson, as well as several current offensive linemen.
This isn't a knock on either school, but it is worth noting that, even though both are Midwestern powerhouses, Notre Dame hasn't had to compete very much with Penn State when it comes to their top offensive line targets, at least recently.
But in the class of 2021, the Fighting Irish are in a dogfight for several offensive linemen coveted by both schools — Nolan Rucci, Landon Tengwall and Wyatt Milum. Rucci and Tengwall are both ranked within the top 40, while Milum is inside the top 200.
"For me, the story is pretty simple: Two elite teams going after three elite linemen," said Ryan Synder, Recruiting Analyst for Blue and White Illustrated.
The bad news for Fighting Irish fans is that Notre Dame might be trailing for all three, at least based on their visits.
Combined, they have visited Penn State 20 times and that doesn't include the trip Tengwall is expected to make this Friday or the countless number of times Rucci has been on campus to watch a football game via his family's season tickets and cheer on his father's alma mater.