Baltimore offensive line recruit Zachary Franks chooses Penn State

Penn State received its third oral commitment from a high school senior in less than a week Thursday when offensive lineman Zachary Franks of Baltimore pledged to the Nittany Lions for the freshman Class of 2019.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Franks, who attends the Gilman School, chose Penn State over his other three finalists — Northwestern, Rutgers, and Duke.

Franks, who received an offer from the Nittany Lions after attending a camp in June, is rated at three stars by Rivals and 247 Sports. He is ranked as the No. 13 prospect in Maryland by Rivals and No. 16 by 247Sports.

Franks is the 15^th player, and third offensive lineman, who has committed to the 2019 class. It continued a busy week for the Lions, who received commitments Saturday from wide receiver Emery Simmons and Wednesday from quarterback Michael Johnson Jr.

With Franks' pledge, the Nittany Lions have moved up into a tie for 11^th in the Rivals Class of 2019 team recruiting rankings, the best showing of any Big Ten member. The Lions are 13^th overall in the 247Sports rankings, trailing conference foes Ohio State and Michigan.