there is a lot of components that go into making a team like Penn State what it is. Facilities and local talent are two very big components but an area where the competition can really widen the gap is the NLWC. this last year they had Olympic Gold Medalist Jake Varner and Olympic Gold Medalist Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu training full time with 2016 Olympians Frank Gomez, Jaime Espinal and Frank Molinaro, plus I'm sure others I'm missing.
that goes a long way in getting out of state recruit like Bo Nickal and Suriano to commit. funding all those full time athletes takes a huge financial commitment though, which is why the NJRTC with Princeton is such a huge deal. If the NJRTC can eventually match the NLWC's firepower, and Rutgers can match the coaching salaries of a place like Iowa or PSU, and fully fund 9.9 scholarships with matching out of state money, then they will, along with the new facilities and the natural geographic advantages of the school, give Rutgers most of the big components needed to compete with the big national powers.
and that is still going to take some time. it's not just getting to the level where Iowa and PSU is now. it's getting to the level that Iowa and PSU will be in the future as they continue to improve, PLUS overtaking other schools making the same kind of commitment, such as Lehigh & VTech, among others. which makes for an exciting time to be a fan, imo.