Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
1 0 6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State's 2026 class is only just starting to come together, but James Franklin and his staff made a significant addition when they landed four-star quarterback Troy Huhn of Mission Hills High in San Marcos, Calif. The Nittany Lions had been ag- gressively pursuing the nation's best quarterbacks in the 2026 class. They extended 11 offers, with nine going to four-star prospects, including six of- fers to top-100 signal-callers. Huhn, who is listed by On3's scouts as the No. 6 quarterback and No. 60 overall player nationally, received an offer from PSU in September 2023. The Lions also pursued four-star Florida quarterbacks Dia Bell and Brady Hart. Bell committed to Texas in mid- June, while Hart announced for Michi- gan the following day. That made Huhn a high priority for PSU, and the attrac- tion was mutual. Huhn had been interested in both the Longhorns and Wolverines. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback made four visits to Austin and was in Ann Arbor when he learned that Hart had committed to the Wol- verines. Huhn's trip to Mich- igan had "started out great," he told BWI. But when he learned o f H a r t's c o m m i t - ment, he knew he would have to look elsewhere. "That kind of ended the trip right there," he said. "I was a little sad, but you've got to move on. For me, it's about the next play. If I throw a pick, it's on to the next play and keep playing." It seemed as though the next play in Huhn's recruitment might involve Ohio State. The Buckeyes' staff had extended an offer in March, and they reached out again right after Hart com- mitted to their archrival. Huhn agreed to stop in Columbus on his way to Penn State, and while they gave him some- thing to think about, it wasn't enough to overcome the Nittany Lions' early interest. Huhn committed on June 25, citing his bond with Penn State quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien as one of his pri- mary reasons for choosing the Nittany Lions. "Our relationship is unbelievable," Huhn said. "He's definitely the man." As a sophomore last season, Huhn threw for 1,623 yards and 16 touchdowns and led Mission Hills to a 9-4 record. — Ryan Snyder COMMITMENT PROFILE TROY HUHN Four-Star California Quarterback Elevates 2026 Class Troy Huhn has a big-league arm at this stage in his development. From watching that group of 2026 quarterbacks, I came away thinking he has some of the best arm talent of the group. He has a loose, live arm that can really drive the ball downfield. Huhn can do a lot with his arm strength. He also has the ability to make a variety of throws and just manipulate the football however he wants. That's the starting point for his evaluation. When you look at his skill set, he certainly proj- ects as a pocket passer but also shows solid reac- tive quickness to move within the pocket. He has that prototypical stature and will continue filling out. I think there's a good bit to work with here, but we also just want to see continued growth and improvement on Friday nights. That will go a long way toward determining where he shakes out ultimately from a ranking perspective. — Charles Power, On3 director of scouting and rankings P L A Y E R E V A L U A T I O N 2025 HOT LIST WIDE RECEIVER HT WT RATING* HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL Lex Cyrus** 5-10 175 HHHH Harrisburg, Pa. Susquehanna Township Koby Howard 6-0 175 HHH Davie, Fla. Chaminade-Madonna Romero Ison** 5-11 170 HHHH Baltimore Baltimore City College Jerome Myles 6-3 215 HHHH West Jordan, Utah Corner Canyon Zymear Smith 5-11 170 HHH Denton, Md. North Caroline OFFENSIVE LINE Malachi Goodman 6-5 315 HHHH Paramus, N.J. Paramus Catholic DEFENSIVE LINE Jarquez Carter 6-2 270 HHH Newberry, Fla. Newberry Iose Epenesa 6-3 265 HHHH Edwardsville, Ill. Edwardsville Yvan Kemajou 6-3 240 HHH Burtonsville, Md. Paint Branch LINEBACKER Ty Jackson 6-1 197 HHHH Loxahatchee, Fla. Seminole Ridge CORNERBACK Brandon Finney** 6-2 185 HHHH Owings Mills, Md. McDonogh School * On3 player ratings as of July 15 | ** Currently committed elsewhere