Penn State Sports Magazine
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5 8 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State may have just wrapped up its 2025 class, but recruiting never stops. In fact, with the way the Nittany Lions have started the 2026 cycle, fans should be as excited as ever to look ahead. With PSU already holding com- mitments from eight players, five of whom have four-star grades in the On3 Industry Ranking, the hype surrounding next year's class has been high for months now. It's early, but the class ranks fifth na- tionally. Now that we're beginning to turn the page to 2026, here are some reasons why Penn State fans should be encouraged about what's been accomplished already and what's to come in the months ahead. 1. PSU is off to a great start at wide receiver Of course we were going to start at wide receiver. Where else? I like what receivers coach Marques Hagans and the staff were able to do in 2025, but you have to stack classes to rebuild a room, and the 2026 class gives Penn State a great opportunity to do that. Penn State already holds commitments from Jahsiear Rogers, Jerquaden Guilford and Lavar Keys. Rogers is a four-star commit, while Guilford and Keys have received three stars. We believe Rogers could be a special player, and Keys has impressed while facing high-level competition at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland. Guilford was being pursued by Ohio State and Georgia, among others, before committing on Dec. 6. But even beyond those three, the Nittany Lions are in a strong position with multiple wide receiv- ers across the region, including four-star pros- pects Connor Salmin, Davion Brown and Travis Johnson in Virginia. Elias Coke of Harrisburg, Pa., is also a strong candidate to end up in this class, while California native Madden Williams included Penn State among his top six schools. It's too early to accurately predict how many the Nittany Lions can sign. We'll have a better feel for that after the transfer portal closes, but they're in a great spot heading into junior days next month. 2. The Lions are already set at quarterback The dominos at quarterback seem to be falling faster every year, and Penn State made sure it was in the mix early with the nation's best. Back in the spring, three players emerged as the staff's top targets: Dia Bell, Brady Hart and Troy Huhn. Bell committed to Texas on June 17, while Hart joined Michigan's class the next day. That made Huhn a very important target for quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien and the staff, and he just happened to be visiting Penn State on June 19. The timing couldn't have been bet- ter; the Lions were able to lock up the four-star's commitment on June 25. They'll have to keep him committed for the next 11 months, but the Cali- fornia native has shown no signs of wavering. Huhn is the ninth-ranked quarterback in the country according to the On3 Industry Ranking. 3. Pennsylvania is once again strong Penn State is already off to an excellent start in the Keystone State, landing three On3 Industry four-star prospects, including a potential five-star in offensive lineman Kevin Brown. Add in Brown's teammate at Harrisburg High, running back Messiah Mickens, plus Fort Cherry's Matt Sieg, and that's about as good a start as the staff could ask for. Mickens and Brown are two of four top- 100 prospects in the state currently, join- ing another Harrisburg native, Cumberland Valley offensive lineman Tyler Merrill, as well as La Salle athlete Joey O'Brien. Mer- rill has kept his options open — he visited Alabama recently — while O'Brien has been trending in PSU's direction lately, vis- iting for three games this fall. But when you add in two more really good athletes in Peyton Falzone and David Davis, edge rusher Jackson Ford, defensive tackle Alex Haskell, offensive lineman Tavian Branch and linebacker Terry Wiggins, plus a host of other intriguing players, I wouldn't be surprised if the 2026 class stacks up bet- ter than 2025 a year from now. 4. There are multiple four-star defensive linemen in the region Edge rusher Zion Elee of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, the top-ranked recruit in the country, committed to Maryland on Dec. 7, choosing the Terrapins over Penn State and Oregon. Elee had made three visits to PSU, so that was a disap- pointment. Still, there are a number of other highly regarded defensive linemen in Penn State's backyard. We've received positive feedback regarding sev- eral four-star edge rushers, including Luke Wafle of Princeton, N.J.; Jackson Ford of Phoenixville, Pa.; and Carter Meadows of Washington, D.C. All three rank among assistant coach Deion Barnes' top targets at the position, and there's no reason to think they won't be on campus multiple times in the coming months. I also like the start the Lions have had with a host of defensive tackles. Penn State was one of the first major schools to notice North Carolina native Keshawn Stancil and New Jersey's Damari Simeon before they became four-star prospects. Both have taken off nationally since camping last summer, but they made it back to campus for games this fall. ■ Four-star quarterback Troy Huhn from San Marcos (Calif.) Mission Hills High joined the Nittany Lions' class in June. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER FOUR REASONS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT 2026 CLASS RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M