Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
1 0 6 A U G U S T 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 a five-star prospect listed at No. 8 over- all by Rivals. Unlike Wafle, defensive end Carter Meadows of Gonzaga College High in Washington, D.C., has already earned a five-star grade. Ranked No. 5 overall nationally, Meadows ended up choos- ing Michigan over Ohio State and Penn State. On one hand, Meadows was always be- lieved to be favoring the Wolverines, so his loss didn't sting the way Wafle's com- mitment to USC did. However, Penn State did end up landing his close friend and current teammate at Gonzaga, four-star defensive end Tyson Harley. In the end, that wasn't enough to put the Nittany Li- ons over the top. Meadows' decision came down to Michigan and Ohio State. He wasn't the only recruiting target who ended up in Ann Arbor; four-star offensive lineman Marky Walbridge also committed to the Wolverines. After miss- ing out on McKeogh, Walbridge was un- doubtedly Penn State's most important target at offensive tackle, but now he'll be lining up against the Nittany Lions in the years to come. Meanwhile, Ohio State managed to swipe one of Penn State's top defen- sive tackle targets on June 27 when New Jersey native Damari Simeon chose the Buckeyes. Michigan and Texas also earned official visits, but it became clear leading up to his decision that this was a battle between Penn State and Ohio State. Ranked No. 78 nationally by Ri- vals, Simeon visited Penn State three times between June and December 2024. He even paid his own way to attend Penn State's College Football Playoff matchup against SMU. Of the players who went elsewhere, Wafle is the only one whose financial numbers were leaked, but there's no doubt that large monetary contracts from other programs played a part in Penn State losing out on so many of the region's top recruits. James Franklin has made it clear over the years that he's not going to spend lavishly on high school players. Franklin would rather use Penn State's NIL resources to reward players who are contributing. That's largely how Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State allocate their re- sources, too. Players can now be paid di- rectly via revenue sharing, but there are still discrepancies between what different schools are able to offer through collec- tives and other marketing opportunities. We've seen this play out a few times in re- cent years. Unfortunately for Penn State, this year's storyline was largely the same for the 2026 class. ■ Falzone, Lubintus Exit Lions' 2026 Class Penn State lost out on a pair of commitments when quarterback Peyton Falzone of Naza- reth, Pa., and offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus of Blackwood, N.J., announced they were switching their pledges to Auburn and Syracuse, respectively. Falzone departed on June 26, while Lubintus announced his decision July 9. Standing 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, Falzone was originally recruited as a tight end by the Nittany Lions after putting up some impressive testing numbers at a camp in June 2024. However, after making it clear he wanted to play quarterback, Falzone committed to Vir- ginia Tech and held firm through most of his junior season. After seeing Falzone progress throughout the spring, Penn State head coach James Frank- lin offered him as a quarterback in April, which led Falzone to commit to the Lions shortly afterward. Listed by Rivals as a four-star athlete, he camped with Penn State quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien multiple times this summer, including the White Out Camp on June 22. Having been a frequent visitor, Falzone caught many by surprise with his decision to decommit. His exit leaves three-star Californian Troy Huhn as the only quarterback pros- pect in the class. Listed as the nation's No. 208 overall player as of late June, Falzone had been Penn State's third-ranked recruit in the class. He is currently Rivals' No. 14 athlete and No. 9 recruit in Pennsylvania. Lubintus is a three-star prospect who had been committed to Penn State since April. The Timber Creek High standout is rated as the No. 63 offensive tackle nationally and No. 13 player in New Jersey. After flipping to the Orange, he told Rivals' Steve Wiltfong, "I feel like I rushed into it. I was searching more for a name than the right place." — Ryan Snyder Falzone had been committed to Penn State for less than three months before announcing he planned to sign with Auburn. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER