Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1538407
5 0 S E P T E M B E R 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 is off to a great start in Pennsylvania when it comes to 2027 high school recruiting, hav- ing earned early commitments from the state's top-ranked prospect, running back Kemon Spell, and its third-ranked player, wide receiver Khalil Taylor. Spell is ranked as the top running back and No. 8 player in the nation by Rivals, and Taylor is rated as the country's No. 7 re- ceiver and No. 32 overall prospect. The 2027 class as a whole is also among the deepest we've seen in Penn- sylvania in recent years. The Keystone State has 11 players ranked in the Ri- vals300, including five top-100 pros- pects. For perspective, the state has av- eraged about seven Rivals300 prospects since 2015. Also, the number of top-100 recruits is the same as New Jersey, Vir- ginia and Maryland put together, mean- ing that Pennsylvania will be high prior- ity for schools across the region during the next cycle. With high school practice underway, this is a good time to take a closer look at several of the uncommitted prospects Penn State fans need to follow closely this season. Maxwell Hiller | OL | Coatesville Even those who follow recruiting ca- sually should know by now that Hiller is one of the staff's most important re- cruits at any position for 2027. Ranked as the nation's second-best interior of- fensive lineman and No. 25 player by Rivals and the No. 2 prospect in Penn- sylvania, Hiller is on pace to be a five- star prospect. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman has also visited Penn State 11 times so far, which is a positive sign for the Lions. However, the competition is stiff. On July 9, Hiller announced that Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, Geor- gia, Maryland, Ohio State, South Caro- lina and Tennessee were his top eight schools. He's in no rush to decide and will likely end up using his official visits next summer. For now, it's hard to envi- sion PSU not being one of his top three schools in the end. Hiller and his family grew up Penn State fans. Matthew Gregory | WR | Owen J. Roberts The No. 8 wideout and No. 39 pros- pect nationally and No. 4 player in the state according to Rivals, Gregory is verging on five-star status. The 5-11, 170-pound prospect finished second at the PIAA Championships this past spring in the 100-meter race with a per- sonal-best time of 10.46 seconds. That performance grabbed the attention of top schools across the country, but so far, he's only been able to visit Penn State and a handful of regional schools. Since April, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Missouri and Notre Dame have all offered, and Gregory is expected to start traveling a bit farther from home this fall. Once he sees some other prom- inent programs, it'll be easier to gauge just how realistic Penn State's chances are. Gregory has already confirmed that he'll attend the White Out game versus Oregon in September. During his soph- omore season, he amassed 1,138 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns. Terrance Smith | OT | Lansdale Catholic Penn State extended an offer to Smith in April. It came after a handful of no- table programs had already offered, but the 6-6, 250-pound lineman seems to have a genuine interest in the Nittany Lions. Notre Dame is off to a strong start as well, while Rutgers has also made him a priority, hosting him four times, the same number as Penn State. Ranked by Rivals as the No. 3 interior offensive lineman and No. 89 overall Pennsylvania Prospects Highlight 2027 Class RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING A potential five-star player, Coatesville lineman Maxwell Hiller has taken 11 visits to Penn State so far. PHOTO BY COURTESY RIVALS