Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539550
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State has gotten off to a fast start in the 2027 recruiting cycle. As of mid-September, the Nittany Lions had four commitments, three of whom have received four-star grades from Ri- vals. PSU was listed No. 1 in the Rivals Industry Team Rankings, just ahead of second-place Miami with five commits and third-place Nebraska with three. There is, of course, a long way still to go, as evidenced by the presence of Syracuse, Pitt and Sacramento State in Rivals' current top 11. The Nittany Li- ons will need to welcome more than 20 additional prospects to their class, and they'll also need to hold onto the players they've already got. With signing day for the 2026 class now less than three months away, the '27 recruiting cycle is starting to heat up. Here's a position-by-position look at the players PSU is pursuing. QUARTERBACK Penn State has extended only five scholarship offers to quarterbacks in the 2027 class. For perspective, they offered 11 by the time 2026 quarterback Troy Huhn committed and 22 in the '25 class. The lack of offers suggests the Nit- tany Lions aren't as high on this year's crop of signal-callers, but updated ju- nior film can and likely will change that. For now, three of the five quarterbacks they've offered are already commit- ted elsewhere, leaving Peyton Hous- ton of Cotton Valley, La., and Keegan Croucher of Fonda, N.Y., as the two to keep in mind. Croucher, who is listed by Rivals as the nation's No. 9 quarterback and No. 113 overall prospect, is the one whom fans should focus on. In August, the four-star player from Cheshire Acad- emy in Connecticut said Penn State, Ole Miss and Oregon are his top schools. He has visits locked in with all three, beginning with Ole Miss the weekend of Sept. 27. Croucher, who is ranked No. 1 in Connecticut by Rivals, will then visit Penn State on Nov. 8 for the game against Indiana, and Oregon Nov. 22 for its game against USC. With 15 months to go until the 2027 class can sign, there's a lot that could still happen. Additional offers are likely to go out, and priorities could shift depending on what the transfer por- tal yields. There's a real possibility that Penn State will take two quarterbacks in the '27 class, and maybe even in 2026 if they can find the right guy in the final months of the current cycle. RUNNING BACK Penn State holds a commitment from Rivals' top-ranked 2027 running back in four-star prospect Kemon Spell of McKeesport, Pa. However, it's be- come clear that there's still work to do if the Nittany Lions are going to sign him. Listed as the nation's No. 8 overall prospect, Spell visited Ohio State on Aug. 30. Additional visits to Alabama, Florida State and possibly Notre Dame are expected later this season. Barring a late addition, Messiah Mickens is on pace to be the only run- ning back Penn State signs in 2026. That's why the Nittany Lions plan to sign two in the '27 cycle. So far, they've extended offers to 20 running backs na- tionally, but fans should be focused on two players in particular: Isaiah Rogers of Springfield, Mass., and Xavier Bala of Baldwin, N.Y. Rogers holds a four-star rating and is part of the Rivals100, coming in at No. 74 nationally and eighth among run- ning backs. He was offered by the staff in June and has since visited twice. It's early, but he seems to have a strong in- terest in the program. Notre Dame is also likely to be a serious contender. Bala was offered on Aug. 30 while vis- iting for the game against Nevada. He's not yet ranked by Rivals but has been on the rise, having garnered MVP awards at multiple camps in May. Those perfor- mances earned him invitations to camps at Alabama and Ohio State in June, and both programs extended offers. One other player to watch is Kelvin Morrison of Hickory High in Hermit- These Are Penn State's Top Targets In 2027 RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Quarterback Keegan Croucher of Cheshire (Conn.) Academy is set to visit Penn State on Nov. 8 for its game against Indiana. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS