Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W ith the early signing period now just weeks away, Penn State has lost eight commits in its 2026 class, dropping the group down to 17 players in the wake of James Franklin's dismissal. The class still included nine four-star players as of early Novem- ber, though most of those recruits were speaking with other schools, making this a critical stretch. With the early signing period set for Dec. 3-5, Penn State's remaining com- mits are hoping to hear an announce- ment prior to that date. Those who plan to enroll in January don't technically have to sign, but they also won't be able to take visits in December because the NCAA made the entire month a dead period for the first time. Players can still communicate with coaches by phone, text and email. The financial contracts that surround modern recruiting must also be consid- ered. For example, if Penn State doesn't announce a hire by the first week of De- cember, a player can still choose to wait and see who takes over the program. However, if he's considering other schools, he may no longer be guaranteed the same deal that was offered prior to the early signing period. That dynamic adds to the risk of waiting, incentivizing prospects to sign elsewhere. As of mid-November, this is where Penn State's current and former com- mits stood. STILL COMMITTED (AS OF NOV. 10) TAVIAN BRANCH DL | 6-4 | 300 | Taylor, Pa. There are a lot of variables surround- ing Branch's recruitment. The three- star prospect, who is listed by Rivals as the No. 36 defensive lineman nationally and No. 11 player in Pennsylvania, set up official visits to Maryland, Ole Miss and Nebraska in November. He later said he was no longer planning to visit the two Big Ten schools and instead would just visit Ole Miss the weekend of Nov. 15-17. Branch added an official visit to Auburn for the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29, only to see Tigers coach Hugh Freeze fired a few days after he announced his plans. For now, Ole Miss looks to be the saf- est bet. However, the Rebels' coaching situation isn't necessarily stable, either, with Lane Kiffin being courted by mul- tiple schools. MARLEN BRIGHT OT | 6-6 | 270 | Wayne, N.J. Bright took an unofficial visit to Il- linois the weekend of Nov. 1. He was ex- pected to return to Penn State on Nov. 8 for the game against Indiana, then take an official visit to Washington Nov. 15- 16. Both Bright and his father have made it clear they would like to wait as long as possible to get to know PSU's new staff, but the projected January enrollee also plans to sign in early December. Rivals lists Branch as a four-star pros- pect. He's the No. 239 overall player and No. 23 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 4 player in New Jersey. KEVIN BROWN OL | 6-5 | 280 | Harrisburg, Pa. Brown took an official visit to West Virginia Oct. 28-29 and followed with an unofficial visit to Ohio State when the Buckeyes hosted the Nittany Li- ons on Nov. 1. The consensus four-star Penn State Working To Hold Its 2026 Class Together RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING The highest-ranked member of Penn State's class at No. 57 nationally, offensive lineman Kevin Brown was still commit- ted to the Nittany Lions as of early November but had visited West Virginia and may check out Ohio State. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER