Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
5 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M couple of days once I was able to get on the phone with Coach Smith more frequently and have my questions an- swered. That's when I felt ready to pull the trigger." Falzone said he was hopeful that Smith would continue to be part of Penn State's program going forward. Shortly after the signing period concluded, Smith com- mitted to stay at PSU as a member of Matt Campbell's staff. Even before that decision was m a d e , Fa l z o n e said he felt con- fident enough in Smith's vision to join a program in transition. W h e n a s k e d what his main questions were to Smith, Falzone said, "It was more so me want- ing to get his input on the quarterback position and how he thought an offense should be run. Whether he becomes the head coach or sticks with the program and stays as an associate head coach, something like that, he'll still have a major role in the overall structure of the team. "I wanted to get his viewpoint on that. Obviously, every coach is unique. Once we hammered that all down, I had a great conversation with him, and we finalized everything." Falzone also made it clear that his re- lationship with McSorley played a major role. "He's just been a great resource," the quarterback said. "He played the posi- tion at Penn State and did a phenomenal job. He had a good career in the NFL, and now he's got the coaching piece of it. I love that he has so many different viewpoints with all those different ex- periences. I think that's really valuable. Whether they were Penn State-related questions or just football-related ques- tions, I talked to him about his recruiting process and how that went. It really is a deeper relationship than just football." Falzone's commitment was his fourth of the cycle. In June 2024, he commit- ted to Virginia Tech, only to reopen his recruitment about a year ago. He then pledged to Penn State in April before surprisingly switching to Auburn in late June. Falzone had multiple schools show- ing interest down the stretch, including Virginia Tech. He bypassed those oppor- tunities, and now he's looking forward to being part of Penn State's next chapter, confident that the program will emerge from its transition in good shape. "There were several other schools that reached out, and I appreciate all those coaches. The relationships I built were very valuable," Falzone said. "But as I sat there last night and met with my family, I thought, I have an amazing opportunity on my hands. I can stay in the state and play big-time football in front of the best fans in the country. What am I waiting for?" A 6-foot-5, 200-pound prospect, Falzone is listed by Rivals as the No. 20 quarterback nationally and No. 8 player in Pennsylvania. In the Rivals Industry Ranking, which incorporates the ratings of the three major recruiting websites, he's listed as the No. 296 overall pros- pect and No. 19 quarterback nationally, as well as the No. 10 player in Pennsyl- vania. Falzone's senior season at Nazareth High was cut short when he suffered a fractured clavicle in his left (nonthrow- ing) shoulder against Freedom High in September. He ended up playing in only four games, completing 66 of 98 passes for 1,176 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while also rushing for 195 yards and 6 scores on just 20 carries. For his career, Falzone completed 58.2 percent of his passing attempts for 5,839 yards, with 53 touchdowns and 10 inter- ceptions. He rushed for 1,347 yards and 26 touchdowns. Aside from Falzone's commitment, the other bright spot for Penn State on signing day was Ford's decision to fol- low through on his pledge. That did not appear to be assured in the days leading up to the signing period. The 6-3, 240-pound edge rusher took an official visit to Vir- ginia Tech in late No- vember but ultimately decided to stick with Penn State. Ford had committed to the Nittany Lions in June following official visits to PSU, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford and Wisconsin. After Franklin was fired, Ford was the only recruit who didn't take a single visit until the final weekend. "I have a lot of faith in the program as a whole and everybody in it," he said on Nov. 19. "One season doesn't really define a program. Up to this moment, there's been a lot of success. They've RIVALS INDUSTRY 2026 TEAM RECRUITING RANKINGS As of Dec. 11 Rk. School Commits 1. USC 35 2. Notre Dame 27 3. Oregon 21 4. Alabama 22 5. Georgia 30 6. Ohio State 27 7. Tennessee 28 8. Texas A&M 27 9. Miami 30 10. Texas 23 — Penn State 2 CLASS OF 2026 COMMITMENTS* Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Rating** Home School Peyton Falzone QB 6-5 200 HHHH Nazareth, Pa. Nazareth Jackson Ford DE 6-3 240 HHHH Phoenixville, Pa. Malvern Prep * As of Dec. 11 |** Rivals player rating as of Dec. 11 "As I sat there last night and met with my family, I thought, well, I have an amazing opportunity on my hands. I can stay in the state and play big-time football in front of the best fans in the country. What am I waiting for?" P E Y T O N F A L Z O N E