Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 5 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I t was business as usual at most schools when the first day of the December signing period arrived, even at the schools that had been seek- ing new head coaches in the preceding weeks. But at Penn State, Dec. 3 was decid- edly subdued. The Nittany Lions' 2026 class had begun to scatter when James Franklin was fired in mid-October, and its disintegration continued in the days leading up to the early signing period. Of the 26 players who had been com- mitted to the Lions around the time of Franklin's dismissal, all but one signed elsewhere. Eleven players followed the former PSU coach to Virginia Tech, while four signed with North Carolina. The reason for the near-total disman- tling of Penn State's class was clear. The Nittany Lions were still seeking a per- manent head coach heading into the signing period, with their top target, Kalani Sitake having opted to remain at BYU. Terry Smith was still in charge of the program on an interim basis and was considered a candidate for the full-time job, but there were no assurances that he would remain with the program in 2026 and beyond. Amid all the uncertainty about Penn State's football leadership, there were concerns that the team wouldn't sign anyone in December. In the end, how- ever, the Nittany Lions welcomed a pair of four-star Pennsylvania prospects to State College: defensive end Jackson Ford of Phoenixville and quarterback Peyton Falzone of Nazareth. Falzone surprised many when he posted on social media that he would be signing with the Lions just two days after he decommitted from Auburn. The Tigers had made a coaching change of their own, bringing in Alex Golesh from the University of South Florida. How- ever, Penn State was in an even more uncertain spot given that it didn't yet have a permanent head coach. Falzone was unfazed. The four-star prospect had never completely severed his ties with Penn State's remaining staff, and those connections — particu- larly with assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley — prompted him to join the Nittany Lions even with the pro- gram's leadership still in flux. "I had always been in contact with Coach McSorley. We have a really, re- ally strong relationship," Falzone said. "But it really did pick up within the past Pennsylvania Duo Signs With Nittany Lions In December RYA N S N Y D E R | RYA N . S N Y D E R @ O N 3 . C O M FOOTBALL RECRUITING Four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone of Nazareth High rejoined Penn State's class after decommitting from Auburn shortly before the start of the December signing period. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER